Amber and her friends are somewhere in a car on their way from Oregon driving the coast towards my bay area. We’re going to hang out at the Edinburgh Castle in San Francisco for the actual birthday gathering and meet up of various people from all over. I’ve been to the real Edinburgh Castle in Scotland and I have a feeling it’s going to be a LITTLE DIFFERENT at this one in the Tenderloin. It’s old friends, internet friends, and friends from in state an out of state all of us meeting up together. I know Amber, and Amber’s friends who are driving her know people coming, and Amber herself has other people besides me coming. It’s like a meet up at a convention, only with Tenderloin gutter punks instead of Trekkies.

I’m planning to crash in Amber’s hotel room for the night since we’ll be intoxicated. I know one thing, my Irish ass isn’t going to be in a pub without purchasing fish ‘n chips. Which they apparently serve until 11pm.

I haven’t been to the Tenderloin district of San Francisco since Spencer won free comedy club tickets and my sister and I tagged along with him. He was driving his beemer at the time and this homeless crackhead offered to watch his car and make sure no one stole anything if we gave him a couple bucks. He also informed us to lock up anything and everything, even a bottle of water should not be left in plain site. Spencer gave him the couple bucks and a nug of weed (Spencer being the huge stoner he is).

Because we were early and the club wasn’t open yet (barred up and locked) we walked the few blocks over to Union Square and went to the Sanrio store in the Mall (at my insistence, of course.) When we got back to the club–me holding a new pink hello kitty giraffe print purse and eating Apple flavored Keroppi gum–that crackhead guy was waiting for us. He treated us as if we were walking a red carpet not a sidewalk and pointed to our car smiling. Saying, “ALL’S CLEAR STILL!” We just nodded and smiled and went into the comedy club. When we came back out, he was on the corner fighting with a woman wearing trash bag shoes. He smiled and ran over to us , waving huge as if we could possibly have missed him and said no one ever so much as LOOKED at our car while he was around. Spencer gave him another couple bucks and we took off. I remember waving back at him like a little kid in the back seat as we drove off. Him waving that two bucks back and forth and grinning way too big for something like a nug of weed and 5 bucks which is what in total he made off us at the end of the night.

I can only hope my experience tomorrow in the Tenderloin is half as magical. Considering I’ll be with Amber and her huge entourage, surrounded by ale and fried food I have NO DOUBT it will be epic.

Tags: adventures, amber, edinburgh, edinburgh castle, folks, friends, pub, san francisco, visits