my front yard

 This should be the final, awful no-drive, too much dirt and noise day. Maybe. I am everso thankful for our trusty Muni bus service and was able to visit and walk with Ginger in the sun yesterday after an (ahem) interesting ride on the 49 Van Ness. So many people do their grocery shopping with big carts which tend to bunch together on the bus making it difficult for the folks trying to find a seat. Then we add a wheel chair or two and it's time to sing "I love my city," and get off a few blocks earlier than planned. 

not Bansky, but not bad

 Yesterday I rode the #49 Van Ness up to Ginger's and we walked over to Japantown. But I snapped these photos from the bus on Mission Street where this art is not discouraged. There were a lot of empty buildings and our local street art has exploded since my last time here. 

a return to never normal

 Our bus system (aka Muni) is pretty good, for the most part. It is free for seniors and young people and helps keep people out of their cars. The drivers are patient and kind and god knows how they put up with all the crazies. Now that I can't get Ken the Toyota out of the garage due to sewer street work, I am once again a Muni rider. The buses I rode yesterday were crowded and not everyone was wearing masks. Sigh.

by rail and foot

SF should charge more for riding the J car with these outstanding views. Yesterday I walked and rode to meet Ken at the Wooden Spoon on Market Street. We had a lovely catch-up lunch for his birthday and I heard all about his job and applauded myself for being a retired person once again. 

 

happy holiday bus

Here is our basic old Muni bus all decked out for the season. Of course
the Clipper Card box wasn't working and there was a drunk sprawled
over three old-people seats, but, hey, it's pretty on the outside and Muni
gets us around without driving our tedious cars, so rejoice.

the 22 Day Muni Challenge

It's been 22 years since a group of Muni riders banded together to try
to improve our transportation system. I happen to like Muni and I have
tremendous respect for the drivers, and yet, improvements are needed. So the
Mayor and the Board of Supes have agreed to ride Muni to/fro work
every day this month, for 22 days. I've been in cities (Charlotte, NC, comes
to mind) with almost NO public transportation, so I do appreciate our
bus system and I applaud the push to get folks OUT of cars. SF is pouring
lots of money into new buses and drivers this year and I've already seen
improvements, but of course I don't have to take a bus (or two) every day.

on the way

the #10 Townsend

so much to see

Currently we hear from many people over thirty that SF has "lost its soul" and
I say to them, take a Muni bus, there is still a LOT of soul here in my
city. Yesterday I took the bus to/fro the ballpark and met Ginger for coffee
before a wonderful game. We swept (!) the Dodgers this series and it was
a really great pitchers' duel with Mad Bum and Kate Capshaw. More
about that tomorrow with pix...

liver lovers unite

Especially topped with grilled onions and the thickest bacon known to
womankind. Yesterday Husbando and I had a Muni adventure. You might
remember that it has been an entire year already since I started working
part-time. No, it was not an easy adjustment for me, but then I could
never go back to full-time ever again, in fact two (not three) days of
work a week is becoming more and more enticing. 

But I digress. One of my goals was to drive less and take more Muni.
North Beach is especially difficult for parking and always has been.
Behold the #12 Folsom ~ it's a few blocks from our house and we
hopped off about a block from Columbus Avenue, the heart of North Beach.
A glorious lunch at Original Joe's,  I can't seem to order anything but
this liver while Husbando had short ribs and mashed potatoes. An
espresso and a walk around one of our favorite parts of the city and
back on the bus Gus for a smooth ride home.

May I recommend the free application Routesy for those of you taking SF
transportation? I have it on my iPhone and so far it's about 99% accurate.

seeking spontaneity

Approaching Crissy from the Marina

Long boots drying upside down

One artist's rock sculpture ~ SF is in the background

From time to time I whine about the fact that everything Husbando
and I do is planned to the Nth degree. Mostly that's a good thing,
but yesterday was a spur of the moment invitation from Ginger to
meet her at Crissy Field for a walk, talk, lattes, etc. I decided to take
the #22 Fillmore which goes down to Bay St. and that worked out
perfectly and gave me a chance to read and people watch. After
our two (ahem) lattes and long walk, I rode back on the #30 Stockton
bus with her. What a blast ~ it goes through North Beach and
Chinatown, ending up around Market and Powell. School was letting
out and 45,000 school kids boarded early on and really, not one of
them paid as they entered through the back door. SF is considering
free Muni for kids and I see that it's already a fait accomplis, but
soon it will be an official policy. (And pardon my French.)

