straight outta mary poppins

a homeless black man and i just chased my umbrella for two blocks - run, abruptly stop, spin around, grab, miss, wind, run, dammit - between buses and around fruit stands in the pouring rain. really, it's like we were dancing and it was beautiful. just beautiful.

i thanked the kind man who laughed at my tribulations after i finally took hold of the thing, and then i turned to get some coffee. my umbrella immediately exploded from the inside out. you must be kidding me.

the weather's fierce here. the wind is super strong, and comes from every direction so you can't place your umbrella in one direction and walk on. my arms are gaining muscle mass from firmly grasping my umbrella with two hands, constantly altering the direction its geared towards with the abrupt changes in wind gusts.

my little prance down the streets allowed me to recognize how many local business owners and employees i've met around here. bookstores, bars, philipino groceries, cafes - employees from each place coming out to help me grab onto that god-forsaken umbrella - each one of them saying 'welcome to san francisco' when the wind changed and blew that worthless thing in the opposite direction.

* * *

going to be super dorky for a while - why do i enjoy reading or painting or lying on my bed with my arms folded beneath my head listening to an album from beginning to end than i do going out? no need to answer because i'm really not that concerned.

aaaahh well. i am happy in my constant judgements of every person i meet and wide-eyed san francisco explorations.

and i've always had a big crush on dick van dyke. huge.



UPDATE:

i think i found the cafe that dreams are made of. it's really peaceful here. nick drake in the background. the interior looks like a fancy antique furniture store, but one where you're allowed to sit on the couches and shit. older crowd. not throngs of hipsters declaring their coolness via their sporting of tightpants and mustaches.

and it's directly across the street from my apartment. been there for a month and had never seen it.

asides:
1. how can anyone 'recommend' an execution?
2. please say prayer/think of those who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. and not just today, but whenever you can.
3. hooray for the new pope. sure, i respect him, etc - but i can't believe the main representative of the catholic church can have such warped views, and promote ideas that directly counter the catechism and bible and genesis and jesus and people with good hearts.

i miss so many of you, and am so incredibly thankful for this place, what's taken me here, the progression of my decisions and experiences and person, where i'm going and the fact that i have no idea what 'where i'm going' means. this thing magically transforms into a journal at times. and there's no way back.