3 posts tagged “san francisco”
Live from the Sony Metreon where I am surrounded by birds, free internet! I'm here in the city for tonight's EA Summer press event and I'm waiting for the proper time to call up those jerks over at GameTrailers -- err, I mean my good buddy Justin so that we can go out to lunch before we get down to the business. And by business, I mean waggling the remotes and giggling like school girls over MySims.
And I'm drinking hot coffee. Not by choice mind you, but because I didn't feel like putting up a fight. So I'm sitting here in my too-clean polo shirt, sipping my little cup of coffee and I bet I look like a total, Web 2.0 jackass.
The now charred remains of my tongue are the least of my worries as the godless flying rats of the city have descended upon my position. Like most major metropolitan areas, the birds of San Francisco fear no man. Scurrying between the crowds and perching themselves mere feet away from people, I find myself surrounded by these beasts.
And they're flapping. Always flapping.
As the last show on their US tour, I simply had to see Jenny Lewis in concert. Not only does it seem somewhat rare for her to come around to our side of California, but I had also never been to what I would call a "mellow" show before. I wasn't sure if I should bring a lighter or what, but luckily I wasn't alone in my mellow confusion. My good friends Matt and Chris Kohler joined me for what would be a night of white washed Asian cuisine and majestic folk rock.
Since I am horrible when it comes to dealing with MUNI (The metro of San Francisco), we all decided to meet at "That big-pagoda-thing" -- it being the only landmark that truly jumps out. Seeing as we had about two good hours before Jenny Lewis would take the stage, we ducked inside one of the Japan Town malls and into a Benihanna. I got some good ol' white person sushi in the form of a Philly roll, as I had already gone out to dinner earlier with another Matt at the new, fancy mall here in San Francisco.
The show itself was honestly more than I expected from a group playing folk music. There was a great mixture of softly spoken tunes and truly rocking numbers and even a costume change somewhere in there. Did I mention just how obscenely short Jenny Lewis is? It really does bear repeating. That girl is tiny and the sound that comes out of her defies her frame. By the end of the show they not only nailed all of my favorite songs (I squealed somewhere in "Melt Your Heart") but they also debuted a few new songs that will hopefully find their way to an iTunes near me. Overall, it was the best and by far most unique show I have been to all year. Now if I can just squeeze in a Dead to Me show, I'll be happy.
Out of the corner of my eye, his partner takes a few, rather startled steps towards us. My grip on the microphone tightens and for a brief moment, my eyes release their lock upon the EA producer I'm interviewing. It's nothing that I considered hardball, but I suppose it makes any PR agent nervous when one of the first questions asked is in relation to the gimping of previous next-generation titles. This would happen once more during the interview and would end with a coaching session for my interviewee. I felt awkward for a few minutes after that as all I could think of was, "It's just Hockey."
This week has been rather hectic when it comes to work and from now until next Thursday, it shows no signs of letting up. A short stack of XBOX 360 titles to preview left me hauling around the other eight pound monstrosity all the way from San Francisco. I've been writing and writing and writing all week, and if this sounds like a complaint, it's not. I've really been enjoying myself recently and it feels great to be so busy. Still, being busy is being busy.
On Monday I'll be on a flight down to Palm Springs, checking out the latest offerings from the Siera-Vivendi conglomerate. Having scoped out the hotel the event is located, I think it's safe to say that regardless of the outcome, I should be able to have a good time. A bit lonely, but a good time.
Of course, this is really just a long-winded post, excusing myself for my lack of bloggging as of late. I've been spending far too many nights ruining the childhood memories of middle-america via Street Fighter. I should be spending that time, trying to focus my thoughts a bit more, but I'm also having to realize that spare time is quickly becoming a luxury and that I should enjoy it while I can.
Playing video games is hard.