This morning's email from Ginger suggested that we do more Muni
explorations, selecting an interesting and different route each time.
I already keep notes on the bus lines and it will be nice to feel more
secure about what goes where. We'll avoid the school brats in the
future, as you have already guessed.

joy ride

Yesterday I attended a 2 hour meeting out at the deYoung and I
hopped on the #33 Muni and secured a great seat on the view
side of the bus. Remember when I thought I'd take the bus
everywhere? Well, when I'm not in a rush I still do and will,
but a half hour Ken car trip takes about an hour across town,
especially in rush hour. Anyway, this was a fine time to see
the beautiful Twin Peaks and head on down onto Haight Street
and out Stanyan to Fulton and Golden Gate Park. I know you'll
enjoy my iPhotos and this time the crooked is the scenery, not
the photographer.

public service announcement

Yesterday morning I hit Kaiser for the flu shot. Long line that moved
quickly, so now I'm set. Get yours, dear readers. I took a "new" bus
home, the 22 Fillmore, because in my semi-retirement I want to
be more of a public transit aficionado.

We actually prayed for rain yesterday afternoon, proving once again
that agnostic prayers sometimes work. It's difficult to justify a day
in front of the TV, or reading a book, or napping when the sun (or
even the fog) is out, but when we wallow in laziness during drizzles,
it feels like a REAL day off and truly, a little slice of agnostic heaven.

Today is Free Tuesday at the museums. Argh. Payback for yesterday?

the muni & the miata

Ginger and I had lunch here at My Father's Kitchen on
Divisadero. It was crowded, inexpensive and not very good.
I did not see any Asians, only young white people with
cell phones and earnest looks on their faces. They all must
work around here (2 blocks from California St.), probably in
the medical world as hospitals abound in this nabe.

We decided to take the bus to the Mission for some latte
and scones at the Pie Shop. Coming down Castro St. a Miata
ran into our #24 bus and it was quite a mess. No one hurt,
but I took some good photos on my cell phone and don't
have the vaguest idea what to do with them and I think I
probably erased them. But the Miata was severely crunched
and entangled in the side of the bus. My first Muni
accident. We walked the rest of the way in the gentle
misty rain, talking about everything and everyone.
A very nice day.

Husbando Stubborno says that he is better, but he doesn't
sound or look like it. Cough/hack/ick/sleep/cough/hack.
I'm going to work ASAP with another stern warning to
call his doctor which he will, once again, ignore.

one primo sunday

Ten years ago we had season tickets to The Jewel when it first
opened and we used to go to the Patio Cafe on Townsend before
the games. Yesterday we decided to try it again because neither
of us are very good at balancing chemical-filled hot dogs and
fries, etc. on our laps. The entire patio was filled with orange
and black clad baseball fans eating jerk chicken Caribbean
style dishes. It was great ~ warm and friendly and fun.

Our Muni experience was also terrific and we were worried
because service is even worse during the dreaded drunk Bay to
Breakers. I heard that the Astros had trouble getting to the
game because the traffic is always such a mess on this day.
By the way, real SF natives hate this day and mark it in
their calendars way in advance of the onslaught.

Ah, the game. Perfect. Our seats were in the arcade and the
game was two hours of pleasure. Packed house. The Giants
seem to only win by one run lately, so the 9th inning was
tense, but we can all put another W in their column.

first things first

Before The Impressionists arrive in May, we have baseball! I tried
to up/download a 2010 Giants' schedule for you, but there were issues.
Well, you can slide over there to the right and click on SF Giants. It
all starts on April 9th - Opening Day. I think our team is pretty good
this year, but I recall saying something like this at the end of March for
the past 15 years. One of my resolutions is to go to more games and I
believe we have a new Muni bus (#10) and I want to give that a test
before the season begins. I'll let you know ~ remember how I loved
Muni for the first week or so when I first took it to the deYoung back
in '08? Hmmmmmm, those days are long gone.

more drama outside the theater

Argh. What a mess getting around the city by public transportation
yesterday. The Bay to Breakers adds masses to the streets and ties
up Muni beyond belief all day long. We were able to see some
runners in GGPark before work, but going from there to downtown
on the #5 Fulton was all but impossible last night. Two buses
wouldn't even open their doors, so I walked all the way up to
Masonic and finally caught a crowded bus to meet Husbando at
Lefty O'Doul's. I was a little testy, I know, that's a surprise.

