Commuting—and the encounters in-between. It's a working title.

The prettiest of houses - SF - March 2016

Hello friends and/or loved ones. Are you feeling well? I hope smiles have been in abundance upon your faces lately. San Francisco is still San Francisco. The sidewalks are grimy as ever, the foggy mornings have rolled in, and the price of everything seems to go up each day. But also, the sidewalks are filled with music from street performers a block or two away, the foggy mornings have rolled in, and the best times are always spent buying nothing at all.

My plants and new friend Rafi

The ferry is the greatest form of transportation ever invented

I moved recently away from the Haight/Ashbury area and into the Marina area, a whole different crowd of folks I'll tell ya. So here are a couple of vignettes of encounters with some interesting folk from my old commute.

A quote at the bus stop, just in case you forget

The Ladybug and the Potential Financial Planner

My bus comes when I’m a little too far away to casually walk and make it, so I run for it even though another bus will likely come in the next ten minutes. There is one open seat left and it’s next to a kind-looking man who seems a bit off. I sit, I pull out my book as per usual, he waves to me even though we’re sitting right next to each other. I glance up and wave back. He asks what I’m reading.

“A novel,” I reply.

“Oh! I love novels. I’m reading Brave New World and The Jungle,” he responds with more enthusiasm than I thought possible when informing someone you’re casually reading Brave New World and The Jungle.

I respond with oh cool and look down to continue reading. He taps me on the shoulder.
“Wanna hear a joke?”
“Sure.”
“What did the ladybug say to the fly?”
“Uhh... I don’t know. What?”
“Don’t bug me!”
I laugh because what a genuinely great joke. A classic really. He then informs me that he used to work downtown at one of the big finance buildings. I say cool because finance doesn’t interest me but wanted to remain polite. I look down to continue reading, and he waves at me again.

“Do you think if I were to write down my number, you could write down yours, and we could exchange them, and maybe call each other sometime?” He asks with admirable confidence.

“No, I’m sorry,” I reply with the smile and slightly furrowed brow you give when letting someone down.

He says, “Oh okay okay, no problem!” And scoots a little further away.

A couple minutes pass and he taps the girl in front of me, when she turns around he waves at her. She waves back. He asks her if she wants to hear a joke and she says sure.

“What did the ladybug say to the fly?”

Foggy day by the bay

Some friends and some buildings soaking up the sun

The UFC fighter

I was walking to the bus stop with my coworker when we start gaining on a younger man wearing only shorts. No shirt. No shoes. And wielding a lead pipe. The man was also screaming and yelling at something unknown. He was so angry that a block radius had begun to clear surrounding him. So as you might have guessed, it had become pretty damn scary.

He was swinging his pipe at brick walls, trash cans, really any stationary object in sight. A comfort in a sense because maybe that meant if we kept moving, he wouldn’t hit us with it. At this point he’s been steadily walking in front of us in the same direction as us with a block of distance between us. We’re on edge, but still feel relatively okay.

But then he stops. He stops and instead begins walking in wide, surprisingly-perfect circles that take up the whole sidewalk. My coworker and I cross the street through traffic at this point because we’re not crazy enough to walk past him and test out my theory that since we're moving he won't hit us. And we leave the man to his yelling.

The next evening we’re walking to the bus after work and the same man is fast asleep in a sleeping bag next to a restaurant that’s always closed. No lead pipe in sight. Glad to see he found something warm at least.

Fog filled city - SF - March 2016

Commuting can be interesting, but it can also be damn funny. Carry on.

Oh yeah, I cut my hair and I love it

The Sunshine in California Ain't No Joke

Sorry for the hiatus, been living life. That's the goal in life right? To be living it.
For those who prefer things to the point. I've been working and sleeping and eating and having fun. For those who prefer more detail in the things they read, carry on with me.

The Only Evidence of Fall in SF - December 2015

Hannah and I Exploring

Beach Front Property in Sausalito

My job is more than I could have hoped to have found. I am a copywriter at a creative agency called Butchershop where we put a lot of meat into our ideas then grill them up right nice. I get to write for a living! How incredibly thrilling. Everyone I work with is brilliant in their own way with creativity coming out their ears. It's an amazing environment in an amazing place. And I'm beyond thrilled if you couldn't tell.

Yeah, they've won a lot of Golden Globes

RAD, amiright?
Disclaimer: This chair in no way reflects the design style of my boss.

My younger sister, Bobo, came in town a few weeks back for my company Christmas party. We drank. We danced. We laughed. We laughed some more. The next day we packed as many San Francisco tourist activities into one day while taking public transit. The public transit aspect sounds like it was a challenge we decided to take on, but was mostly because we're poor and I have a monthly bus pass. She got to experience a guy threatening to fight another guy on a crowded bus–a spacious place to have a fight. We went to Golden Gate Park, Haight/Ashbury (where I live on the corner of the street, just kidding I live in an apartment), Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, saw the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge from afar, and ended at Magnolia, a small batch chocolate shop in the Mission. It was super fun.

We clean up real nice.

