robertrinaustin

I second the recommendation for golf and the Giant's game. You'll have a blast. I used to buy tickets for games all the time at the gate and it was never a problem unless they are playing the Dodgers. We would call it the "long lunch" (game starts at 1:05 IIRC) and usually leave around the 7th inning to go back to the office. The Presidio is beautiful and I understand it is not too crowded midweek. I also agree that the seafood is only ok, but everything else there is world class. I never understood why the seafood isn't better, but it isn't. In five years, I had seafood only a few times and only then at business meetings at very nice resteraunts. It may be better in Monterrey, but I'm not sure.

Chuck is the man. He is a great wrestler (All American in college IIRC) and can throw them like noone else. Hasn't Babaloo already lost to Chuck or Randy? I agree about the Tito/ Shamrock fight. I also think if Tito had his way, the fight would have lasted much longer. I think he really wanted to pound on Ken for a while. The game has passed Ken by. The Pit Bull shows what happens when you get rocked by someone. It totally changed his fighting style.

BTW, forgot to add that it is my favorite city in the world. I am trying to create a job within my compnay that would allow my wife and me to move back. PM me if you have any questions. We moved to Texas about 5 years ago, but go back SF every other year. We went back last year during the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance car show and it was incredible!

I'm not sure if Alcatraz is closed, but if you want to go, you better get tickets online before you go. It is usually sold out at least a week in advance this time of year. You can take a charter over, but it will cost you over $30 IIRC. I would rent a car and drive to Monterrey and Carmel if you have time, about 2 hours south down the coast. 17 mile drive is a must see and the Monterrey Aquarium is World Class. I would catch a bus to Union Street and Chestnut (Filmore runs between the two and they are about .5 mile apart). This is Cow Hollow in the middle of the city and a great neighborhood to shop and eat. My wife and I lived just up Filmore for about 5 years. The great thing about SF is any resteraunt you eat at will be great. I never had a bad meal there. Almost any where in North Beach is gauranteed to be great Italian food. I would be more picky in China Town, though. Make sure you ride the cable cars. The easiest place to ride them is Sacramento Street. You can get on at Embarcadero I at the end of Market Street and there usually isn't much of a crowd there. WATCH TIP: There are many great places to pick up good second hand and new watches in the City. One of my favorites is just off of Union Square at the start of the Hyde Street Cable Car (Polk street I believe). It is called the International Market or something like that. It is across from the Gap and by Blondie's (Blondie's has great fast food pizza BTW). You can't miss it. There are a bunch of watches in the windows. It has 10 or 12 different sellers and you can almost always find a good deal there. I've purchased a few new genuines there and 4 or 5 second hand watches.

What a sad ending to Zi Zu's career.

You actually think France doesn't dive? No one on the Italian team can surpass Henri. He is the worst in the tournament.

Hopefully, France will play the beautiful game and win 2-0, but I'm afraid the Italians will kll the game and eek out a 1-0 victory.

Ryyannon, You seemed to have missed the point. The question isn't wether ice caps are melting/ shrinking somewhere as your straw man arguement postulates. This is indeed the case and noone disputes this. The problem is that there is a leap to cause and effect based on these observations. Unfortunately, the polution time lines seem to cast doubt on the cause and effect between CO2 and the continual rise in temperature.

I agree with you and I am by no means an expert, actually a gemstone newb. I've been in the biz for less than a year and though I work for a fairly large jewelry company, I actually have nothing to do with jewelry. However, I am fortunate to work with a group that has some great stone experts and spends about $20 million a year on diamonds. I'm always trying to learn more, though it's a challenge because my office is in NY, I live in Texas and our stone buyers are mostly in India. Then there is the problem of language, I don't speak Hindi. I did ask about prices and I can get the diamond for 35% off Rap, plus a 5% charge for handling (the company gets the 5% not me). Obviously, this is not for a perfect or ideal cut, but I can price that as well if you are interested. Cheers, Robert

The Bay is usually the best place for anything cheap but it is filled with fraud and risk. The problem wth your theory about cheap PAMs is there is such a strong market for them, that there really isn't a need to substantially discount them to sell them. Each AD probably doesn't strugle to sell their allotment. The group I work for has a couple of contacts that we can buy most any watch at discount. I'll see what our deal is for PAMs.

You can't typically find "dirt cheap" PAMs, but I would start with the Bay and buy from only the most reputable dealers. There are many that sale tons of watches on the Bay and are very safe to buy from. You might also want to check local pawn shops. Where are you located?

Omega

I thought the French were the better team today and deserved the victory, but the card and free kick awarded on the foul to Henry that led to the Viera goal was horrible. When you see the reply, you clearly see Henry lean into the guy and then throw his hands up like he was fouled. I think that was the worst I've seen this WC. It is one thing to fall with little or no contact, but to fall after you intentially initiated the contact is the worst sham of all. Maybe one day FIFA will actually restore some integrity to the game by stopping all the shinanigans (sp?). If they would actually review some of the questionable plays after the game, they could address these incidents.

and demand you post pictures of or we'll call you out. In fact, I'm calling you out already. I don't think you bought a watch at all.

Welcome! Enjoy your stay.

I must say that I wanted the Aussies to prevail, but I thought the Italians created the better opportunities and had more quality chances to score. The Aussies controlled the midfield in the second half, but really failed to capitalize on the man advantage and turn that into scoring chances. Ultimately, the team the "deserves" to win is the team that scores the most.

You must have a very different defination of "long before" than what is commonly accepted. The point is at this level, you can't dive in at a player's feet and miss the ball and not expect to get a penalty called. Was it the worst foul in the box I've seen this tournament? No, in fact, I've seen worse that were not called, but that does not make this a nonpenalty. It is a shame for a game like this to be determined this way, but that is the nature of the game. As a defender, you can't put the ref in the situation of having to make that judgement.

The penalty was fair. That is what happens to defenders that dive at the ball and get nowhere close. It is too bad the game was desided this way, but shame on the defender for leaving the ref no choice. And I agree, another terrible red card.

Great game and effort by the Aussies!

I thought the call was fair. That is what happens when you dive at the ball in the box and don't get anywhere near it. As a defender, you can't make that mistake in your on box. Great effort buy the Aussies!

The Italians looked very dangerous in the first half, but the Aussies are hanging on.

Hopefully the Aussies will show well and make it a great game. You know, we Yanks love the underdog.

I sent Bruce a long email, but I'll summarize here. Cut is a personal preference. What shape does she like? Carat is similar. Does you girlfriend prefer size or brilliance, assuming you have a budget? I prefer color over clarity and would be willing to drop to an SI1 to get better color. The color is what makes a diamond "pop" when comparing the same cuts. An SI1 should look good to the naked eye with no visible flaws. For pricing, always ask for quotes in reference to the Rap Report. The Rapaport Report is the price sheet wholesalers use to negotiate diamond prices. Most diamonds are priced at less than Rap, but the Rap sheet doesn't account for cut quality, grade and proportions. If you are looking for a perfect cut, you may pay Rap or better. Everything else should trade at a discount from Rap. I would shoot for 30% discount from Rap. You may not get it that cheap, but it gives you an idea. Ask the dealer to show you the Rap price for the stone you are buying. Good Luck!

Shot me a pm if you want me to price some stuff for you. I am in the business and can give you an idea of prices.

I like the Omega Constellation and I doubt anyone will ever question if it is genuine. I bought my wife a genuine a few years back and it is her favorite watch.