I recently went to the DMV in California to renew the tags on my car and actually get the state drivers license! I had no idea that it was such a long process to obtain a license.Let me first preface this story with I tried to renew the tags online, but I couldn”t because I didn”t have a drivers license.In order to get my tags in the mail I had to change the address (Because I recently moved). But, I couldn”t change the address without typing in my license number! I had to go down to the DMV during work hours because they have the most retarded schedule. I also wanted to point out that Google Maps is wrong more times then not in my recent experiences. I got lost on the way there and had to stop at a gas station along the way. Anyways, I get down there and have to stand in the most ridiculous line just to get a number that goes up to 1 billion, to find out that I cannot get a license. Apparently I have to have a birth certificate and a social security card will not suffice. I cannot find my birth certificate right now, but will have to soon if I want a new license. I wasted a lot of time there and still need to go back and stand in line once again… I will keep you updated on my DMV experiences.
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I wanted to tell you about my friend Brian Cronin that is a Master Sommelier (Wine Geek). He has been in the restaurant and wine business for many years and has studied under Master Sommelier Joe Spellman in his early years at a well known Chicago restaurant. He worked his way up to the master sommelier position there before moving to Hawaii to work as an educator for Southern Wine & Spirits. He has also worked as the Sommelier at Gary Danko Restaurant and the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, in San Francisco. You can find him now a days wandering around San Francisco eating at nice restaurants and drinking all types of wine. A little known fact about Brian is that he loves to collect classic guitars, pedals, amplifiers, and many other pieces from known musicians.
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So I am sitting at home last night playing with my cat and all of a sudden I start hearing an unusual amount of sirens going off. Most of the time when I hear sirens it is just a fire truck passing by, but these sirens did get far from my building and I started to wonder. I walked out on my balcony and saw that the fire trucks and police cars were all surrounding a tree on Bay and Stockton looking up. There was a bum in the tree that hung himself!!! He had just done it, but they had to perform CPR on him to bring him back! He was taken away in an ambulance and I am sure that he is under careful watch now.There are so many bum stories that I witness first hand from living in San Francisco that I want to share them with you. Stay tuned for more “Bum Tales” from Benjamin Hultstrand
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So I guess I am pretty darn good at golf still. Even after 2 years of not even picking up a stick, I go out and kick A$$. I was sticking greens from 170 no problem. The funny part is that I only had 3 clubs to play with! With this, I have developed a new theory… Since I only had 3 club to choose from in my bag, I didn”t really think about what club to use, rather I payed attention to my swing, thus making me a better golfer! This helped me to focus and make contact with the ball. My brother on the other hand was not making contact with the ball… I bet the early morning drinking didn”t help either! We all had a good time out there even though it was 108 degrees or so. My cousin and I ended up shooting 4 over, which is not bad considering we both never play golf! Anyways, I am going to take up golf again in San Francisco where it is 70 degrees year round! Come join me!
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For once, I held up Muni! I am actually very proud of that because they have made me wait so many times. What threw me off was the fact that they were actually on time! In the distance I saw a bus with the number 10 on the top as I am walking to the bus stop. It had already stopped and picked up my normal bus stop, but I was not about to wait for the next number ten. Who knows when it would actually show up, and I have a very busy day ahead of me before I leave tonight. I stepped out in the middle of the street and waived my arms frantically trying to catch their attention! Fortunately, the bus driver was in a good mood and stopped for me. I stepped on the bus and started my route as normal. When we came close to the stop before mine, I prepared to pull the stop request after that stop. I try to be nice to the bus driver and give him a heads up that I want to get off, but the driver blew right through my stop!!! I was so pissed because I tried to be nice and give a more than fair warning, and he totally didn’t pay attention. I had to yell “STOP!†in order to get off and not have to walk 3 blocks to work. He stopped in the middle of the road (kind of like how I was picked up) and let me out. I think he may have been paying me back for stopping him. 
What really gets me is that these drivers blow through stops, whether they are picking up people, or letting people off. Do they simply not pay attention, or do they find humor in making people walk further or wait for the next bus? Please tell me your thoughts, especially if you work Muni!
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I am decided to write about my wild trips on Muni since I take it every day to work. Muni is San Francisco’s public transportation. This includes Buses, light rail trains, street cars, and even the cable cars. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that San Francisco has such a wonderful public transportation system, but there is always something interesting going on Muni.
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This Thursday evening I will be flying SouthWest (Don’t even get me started on them) down to Southern California where my beautiful girlfriend lives so we can drive out the next morning to Arizona.
My father is hosting a 3 club scramble golf tournament at some course in Arizona. This is always a good time because you have to choose only three clubs out of the whole bag to take with you on this journey. Most people playing in the tournament are very secretive about what clubs they will use. Like they are going to have an advantage! The only thing I am not looking forward to is the fact that I am flying out late Thursday, Driving all day Friday, and then waking up on Saturday morning at the crack of dawn to play golf! I have not picked up a club in over a year! I will keep you posted on how I do. 
That same Saturday night, is my sister Hannah’s birthday party! She will be 14, and that is scary! She is going to have a Hawaiian theme with kabobs, and karaoke. This should be a fun time since I haven’t seen any family in a very long time.I will keep you posted on how I do with the golf tournament and the karaoke!
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I recently found out that my water pump on my A6 is what they call “weeping”. Weeping is when the water pump is about to go out and leaks coolant. It is recommended that you change this part out ASAP because it can leave you stranded, and without warning. I called the mechanic to see if he could give me a ballpark as to how much it would cost. He came back at me with $1500 dollars! I was so shocked and in disbelief that I called another shop to see if that guy was out of his mind. The next shop I called cam back at me with $1450! I asked the guy on the phone why it cost so much and he said it is because they have to dismantle my whole front end to get to it. I guess it doesn”t matter if you have the 6 cylinder or 8 cylinder motor like the one I have, it is the same process. They have to take off the front end and change the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump all at the same time. The mechanic also informed me that this is a common problem with my car. I guess the lesson here is if you are to buy an Audi A6, make sure it is either new, or has already replaced the water pump!
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For the past 4 years, I have not worked out regularly, and I have really let myself go. I weighed myself today at the gym I just joined, and I was 206lbs.! Granted, I have gotten a little bit taller, but that is ridiculous! In fact, I don”t mind being that weight as long as I am in shape and the body fat percentage is lower. Every time I go to the gym I try to ride at least 8 miles on the bike at a resistance level of 5 (out of 10). After that, I go do either a chest and triceps workout, or a back and biceps workout depending on the day. My goal is to drop a few pounds and be more defined by March which is my brother’’s wedding. I will keep you posted on how well I am doing, and when I look better, I will show you some pictures. 
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Hello, my name is Benjamin Robert Hultstrand, but you can call me Ben. I am starting over on my blog because I was too lazy to write anything important the first time. As some of you might know, I moved to the great city of San Francisco to pursue my career in internet marketing. I love my job and everyone I work with, but I definitely miss my family and friends back home in Arizona. There are so much to do in San Francisco that it is ridiculous! For example, we have the famous “Golden Gate Bridge“, “Pier 39“, and the “Ferry building” just to name a few. There are so many beautiful things to see here that I can not name them all, you will just have to come visit and see for yourself. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to live in this wonderful city, and I am going to make the most of it!
Hello, once again I am going to try and write in my blog about things that are on my mind. Whether they are about computers, cars, travel, or something that I just thought of randomly, I am going to make an effort to tell you about it.
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