Boleros for the Disenchanted is about José Rivera's parents who
met in Puerto Rico and came to the U.S. with their dreams back
in the 50's. The first act was a little long, in my opinion, but
maybe I was still on edge. The second act takes place in Alabama
in the 1990's, and that was touching as the father (played
beautifully by Robert Beltran ~ the Indian casino guy on Big
Love) is sick and we all review their less-than-perfect married
life and admire the wife's devotion. This was not my favorite
play this season, but the acting was terrific.

gods, half gods, muses, warriors

Argh, at least we were warned by all critics (including the best of
the bunch, The Great Plotnik) that this was a long and tedious
production. Because we sit in the second row and made eye contact
with many of our favorite actors, we stayed through the entire
play. Neither of us care about Greek mythology or Troy or who
carries a grudge in the 8th century. Some of the staging in War
Music was terrific and of course the actors did their damndest,
but the theater was almost empty and I'm pretty sure everyone
at ACT and beyond will be happy when this particular play is over.

The good news. I took the #5 Fulton bus from da deYoung to
Market and Powell ~ about 1/2 hour and filled with tourists
speaking French. I pretended not to understand them...

a great idea, in theory

I remember how pleased I was last year reading about summer road
closures on Saturdays in Golden Gate Park. Well, parking is never
a huge pleasure there for the workers, so that means I'm going to
be taking the bus on weekends now. Of course we know how much
I loved taking the bus last December, but time and experience does
change our outlook, doesn't it? If only all the crazies didn't want
to sit and babble next to me, but they do. More writerly fodder...

a touch of fiction on Sunday

Here is one of my Round Robin daily writes from the last class:

INTENTLY (the prompt)

Vivian listened intently to the man on the #33 Stanyan bus. Was he
wearing a bluetooth thingie in his ear or was he talking to himself?
He seemed sane from the waist up. He had on a sport coat, blue
dress shirt and a red and blue checked tie. But surprise, he was
wearing a pair of Jockey® shorts, the abbreviated kind, not the
boxers. It didn't seem like this could be an oversight, and yet he
certainly didn't appear to be a homeless man.

He had brown dress shoes and black socks that almost reached his
knees and he carried an expensive leather briefcase. He stood for
part of the trip, talking about the stock market, using terms that the
average person only glances at in the newspaper. Then he sat
down and the woman next to him immediately got up, preferring
to stand. The seat remained vacant next to Mr. Pantless and finally
Vivian ascertained that there was no bluetooth device attached to
the bus rider. So, just another crazy person in our crazy city.

It was fun watching the reactions of the other bus riders. We think we
have seen everything, Vivian mused, and then this passenger appears
and causes all sorts of consternation. She thought back to the time the
man brought in a chicken and when the driver said he couldn't bring
live animals on the bus, the guy snapped the poor thing's neck and
problem solved.

Vivian read somewhere that there is a blog by a Muni rider who writes
about his or her bus riding experiences everyday. It's tempting to bury
one's nose in a book, but think of all these tidbits a writer might miss
along the route.

the bus, the big box, the world

I'm in a bit of a rush this morning, but I did want to report that
I LOVED the #33 for going to work. It meanders from 25th
and Hampshire (about 4 blocks from Casa Verde) to GGP
by winding up through Ashbury Heights, down famous old
Haight Street and, of all things, it passes right by the
wonderful Samovar Tea Lounge on 18th and Castro. It
takes longer than the #44, but it's so relaxing in the morning
and none of those dreadful school children on their cell
phones. Two certifiable crazy people, but that's about average.

Yesterday the big box let about 679 people go. Managers and
supervisors and without a shadow of a doubt, I know that I would
have been one of them. Bless the deYoung for hiring me. We
all know how rough it is interviewing for a new job when one's
ego is all smashed up, even though it is no fault of anyone who
works on the front lines in retail. The corporate Top Dogs made
some serious mistakes a few years ago and everyone is paying
now. Plus the bad economy equals tough times for too many.

snap, plug, adjust, admire...

Big thanks to Linda, Susan and Mountain Mary for their help with my
camera-to-new Mac installation. It was easy as pie and I did not have
to use that camera CD or anything. I took this photo late yesterday
afternoon to show you our lovely cloud formations, right before some
more rain. It seems like it rained ALL night, but I see some blue sky
again this morning. All good.

Yesterday we went to a REAL movie theater to see Milk the way it
should be seen. Fabulous. I brought the Kleenex® out in the beginning
when Di Fi spoke to us all once again and I did some dabbing throughout
as the memories came rushing back. It made me v. proud of my
City, but I usually am, and you already knew that.

Today I'm testing a new bus (the #33) to the deYoung. Stay tuned...