I am sure he got good and tired of the sentence, "It's so pretty." Because I kept saying that, roughly every fifteen seconds. Yep, that's me, the girl with the extensive vocabulary. But I couldn't help it. The day was spectacularly beautiful, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Sometimes "so pretty" is the only description that will do.

The day was cold and clear, with perfect views of the city (I love the San Francisco skyline) and Alcatraz island, and the Bay Bridge in the distance. The water was ice blue, with the shadow of the bridge falling across it. There were sailboats out in the bay, and tons of people walking, jogging and biking across the bridge.

Walking on the bridge is a very different experience from speeding along it in a car. It seemed that every ten steps was a different vista, requiring a brand new exclamation of, "It's so pretty." We got to read the plaques and dedications on the bridge, many of which refer to the "Great Redwood Empire" as in, "The Golden Gate Bridge is the Gateway to the Great Redwood Empire!" or "By the Grace of God and the Great Redwood Empire!" I've never heard of this particular Empire before, but the bridge builders were evidently quite enthusiastic about it.

There's also a really bad, sexist poem on a plaque at the north end vista point. Something about the manly men who built the bridge, and how "she" is the "nugget of the north" and the "patroness of the Great Redwood Empire" or something. I love how they personified the bridge as a female-- something that's depicted as the creation and property of these great men. Quite imperialistic, I must say. But I guess that's par for the course when it comes to Empires.

It was slightly cold, and it rained a teeny bit when we got to the north end of the bridge. But this meant we got to see at least three spectacular rainbows. Rainbows, people! My inner child could not have been more excited. First we saw a huge one, arcing across the whole sky. Then we saw a few half rainbows as we were walking back, including one double rainbow.

Those of you who know Michael are well aware that he likes to make really bad jokes. (I would tell you it's endearing, but then he'll never stop. So let's keep that between you and me, okay?) So as we were completing our circuit of the bridge, we saw a rainbow again, with its base in the city itself. And Michael made a joke along the lines of, "I think it's the same rainbow. Maybe it got hungry and went for Italian food."

Okay, okay. It's a typically silly joke. But it absolutely cracked me up, and it still cracks me up. I just got the perfect mental picture of this rainbow thinking, "Hmm, all this spectacular shining is wearing me out. I'm getting a little peckish. I hear North Beach has some great Italian places..." and then moseying on over to suck up some chicken marsala, or something.

Hee.

Then we went and got some really bad food (and by bad, I mean unhealthy, yet tasty) and ate and chatted and stuff. I think all the fat and cholesterol in the fries sent my body into a stupor of happiness. You would think my body would be all, "Go, nutrition!" but it's not. It was so happy about all the crap that was in the food, it's asking if we can go back and get more today. Sodium! Saturated fat! Calories!

I'm sorry, body. Today, we're having a salad.

So this morning, my legs were tired from all that walking. And also, confidentially, my lips were a little tingly. I can't imagine why...

Today my collaborations class didn't meet, but my literary magazine class did.

I'm excited, because it looks like one of my cover designs (actually, a modified version thereof) is going to be used as the cover. We were joking that our magazine should be called Mosodia (rather than Prosodia) because this means that my cover design, several of my photographs, and two of my poems are all going to be published.

I did come up with a pseudonym for my photography, just to alleviate those concerns. An anagram of my first and middle names is: Queen Molli Coen. I like the idea of being a Queen, but I think I'm just going to go with the modified version, Mollie Coen, instead.

Anyway, here is my cover design:

We've agreed on a glossy cover, which I think will look classy, and we've got a great photo for the back. We've also paired the artwork with appropriate pieces of writing, and added some blank pages for effect. It's wonderful to see it all coming together so well, and to know that I had a huge hand in the process. I think it's really going to be something to be proud of, for me, and for everyone who is appearing in it.

Oh, my favorite quote of the day came from Toker. After a couple glasses of wine, I started to get a little giggly. Someone said, "You must have had one hell of a weekend," and I just sort of gave an impish grin and hinted around that perhaps, maybe, I had gotten my groove on a little bit.

"I know I'm engaged, and I'm not supposed to be jealous," Toker said. "But somehow, I am anyway."

"ME
I wrote three poems today

MATT
Are they about how much you love me?

ME
N... no, but you inspire all my poetry, baby. You’re my inspiration!

MATT
No I’m not. You’re inspired by child molestation and death."