"San Francisco has always been a beacon for second, third, and fourth-chancers." That's what my Uncle Oscar used to say. "There's nothing here to hold you back. You can do - or become - whatever or whoever you want." Oscar owned a small antique shop called the Green Vase, here, in San Francisco. His specialty was Gold Rush history. He'd acquired an extensive collection of artifacts from that time period, mostly due to his network of contacts in the construction industry. You see, after the...