Random thoughts on this Friday:

 "Just Thinking"

March 14th (3/14) is celebrated as Pi Day, honoring the mathematical constant π (3.14159...), often marked by math-related activities and, of course, eating pie!

It was during this week in 1894 that Coca-Cola began selling its drink in square glass bottles, initially available only in Mississippi. Before this, Coke, like beer, it was only served on tap.

There are many notable birthdays on this day in history; Albert Einstein (1879) – the most influential physicists of all time. Billy Crystal (1948) – Comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Michael Caine (1933) – famous British actor. Quincy Jones (1933) – Music producer, composer, and arranger. Stephen Curry (1988) –Golden State Warriors Superstar.

Yesterday I performed my yearly pilgrimage to the tax man. The anxiety starts kicking in the week before as I gather all my forms and start working on receipts and organizing all of the necessary paperwork. Again, I promise myself that I will spend an hour or so each month prepping for my tax day, but as I make that promise I am already 3 months behind prepping for 2025 taxes. I really like my tax guys and enjoy them when I’m there, it is just the stress before and the pain after that makes my annual trip such a drag.

I was visiting with Mom last week and she spoke about growing up in San Francisco and many of the things that have changed over the years. She talked about how much fun the Sutro Baths were, something that I missed out on as they burned down in 1966, It was a massive facility featuring seven saltwater pools, accommodating thousands of visitors at once. I have visited the ruins on several occasions located near Ocean Beach at Lands End. She also asked if I remembered Fleishhacker Pool. It was once one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in the world. It was built in 1925; it was a massive saltwater pool measured 1,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. It was located next to the SF Zoo and officially closed in 1971. I was able on a couple of occasions to “look through the fence” and marvel at the size of that massive pool. Finally, she asked if I remembered going to Playland with her and Dad. Playland closed in 1972, I do have some vague memories of going on some of the rides and, of course, Laughing Sal who stood at the entrance to the Fun House and freaked me out. My best memory of Playland is Mom and Dad piling us into the station wagon for a nighttime ride to the beach for a treat of It’s-It ice cream only to be covered in chocolate and ice cream by the time that we got home, thank goodness for vinyl seats.

Speaking of old San Francisco, I read a book several years ago called Season of the Witch by David Talbot. It’s a great read about the history of San Francisco's transformation from the postwar era to the early 1980s. The book explores how the City evolved from a beacon of counterculture and free expression to a place of social upheaval, political violence, and cultural reinvention.

A movie scene that falls under “things that make you go hmmm” from the 1986 movie Stand by Me, the boys are sitting around a campfire when one of the boys says, if Mickey is a mouse, Donald is a duck and Pluto is a dog. What is Goofy?

Let me know what you think.

@ChuckBarberini - #ChuckBarberiniRealEstate - @ChuckBarberiniRealEstate

@Golden_State_Guide_Service - @Citizen.Number.One