my first 24 hours

about 48 hours after our newly-anointed president was tapped, i went to an almost-blue state. that'd be north carolina. jesse helms territory. formerly libby dole turf.

but this isn't about my lovely blue state trip. it's about the 24 hours that followed. while in nc, many kind folks ooohed and ahhhed about the city and asked me what it was like to live in such a great spot. i shared some of the usual and some of the unexpected: like how small-town it feels at times because of its size and because many dwellers go by foot. these two characteristics make path crossings a surprising reality.

to prove my point, here's a tale of my first 24 hours.

my first morning i was exuberant. it was one of those glorious days both in mind and spirit, and i was taking full advantage by walking to work. i offered a good morning to each person i passed, sometimes receiving a quizzical response, yet always a positive one. i passed a woman at a bus stop with a cute hat and complimented her on it. she smiled and laughed. at a crosswalk i told a woman i loved her coat, and she did the most curious thing. she looked at me and said,

"thank you. it's the craziest thing that you said that to me, because i was thinking--just now--how i liked it, but i wanted to give it away, especially to someone who'd like it. do you want it?"

i was a bit taken aback. no one had ever propositioned clothes to me on a street corner. she continued, saying that she couldn't give it to me right now because she'd be too cold, but she works nearby and she'll give me her information so i can contact her. i decided quickly that it didn't matter if i liked the coat or if it didn't fit. there was something special about this connection and this woman and i planned to take her up on it. we introduced ourselves, i found out where she works, and she handed over her contact info.

i emailed her today. haven't heard back yet, but i'm sure i will.

and then that evening, david and i enjoyed tapas at a table by the street, and who should jump to the window to make a face, but our sweet friend greg. i leapt to the sidewalk, gave him a kiss, returned to our table, and thought: man, this is a great small town.

things i love things i hate

i just finished watching amelie, which, among other things, reminded me of what i love and hate. rather than construct my history around that dichotomy, i decided to think fast about recent loves/hates:

1. walking down york street
2. the smell of roast chicken
3. a long hug
4. hope

that's it for now. thinking positively, so no negs.

i walk.

i walk to and fro to work each day, and each day i see things.

i see a homeless person in the same spot for months, looking more forlorn each day, and then he disappears. i see children walking to school, clutching their moms' hands, and scurrying to join friends once they reach the school's gate. today i saw a bus that didn't slow down at its stop, and in the place where the route is usually displayed, "CALL 911 THE POLICE" was emblazoned on the front and back of the vehicle. I stopped, focusing on the driver, who looked--as much as I could tell--normal. I kept walking, telling myself it was probably a mistake, immediately followed by "I don't want to be the sort of person who thinks someone else will respond to a call for help."

So I called 911 and explained what I saw. It was likely a mistake. And now the cops have my cell phone number.

---
update: 8/19
someone asked me if i learned anything about what was up, if this were a "runaway bus," so i looked into it.

and found nothing.
and a bit of something:

from sfist.com: "This is a way for the drivers to be discrete and have the police notified. Please call it in. Remember the number on the bus, coach, trolley - the direction of travel, where you last saw it and any odd observations you may have seen."

dude, where's my tv?

the impending digital tv transition has been the topic of a few recent conversations. one, it seems as though the people we know don't actually know about what's to happen in early '09. most have newer, fancier, flatter tvs than we do.

as we're not a part of that set, i signed up for my gov't-sponsored rebate program. this rebate has been the stuff of flummox. why would our government subsidize tv? why spend oodles of money on psas, direct mail, and debit card processing (no paper checks--credit cards)? you'd think they were selling... oh right, tv.

david picked up the converter at best buy-- a traumatic event in itself--and the box has sat in our back room, unopened

until last night. none of the literature listed any side effects to installing it pre-conversion, so i thought i'd try it out. what happened was unexpected: our 4-channel existence was altered by 400%. we now have access to around 40-50 clear-reception channels. huh? seems that this digital thing is more than improved pixels. i smell danger. i'm not sure i like this. where's my remote?

the sun shines in

the past few days have brought rain, happily. in our neighborhood--because our neighborhood is the sunniest--the rain arrives for a bit, and then departs. it'd odd how accustomed i've become to long, drawn out weeks, months of gray and drizzle. it bleeds into my california life when i endure the drizzle without protection or feel a tinge of surprise when the sun shines.

the skirt swirls

i walk to work everyday. sometimes, i wear skirts, which has caused some unique moments.

i have a pretty fast pace for a shortie, and when i walk, my skirts shift. one day, i slid my hands down to reach into my pockets, and they kept moving, as if my pockets had disappeared. turns out my skirt had shifted completely around and the pockets were now placed behind me. this wardrobe malfunction was made more tricky due to a small swarm of walkers surrounding me.

i considered leaving the skirt in its new position, but instead laughed out loud--creating a minor spectacle--and switched my skirt 180 degrees to its original state.

a co-worker in whom i confided now describes her friend sarah as, "you know, the one with the skirt!"

my 'hood

on wednesday afternoon i was walking down 24th street in the mission, surrounded by families and kids returning home from school. behind me, i could hear a girl boasting about getting into fights and about the trouble she gets into at school. her stories were littered with "...and i'm all, don't be gettin' in my face" and "you just keep sayin' that..." in my mind, i pictured a tough-looking latina around 17 years old. overcome by curiosity, i slowed my pace to get a look at her.

barely an inch shorter than me, she looked to be around 15, and then she started telling her mate--who appeared to be about 8 years old--that some adult told her she "better stop fighting now, because when she enters high school..." i didn't hear the end of this missive, but was aghast that she was likely closer to 12 or 13 years old.

i continued to walk very close to them, wondering if their one-sided conversation (only the elder spoke) would shift to a new topic. it didn't. she continued her boasting about fighting and serving detention in school, and it became clear that the kid on the other side of this banter was her little sister or a relative. i wanted to grab the elder and ask her why she was doing this, filling this little girl with her tough talk.

and then the elder said, "...and then, she said only gay people do that."

i winced, expecting an exchange ripe with homophobic slurs. the little girl spoke up. finally.

"you're not gay, you're bi!"

unique request

david and i were on an urgent quest today, searching for a sofa to replace the beloved green one, compromised by a homesick kitty (check out a photo, mere hours before the incident). such a lovely sofa, a remnant of an era that is now in our past.

we walked the streets of the mission district seeking another piece that would catch our eyes and also fit in my car. when we crossed the threshold of yet another vintage shop, a salesperson inquired if he could take my picture with an item to show a potential customer. eager to help, i obliged:


lucky for me, david caught it on film.

and lucky for us, we found, bought, and drove home a sofa from the shop next door.

strange talk

i'm a big fan of chatting with strangers.

note to self: remember this. do it more often. it makes you happy.

the other day in dc, i sidled up to a woman walking down the street and said, "your shoes are rockin'." she beamed and thanked me. they were--her shoes were tremendously blue and sparkly. i saw the sun glinting off her toes from a distance.

in the city, i chatted with a woman who got off the train at the same stop. i asked her what language some guys sitting near us were speaking, and we laughed in recognition of our shared curiosity.

change in commute

a couple weeks ago the muni system implemented new lines and changed some lines, which resulted in crappy lines and people standing in lines.

as one of the line standers who learned that allowing an entire hour for my commute still might not get me to work on time, i decided to try my feet at walking to work.

and i've been doing it ever since!

turns out it takes around 30-35 minutes to walk to work, and although it isn't a particularly stimulating walk in the visual department, it's not strenuous, and it's a nice to way to start and end the day. PLUS, my sedentary train ride took 45 minutes!

here's my walk, mapped.