Annual homage to baseball and hope
To get right to the serious stuff: at the Giants’ home opener on Tuesday, April 3, Rep. Nancy Pelosi wore a well-tailored jumpsuit, in orange. Is this part of her work wardrobe, too? She nodded yes, that she has worn it in the House. In fact, she said, it’s the symbolic color for gun control. (#WearOrange was a campaign started for National Gun Control Day two years ago.)
In addition to rooting for the team (of course, that’s No. 1), and admiring the orange finery of fans (orange socks are a bold gesture, but not embarrassing for streetwear), there were many things to be learned at the game, from a variety of fans:
Maggie Lynch, who used to have the unenviable job of Muni spokeswoman, had come to the game from Saudi Arabia, probably farther than any other fan. She moved overseas and is working on the development of the entertainment/sports complex Qiddiya.
Do Giants fans eat more on Opening Day? Not necessarily, said a chef riding the elevator upstairs. “But people definitely do eat more during Dodgers games.”
The pregame ceremonies included a tribute to the late Mayor Ed Lee that had an array of former mayors and mayors’ widows — including Anita Lee — on the field. At the pregame reception, I spotted Mark Farrell chatting with Art Agnos and then with Frank Jordan. With apparent affection, and at the same time the mood of a scene in a royal court, London Breed, in bright orange, stopped just inside the entrance to the party to greet and pay homage to George Shultz, in softer orange.
And Willie Brown — not only best dressed, in orangish, checked sport coat, but also most popular, surrounded by pals — was of course the beau of the ballgame.
Browsing through the Craigslist housing ads, Lisa Geduldig came across someone looking for a “studio-like living arrangement. I want a bathtub, a sink and to be left alone. No need for central heating or appliances . ... I DEFINITELY want a bathtub, though . ... Please do not contact me to tell me about your sunny, spacious apartment. I like dark and claustrophobia-inducing . ... Would love the kind of place where no one cared if I nailed chairs to the ceiling.” Perhaps the prospective tenant is a zombie? Do they hang from ceilings?
Just down the street from the White House, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution is hosting “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” an exhibition that includes six Burning Man sculptures, so large that they bulge out of the gallery and onto the sidewalk, reports hyperallergic.com. Inside are smaller pieces, including costumes and memorabilia.
Renwick curator Nora Atkinson talked to the arts and culture website about Burning Man receiving such an official stamp of approval. “I hope I’m not the person who ruins Burning Man, but it was always better last year, every year since it started in 1986 . ... In some ways, I’m not sure it’s going to get more mainstream. It’s been in the public consciousness for a while.”
The exhibition will continue until Jan. 21.
A sign Randy Knox saw on the desk at Edwards Luggage: “I’ll be nicer/ If you’ll be smarter.” And Roberta Guise wondered if patients were being encouraged to “cozy up with a partner and start dancing” when she saw the sign in front of the Kaiser Permanente medical center at Mission Bay: “Passenger Loading Only: 5 Minuet Limit.”
Robert Gumpertz’s new book is “The Wisdom of Donald Trump.” It is blank inside, but it does have blurbs on its back cover (“‘This is a must-read.’ —Kim Jong-Un.”). The book is available at Two Neat greeting cards in Mill Valley as well as online giants like Amazon.
Filmmaker George Csicsery says that maybe he’s become oversensitive about #MeToo issues, but he was startled by a new Land’s End catalog, picturing a young man with a bike. A tree in the background pretty much overlaps the word “Land’s,” so the cover appears to be saying, “End men.”
Steven Le May told his friend Lawrence Helman that “the loss of personal ads on Craigslist is no big deal. People should just post in the ‘Free’ section.”
PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING “Shall we get him a lava lamp? Or is he too young for a lava lamp?” Father to mother, pushing a shopping cart with toddler, overheard at Target by David Goldberg