16 July, 2006

Catching Up 

It's been a few days since I checked in; I'll just hit the highlights.

Thursday: It was a freaky foggy morning. It was that extremely dense fog that's like being in sensory deprivation. I strained my eyes but couldn't see more than a few hundred yards down the estuary, and the fog muffled any sound, so it was as if someone had their hands over my ears. Our normally speedy ferry crept along the estuary and across the bay, blasting the horn every so often to let any other vessels know we were there and please don't hit us.

Being out on the bay was very eerie and uncomfortable; I knew what was supposed to be out there, but it just wasn't there. Suddenly, a pelican appeared out of the fog and looked as surprised to see us as I was to see it. It flew along beside the Peralta for a short while before it dipped down closer to the water. I was so grateful for the fly-by: Just seeing this sign of life made me feel a lot better.

Oddly enough, as we approached the Bay Bridge I could see the pilings and as we came under it, downtown San Francisco was not only visible, but CLEAR! I felt like I had just come out of a "Twilight Zone" episode.

Friday: I was pretty much the last person standing in the office. Everyone else had bailed by 4:30. I left at 4:50 because I needed to get something in the mailbox across the street in time for the 5:00 pick up. I came home and sobbed my way through "Brokeback Mountain". It was the second time I had watched the DVD, and I had waited until I was a lot stronger emotionally before I ever watched it (because I always figured it was more than just the "gay cowboy movie").

It turns out, I needed all of that emotional strength because that film absolutely rips my heart out. It is so beautiful and so powerful and so...RAW and real (because, when it comes to love, some of us just aren't blessed with Hollywood's "happily ever after"). I had heard great raves about the acting in the film, but never in a million years did I expect the level of performance from Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams and it was great to see Anne Hathaway break away from her "Princess Diaries" character. By the time the credits rolled, my Friday was done: I was absolutely shattered.

Saturday: Yesterday started off low-key enough. I had tentative plans to go out with B in the evening but the day was all unstructured time. I had gotten a notice that one of the books on AJAX I had put on hold at the library was ready for me to check out, so I wandered around the corner to my branch for that and some other Web-y books.

Then I headed over to Park St. for a spot of shopping. I needed a card to send to a friend and just wanted to see what was new and exciting. Which means I got sucked into the book store and never came out! Well, that's not entirely true; I did get out for < $20. I was browsing the Buddha statues at the Japanese futon shop when my phone started buzzing. It was G and C wondering if I'd be able to help them move the dinette they just bought for their new apartment. So I went to the house they were at and ended up buying a candle holder and falling in love with these amazing blown glass lamps. G and I ended up splitting the pair of lamps. I don't know if the shade can be whitened again, or if I'll have to have a new one made, but it's a gorgeous lamp and the biggest one I've ever bought. Of course, seeing all of the great bargains G and C have scored around the island, I'm now wanting to get rid of everything and completely redo the apartment!

After a tasty late lunch at the New Zealander Pub (steak and cheese pub pie...it's the YUM!), I walked back to G & C's place to go through the bags of books G wasn't able to trade in at Wilmot's. By the time I left, I ended up with a grocery bag full of stuff to read on the ferry, but walking back wondered if I was just a total greedy bird! I made a mental note that if I am able to trade any of these in for store credit, I'll have to at least split it with her.

Later on, B and I headed over to the Ivy Room to check out some music and have a beer or two. The music was okay...Gram Rabbit was actually pretty interesting and seemed to have a devoted following. But we were both tired and pooped out early. Not before noticing, however, that one of the bands playing at the free BBQ at Ivy Room today is one that a friend(?) of mine is in. (The question mark is because he hasn't been in touch with me in ages and hasn't answered the last several email messages I sent him and I'm left wondering if I was completely delusional about the friendship in the first place.) B wants to go for the free BBQ and because she's curious about the friend's(?) band. I'm completely ambivalent. He used to send me notices about upcoming shows, and since I've not heard from him, I'm thinking my presence really isn't desired. But that could just be the evil gremlins taunting me, I don't know. As much as I enjoy the band's music, at this point, neither that, satisfying B's curiosity, the prospect of either reconnecting with this friend(?) or gaining closure, nor free BBQ is particularly compelling.

Maybe I'll feel different once I get the laundry and grocery shopping done...who knows.

Technorati Tags: Isle of Misfits, music, weird weather, San Francisco Life

   ~~ victoria on 12:06 PM ~~    2 comments

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