Scaling Buildings - December 2015

Trying to Convince Her to Move Here - December 2015

Me + Lombard Street - December 2015

I was also able to go home for Christmas and spend time with my family in a house with so much food! Seriously, there were Doritos and bagels and steak galore. There was also some wonderfully historical conversation with family members. To put it really creatively and well thought out, I like old shit. Bobo, Mom and I went ice skating outside in Las Vegas. It was great. We also played with the train for hours on end when the kids I babysat in Salt Lake came to visit my family for a few days. We also had milk shakes, m&ms, pizza, built some bears at Build a Bear, and drank some serious cocktails.

Me-Nona-Bobo-Leo

Bobo the Professional Ice Skater

I spent most of New Year's Eve laying in bed watching Netflix. You'd think I was sponsored by Netflix by now because of how much I talk about it. Plot twist, I'm not. In the evening one of my friends had a New Year's party that was loads of fun with a cherry on top. There were hats and kazoos and snacks and drinks and music and dancing. Everyone was dressed to the nines and smiles filled the room like oxygen. Thanks to my mom for letting me wear her dress from the '90s. And thanks Scott Lindemann for bring the camera.

Really life is just wonderful right now. To all my friends and family elsewhere, I miss you guys so much and come visit me in San Francisco!! I promise people hardly ever threaten to fight others on buses.

Someone is Singing Opera on the Sidewalk

One of my favorite places to walk around in San Francisco is around upper Fillmore and I know that may come off as pretentious or something since its a nicer part of town, but sue me. My parents lived here while they were in dental school and they both had apartments in that area which probably has something to do with my affinity toward it. I was talking with a friend the other day and she said something along the lines of how so many factors play into the reason we like a certain place, it could have been a nice day or we had something else that happened that made us happy and it all sort of translates into that place. Aside from all of that, you hit a point on Fillmore where its like you're going to walk off a cliff the hill gets so steep. There are stairs in the middle of the sidewalk and the most beautiful view of the bay.

The Top o' the World - Fillmore - SF

Man the Houses are Beautiful - SF 

My favorite bookshop is near Haight and Ashbury so you have to brave the questionable folk to get to it, but boy is it marvelous. It's called the Booksmith and it's as if they seek to have only the prettiest book covers of all, none of that 'movie based on the book' bullshit.
My friend and I went and explored the Sutro Baths, which used to be bath houses in in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It looks to me like it was essentially a huge building with swimming pools. However, all thats left are the ruins of the pools and some other random structures.

Wanna Go Swimming? - SF

Also guess who got a job, probably a lot of people, but one of them is in fact me. Let's all celebrate!

Things I've noticed about San Francisco so far:
1. Your feet get dirty walking around in flip flops. How, I don't quite understand.
2. Avoid that one church where homeless people pee on the sidewalk.
3. Walking everywhere is fun, makes viewing the beautiful architecture easier.
4. It's not a myth that California people are really into wine.
5. What are seasons?

Street Art - Chinatown - SF

My Favorite House - SF

New Places, New Faces

I've said, "Adios!" to caution and thrown it to the wind (who managed one outstanding catch by the way) and I'm on a new adventure. I feel a combination of scared and excited. Scared because I don't really have any solid plans apart from moving to San Francisco with a couple suitcases and a lot of hope. Excited because I'm going in the direction of my dreams and I can now buy wine at a grocery store.

Sadie #2

Calico Basin - Red Rock

While I'm doing something far newer and far more different (although I have been here before so it's not that new and it's different, but not that different) than where I was, I am grateful I have so many people incredibly willing to help in all ways, shapes and forms. So many people have come forward to help me in my search for a home, job, new friends and/or fun. Even more to wish me luck, tell me they believe in me and/or say they know I'll achieve my dreams. By damned if that doesn't take your fears and transform them into hope I don't know what will. Aren't people just the greatest?

Desert sky filled with feathers

That one tree in Bryce Canyon

Obviously new places and following your dreams and all that is hard, lonely, and disconcerting. It can also cause you to question your sanity, your belief in yourself and other people. However, my mom said, "Remember you're where you want to be and everything will work out," and ain't that the truth.

Las Vegas fun - Mom and I

A few things I've noticed about San Francisco so far:
1. People like to throw random objects on the sidewalk instead of in the garbage, e.g. cassette tapes, couches sans cushions.
2. Some people can be their own friends.
3. The buildings are beautiful, I didn't even notice all the garbage for awhile because I was always looking up.
4. Sidewalks smell like pee sometimes, even when you see no visible evidence of it.
5. Walking up hills is hard, but then you go downhill.

The story of light as told by stained glass windows - Grace Cathedral - San Francisco

Honey

Last weekend I went to the launch event for an organization called Honey. Their goal is to stop the silence around sexual assault as well as change public attitude toward it, and they're doing all of this through sharing their own stories among other things. The courage and strength to stand up and talk publicly about something so heartbreaking and emotionally damaging is incredibly impressive to me. I was so proud of everyone and everything that I lost words to express it. The event was fun and sad and moving and wonderful. I was elated that so many people who in varying degrees have experienced sexual assault or known someone who has experienced it came together to celebrate Honey's goals. There were also some seriously delicious desserts on the dessert table which is something to celebrate in and of itself.

Treats!

Jessica and I

If you'd like to learn more about Honey, check it out here. They have an indiegogo campaign to raise money for sexual assault education and advocacy, here you can watch their video and donate. Basically these chicks rock and need your support.