Green Spaces

I made my first trip to Golden Gate Park this weekend.  Since my weekends have been for decompressing, I have slowed down a bit with the exploration of my new surroundings.  But, this weekend I vowed to see some of SF’s “Westside,” over past Haight Ashbury and beyond into the whiles of the park.   Before heading to the park on Saturday, I saw a production of Six Degrees of Separation Friday night, which was a last-minute decision.  It was a good one, as I got to see this great story and its zipping dialogue in its original, intended format; previously, I had only seen the film version with Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Will Smith.  Saturday, with some pitch-perfect weather, I headed over to the park walking through the gates, checking out the Botanical Garden, skipping the Japanese Tea Garden (fee), and looking at the great view afforded by the top floor of the De Young tower.  After, a pumpkin ale and a reuben here was a nice way to wind up my trip to the other side of the city.  I also got a chance to see Alamo Square and the famous “Painted Ladies,” with a gorgeous view of downtown in the background.  It’s nice getting to see more of the city than the BART line.

Missing Dad

Warning: sappy post ahead.

My dad passed away just over six months ago. I’ve been so busy dealing with getting his estate settled in a timely manner that I sometimes forget to sit and think about how he’s not here anymore. I miss him terribly, and that has only become more apparent of late, when the little things he used to do for me (I never had to ask) now have to get done by me.

For instance, my dad always took care of my car. A great benefit of living less than 1.5 hours from him while I was in NC was that I could visit often on weekends. On these relaxing weekends, I would sleep in criminally late, and my dad would accomplish a whole day’s worth of tasks before I dragged myself out of bed. Like clockwork, my dad would take care of oil changes, car washings, tire rotations, windshield wiper changings, etc., so I never had to worry about it. Now, I have to worry about these things, and take care of them myself, and I am ill-prepared – a ramification of being lovingly spoiled by a parent.

Today was the perfect example. Yesterday I finally got my CA license and registration. Unlike NC, CA requires two license plates, for the front and back. My car, since it was purchased in NC, is one of a few that has no holes or bracket for a front license plate. Kind of like this one.

Task one today: figure out how to mount the license plate to my bumper, using my woefully pathetic tool skills (I own only a screwdriver and hammer, both purchased by…you guessed it, dad). I did some research online, and figured out that you can buy license plate mounting screws and brackets at auto parts stores. I walked over to Kragen and got a bracket and some screws. While I was there, I picked up some new windshield wiper blades, as my old ones had seen better days (it’s rained twice since I moved here, and both times I was on the 101 in a downpour and surrounded by fog…bad wipers did not help the situation).

Task two: mount the bracket and license plate. This was easier than I expected, as I was able to align the top of the bracket with the license plate and just screw it right into the bumper; I could’ve gone deeper (and more secure) into the bumper with a drill, but I made do with manly grunting and righty-tighty-ing the screws directly into the bumper metal.

Task three: change the wiper blades. This was mission impossible today. After struggling for over 45 minutes (pressing, squeezing, jiggling, shaking the attached, old blade), consulting the Subaru manual and its Ikea-like instructional drawings, 3 emergency phone calls to family and friends, and one rage-filled second where I was just going to snap off the whole wiper arm, I packed up, swallowed my man pride, and found a garage a couple of blocks away. There, I watched the dude remove the old blades and attach the new ones, in a combined 12 seconds.

These tasks, totaling 2 hours, made me miss my dad so profoundly, that I know that the tears of frustration that welled in my eyes after repeatedly failing to dislodge the wiper blades were really tears of longing and mourning. My dad loved me so much that he was willing to do these types of tasks without a second thought; I got to be spoiled and loved and car-illiterate in the meantime.

I recently turned 29. It didn’t really register – I pretty much stopped caring about my age after I turned 25; but today, red-eyed, red-faced, hands smudged with a year’s worth of grit from the wiper blades, I couldn’t have felt more like an adolescent, wishing my dad could just show up and take care of things for me. He didn’t, and won’t ever again. It’s time for me to man up and learn how to do these things from now on – because someone has to, and that person, a grown man, is me.

Busy

Things have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks. Projects at work have piled on, and finding time in my day to complete my normal daily duties along with these broader, far-ranging projects has been a challenge. But, things are getting done when they need to. Such is life.

I have had time to do some things outside of work lately. I made it up to the Marina area of SF, and it reminded me a lot of Hoboken, both with the ambiance (young, gel-haired people drinking and carousing) and the location (right along the water, natch). A friend and I ate here, shockingly only my second sushi dinner since I’ve been in SF. I also saw a two movies, one light-hearted, and the other serious – both both excellent.

Tomorrow I have the day off, thanks to a trek out to Walnut Creek last week; I’ll be spending time at the DMV in the morning, and then taking care of some estate issues in the afternoon. I am then looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend, where some plentiful rest awaits.

Rats

I had not, until tonight on my walk home, seen a rat in San Francisco.

Tonight, I saw about 8-10 scurrying back and forth across the sidewalk several times, before I had to walk across that same stretch of concrete. Totally gross and paralysis-invoking.

I figured my first rat sighting in SF would be on the BART tracks, because the NYC subways are notorious for vermin; instead, I get to see rat migration on the sidewalk I cross daily. Urban life is never boring, folks.

Trabajo

I started work this week. It was a (very) long time coming, as I had applied for the job in February, had my phone interview in April, my in-person interview in May, and accepted the job in June. A summer to finish up my internships, tie up loose ends (estate and personal), liquidate my personal property, and move across the country was was necessary before starting on my first truly professional venture. So far, work is good. The library is very forward-thinking and encourages collaboration, research, and professional development. Additionally, the job duties of the librarians are varied and grounded almost completely in teamwork.

