Last SF anecdote

I may have spoken harshly about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the past, but that does not mean I am not a friend of the Iranian people. Nor it seems, do they harbor any ill feelings towards me.

Last week, I watched with great admiration, the silent protests in Union Square in San Francisco. Following the protest I found myself searching for a good sushi restaurant.

While rounding the corner of Stockton and Sutter, a young slender man, about 25 years old started up a conversation with me. I don’t make it a habit of talking to strangers on the sidewalk but I felt particularly positive in light of the political demonstration I had just witnessed and engaged him in some innocent chit chat.

To make a long story short, this well-dressed importer/exporter from Tehran asked if I'd like to have a drink with him. I politely told him I had to get back to my hotel room to call my wife and kids. Which, in retrospect, may not have been the most declarative rejection.

Even if I did play for the other team, it never would have worked. Between his swarthy Persian body, my abundantly hairy torso and the current Stage 5 Wildfire Alert in California, any friction would surely have touched off an instant inferno.

In any case, I was flattered.
It's good to know I still have it.

And though I would never act on it, I just wish my ursine appearance had the same effect on strangers of the opposite sex.