Travails of the City; Shumann Reaches Out on Facebook; I Ask You To Contribute to 415 Media So I Can Breathe a Little; Friday Open

A FRIDAY; normally a time to enjoy the day and walk around the city in the middle of Summer; ho hum, not in the mood. First of all, I'm across the bay and just navigating the Bay Bridge isn't enticing the senses. Herb Caen was right on the money when he complained about how SF was quickly becoming the "Manhattanization" of the bay.

Take a look at downtown. The streets are filthy. There's cranes everywhere. You can't park if you're life depended on it and your car is useless. You might as well take a Lyft or Uber although these days that's like playing Russian Roulette. It's a hell path to nowhere in every part of town and even a plate of spaghetti at Original Joe's isn't worth the effort.

This is unofficially deadsville in town. Most of the media folks are on vacation. The second and third tier members are chasing mostly mundane stories from the back pages of the Chronicle. There's always a fire to go to; the latest inferno up near Yosemite. It's dead outside. Feels like August has hit us and in fact, it will be August in a week or so and that's when everything stops and Fall and the end of Summer is beckoning. I already saw a "Back-to-School"ad and noticed the days are getting slightly shorter, further depressing me as I slog through the desert oasis of life. It's been a crappy year and we're only halfway through it. I know, I'm Debbie Downer, but you chose to come here so deal with it.

*People ask me, "what's your fascination with Mike Shumann?"; "fascination?" No, more of a mass irritation. It fried my ass and I hardly know the guy; getting screwed sucks. And the lazy media guys should be ashamed of themselves. Shumann talked to me and reached out to his friends on Facebook Friday. It's a well-crafted piece and you outta read it. Any number of media guys here on the radio could have discussed the matter but corporate interests and money makes them all a bunch of pansies and make no mistake, they are PANSIES with a capital P. So there.

*When I said, (again) that KPIX's astonishing amount of new reporters look ill-prepared and should rehearse more you would have thunk that I was attacking the Pope. Sorry, but I'm one of the few people who actually watches and listens (I have no life now) so pardon my frank expression that bad reporters who report badly and look and sound like rank amateurs will always be called out here because I care dearly. (wink).

YOU HATE PLEDGE BREAKS? I can't blog and write entertaining posts with a few nickels on me. It actually takes time and money. The Shumann reporting and effort requires a lot of patience and can-do, not to mention the 86,000 minutes (or so) on the cell phone texting and calling. It's OK, I don't mind getting the story that no one else wanted. You got it and I'm happy. But it's tough work and had I had some funds in the bank to relax later, pay some bills, get my meds and such, I'd be even more relentless. This sounds self-serving and it is: if you enjoy reading me and look forward to an everyday fresh blog then please make a donation. It's not going to send you to the poor house and it will enable me to write the stories that you'll never read in any other publication both on-line and off.

To Donate to 415 and Make a Contribution: Simply scroll down the right side of the blog to the Pay Pal "Donate" button and click on it and follow the prompters. It's fast and easy and I will e-mail you or call you thanking you for your contribution.