This Friday was Y’s big 3-0, and we celebrated throughout the weekend. On Friday, a small group of friends had dinner in a new Chinese restaurant, followed by Shrek The Third at a new movie theatre. What better way to enter a new decade than with new experiences?

Saturday was the full celebration, with 16 of Y’s friends enjoying dinner at a local Italian restaurant. There was a lot of food, and a lot of leftovers. It was fun pulling together different groups of her friends and watching them enjoy each others’ company. We also enjoyed a few good bottles of wine. I’ll have to get the names.

The weekend culminated in our participation in an annual San Francisco tradition, Bay to Breakers, a 12 kilometer (7.46 miles) footrace that’s been going strong for 96 years. About nine of us took a leisurely stroll through the streets of San Francisco, including a hill with an 11.15% incline, before wandering through Golden Gate Park and ending up in front of the Pacific Ocean. Many of us wore “Over the (Hayes Street) Hill, 2007” tee-shirts I had printed up for the occasion.

At the top of Hayes Street Hill, we sang Happy Birthday to Y, much to her surprise and chagrin.

The weekend ended much as it had begun, with us eating a late lunch together, this time at a Thai restaurant, before we made our ways home.

The legs of this particular “over the hill” walker are now in some pain, as you might expect of legs which don’t see much physical action anymore. I took a brief hot bath soak in my jetted tub to relieve the tension, and will definitely be applying some Ben Gay or something shortly.

If you’ve never experienced Bay to Breakers, I strongly recommend you do. It’s a one-of-a kind event, with both serious runners and leisurely walkers, and everything in between. There are outrageous costumes and stark nakedness, freely flowing alcohol and staid Jesus-Loves-You/Hates-Gays follies. It’s a genuine microcosm of Life In San Francisco.

On final note, this year Bay to Breakers had a timing chip that gave your start-to-finish time, to the second. Our walking time was 3:21:18. Whoo.