I’ve settled on the BART as my commuting transportation. I just prefer the subway train to the haulting, jerking nature of the bus, even though I add a few extra minutes on my commute. The weather here has been superb – I’ve been very comfortable wearing lightweight sweaters (my favorite article of clothing) in the morning and evening, and during my lunchbreaks I have enjoyed taking the sweater off in the mid-day heat.

Sorry this post is so boring…I’m attempting to watch tennis, read about my different work benefit options, and eat my new favorite snack, dark chocolate covered pretzel bites from this place. They are massively addictive, I have discovered. Before bed, I’ve been enjoying the second season of Weeds, which I only saw a few episodes of last summer. It’s quite enjoyable.

Random

This week has somehow been both harried and lazy. After spending almost two days working on estate stuff, stopping by the only Wachovia in San Francisco multiple times, and utilizing the FedEx/Kinkos computers, faxes, and copiers ad nauseum I was free to get back into the spirit of relaxing and getting to know SF.

After trying out a few cafes, I think I have settled on one that I like the most. It’s a good 10 minutes from my house, but it’s never overfull, it has free wireless, and it has really great iced tea options. I also saw Superbad and learned that some parts of SF are definitely scary after dark.

Wednesday I did some sightseeing, trekking up into the Telegraph Hill neighborhood to visit Coit Tower. The hills that lead up into this neighborhood are serious – I was huffing and puffing only a short way into the ascent. The payoff was worth it, as Coit Tower provides some great views of the city. What it does not present great views of are pushy tourists. There are way too many of them, and some do not realize that personal space should not be invaded unless it’s absolutely necessary. I got some nice pics of the city, and the walk down was definitely more pleasant than going up (though no less precarious). I stopped by the lovely Cafe Prague for a Pilsner Urquell and some goulash.

Today I slept in and then spent my entire afternoon reading, people-watching, and talking on my cell in Dolores Park. It’s fun to see the different ways in which people take advantage of this nice respite in the middle of the city. Some were reading, like me, while others were playing bocci, croquet, tossing a football or frisbee, napping, drinking, walking the dog, or juggling. It’s gotten warmer here the past few days, and people were definitely out in force enjoying the weather. I just may have to go back tomorrow…

Museum-ing

Saturday I took advantage of the lovely weather and decided to spend my afternoon in a museum. First, I stopped by Mr. Pickle, a sandwich place that is right around the corner from my house. The dutch crunch roll was excellent (as was the pastrami, bacon, and swiss!).

After taking the BART train downtown, I headed over to the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), which is right by my new place of employment – I remembered passing by it on the way to my job interview. Also, I had written an entry about the MoAD for the Stone Center Library’s Guide to the Web and was interested in checking out the collections.

As its web site says “Africa is the birthplace of humankind, MoAD seeks to transform the way we perceive each other and ourselves. MoAD celebrates how we all, as one world, have changed and influenced the history and cultures of the African Diaspora.” The museum does this quite well. There were several exhibits worth mentioning – a room of reflection dealing with slavery (all forms, not just Transatlantic slavery) where slave narratives are read (without video) by the likes of Maya Angelou and Loretta Devine. I also watched two short films in the adjacent theatre, one about the impact of Nelson Mandela on African politics, and the other on Dr. Howard Thurman, a civil rights activist whose tenets were later followed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The third floor of the museum is dedicated to traveling exhibits, but to be honest by the time I got up there, I was pretty tired (there are all sorts of interactive features to go through on your way up). Some of the photos were very evocative, but many were not. On the whole, I’d have to say going to the museum was a nice way to spend an afternoon – it felt good to refresh a lot of my knowledge from working at the SCL.

After, I saw The Nanny Diaries. Still not sure why, although I do love Laura Linney in just about anything she does.

Into the Mission

After 2 days of relaxing in the Russian River Valley, pampering ourselves with wine and massages, it was back to the real world and onto the big city. After a brief stop in Mill Valley to kill some time and check the interwebs, it was over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco, my new hometown. We found my new place easy enough, although it took some time to drive through a good chunk of the city down to the Mission District. Once we arrived, one of my roommates was home to let me in, give me my 4 keys, and welcome me to my digs. Bill & I moved my things in (really not much stuff, as I got rid of practically everything except clothes, books, and few other essentials), assessed my room (it is small, about 10×12, with one window and a HUGE closet), and then set out to find the Container Store. Later, we met up with Cat, Bill’s friend from his TFA days in PHX, with whom he would stay for the next few days in SF. After a good dinner and some drinks, Bill and I headed our separate ways for the first time in about 11 days.

The next two days would largely be consumed with unpacking and trying to find some furniture to put in my room. Bill and I devised a design plan, and set out to find the appropriate pieces to fit into said plan. After trips to Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, West Elm, and a few local shops, I had most of what I needed/wanted. I rented a large van to pick up my purchases, and then it was time to put them together; once again, it became unavoidably evident that I cannot for the life of me follow those types of instructions (luckily, Bill can). It took me several minutes to realize that the complex diagram of my new table from PB was in French, and all I needed to do was flip the page over. After a few hours of work, the furniture was together and in place (thanks Bill!).

After a few more dinners with Cat and some other friends, and some more room organization, it was time for Bill to go back to NJ. I had gotten so used to having him around again, that I kind of thought he’d just stay here in SF and discovering this new city would be our adventure, like the roadtrip; alas, that’s not the case. I took Bill to the airport early Friday morning, and have sorely missed him since – my gratitute for his companionship on the drive and his help in getting me settled in my new home cannot be expressed.

Anyway, I’ve decided to keep this blog up for at least the next few months, as I get used to life in the Bay Area. Hopefully, it will be an efficient and informative way to keep everyone back East updated with what’s going on out here. Also, keep checking the flickr page, as I will add photos as I take them here in the city during my exploratory jaunts.