I’m in San Francisco today and tomorrow, after visiting family for my grandparent’s golden anniversary.

We ate excessive amounts of great food (as is our tradition), riled against Bush, and discussed events in each others lives. Naturally, I spent plenty of time fielding questions about my activities. I explained my ideas for a learning center, and their genesis from my experience with ESG and the SCA.

My family consists mostly of teachers, farmers, engineers, and Lutheran pastors. There were at least 4 pastors in the ~30 person get-together (counting one missionary and one traveling theologian), so I also spent some time discussing my realization that the role I really want, which I’m approaching through my learning center ideas, is that of a pastor or priest, if only I could find the right religion. I didn’t bring up my plans for creating my own religion, but there’s plenty of time if that becomes necessary.

The family extravert (an in-law) convinced me that I should follow through with my plans to wander Europe as soon as possible, though that can’t be for another 6 months.

I return to Boston Tuesday night, so I decided to use these last days to explore San Francisco.

Today was my walking day in SF. I got to Berkeley around 4, and walked around the campus and worked in one of their libraries before taking the BART into the city. Once in SF proper, I started at Good Vibrations and traveled down Valencia hitting the interesting book stores. Then I turned onto Mission and went to all the good murals that my aunt (who missionaried in Mission) could remember, and ate at a little Papusaria. Then I went over to the Castro (appropriately after a hard hike up Liberty), got lost in one of San Francisco’s twisty regions, and finally got to the park and took Haight all the way back (most of the interesting stores have moved way from the Haight-Ashbury intersection to make way for Gap and Ben&Jerry’s, but there are more interesting storefronts further out). Now I’ve checked into the Youth Hostel near the Civic Center to do some more work.

I think I have enough that I already plan on seeing tomorrow, but if anyone has anything they’d like me to bring back or do for you while here, leave a note by 2:00 (Boston time).