So I’m busy again.

Like, more-busy-than-I’d-prefer-to-be type of busy. I suppose it’s a good problem to have, if you’re going to have a problem. I’m currently balancing full-time grad school work, full-time photogging, working at a PR firm, and doing some serious freelance PR/production work. I’m basically working on projects from 8 AM to midnight, every day. Needless to say, I feel like I’m spreading myself pretty thin. But that’s fine. I’d rather be busy than bored, any day.

Unfortunately, the blog posting opportunities are lacking. I mean, I could just throw some photos up and post, but I like to have some substantial bit of writing accompanying my posts, if for no other reason than to remember what I did in September of 2009.

So here are some photos that haven’t found their place in any other September posts.

The first set is from a dinner/fundraiser held by my friend Laura #1 (and roommates Ilana and Lisi), for the other roommate Laura #2 (different Laura from the former). Laura #2 is an amazing, strong lady, who happens to be battling cancer. We got a bunch of friends together, cooked and ate an amazing meal, and raised some cash money to help pay for Laura #2′s insanely high medical expenses. It was good times and GOOD food. Lordy lord.

(PC: Jim)

(PC: Jim)

Set 2: Oktoberfest.

After living in Switzerland and having the opportunity to attend THE Oktoberfest, my compadre Tara was elated about the opportunity to go to anything reminiscent of the event, conveniently located in San Francisco. If it has the same name, it has to be similar, right?

Tickets were thirty dollars. That’s not terrible, assuming it’s a day-long festival and you have unlimited access to beer, right?

Well. Things get off to a good start. Tara and I time our commute to arrive at the event at the same time, she coming from Berkeley, I coming from Hayes Valley. I arrive at the venue: Pier 48, in a fairly desolate area of waterfront SOMA, other than a sea of drunks in line to enter the warehouse venue. It’s fine. Tara should be here any minute.

I get a call from Tara. Her friend gave her incorrect directions, and she has found herself on the westernmost side of the city. I am on the easternmost. She is waiting for the train to retrace her tracks and eventually make it to the correct destination. Not a problem. I can just go in and explore the venue and have a beer while I wait for her to arrive. Right?

But she has my ticket. Oops.

Looks like I’ll be wandering the streets of this strange foreign neighborhood for the next hour or so. So that’s what I do.

About half an hour into my walk, I cross paths with some lost French boys. They ask me if I know where the “beer party” is. I tell them that I might as well head that way and they can follow me. We all quickly become bros.

Tara finally arrives, and finds me in line with the Frenchmen. We soon find out that our $30 ticket was valid for zero beers. I’m way into this.

Either way, the night ended up being fun. We met a lot of strangers, made some new temporary friends, and saw some sweet German dance moves. Check San Francisco Oktoberfest off life’s to-do list.

And some more random photos from my random adventures.

END!