Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair....(SF vol. II)
The Hub called Saturday at about 10:20 am Kansas time (which is a painful 8:20 am San Francisco time) and woke me from my exhausted slumber. It took me a moment to figure out where I was and what I was doing on the phone with the person I normally wake up with, but just a brief moment--I was excited to start the day!
{Side note: On Thursday night before leaving for SF, the Hub and I discovered that one of our snake-children, Stewart (my Anerythistic, or Black Albino, male), was missing. Gone without a trace, he didn't even disturb the lid to his tank. We turned the kids' room upside-down looking for him, to no avail. Feeling desperate, I turned to the almighty, ever-truth-telling Eight Ball and asked, "Will [Hub] find Stewart this weekend while I'm gone?" I was relieved when the response was, "It is certain." Sure enough, Hub was calling me on Saturday morning to let me know that he had found Stewart, who had been hiding in the closet of the kids' room, down inside a bag that contained a peat brick. The Hub also informed me that he had caught another snake outside (this one a rat snake), as well as a male box turtle to put in with our female (who lives outside right now). A few minutes after hanging up, my phone rang again, and it was again the Hub. This time he treated me to a play-by-play of turtle-porn, as within minutes of putting the male in with our female, they were already locked up. Aaaahhhh.....Kansas entertainment.....}
Finally able to drag myself out my cozy cloud of a bed, I noticed that MJ was awake and talking to her Grandmother at the front door. Once her Grandmother left, we talked about plans for the day, got in our respective showers (oh shit, we forgot to turn the water-heater on!), and got ready for our next adventure. We began the morning by walking down to one of MJ's favorite Chinese bakeries to get some Dim Sum take-out (instead of sitting, you go through a line and select your items) for our breakfast. Dim Sum was a new experience for me, but MJ was a pro--she even ordered the items by their real names, instead of in English. I was impressed, but how, you ask, was the food? Well, the first thing we got into was the sesame balls, and I must say, that little round orb of sweet deliciousness was one of the best things I've ever had. The crispy outside and sweet, warm, doughy inside about had me falling on the sidewalk in ecstasy. We kept walking, trying to find a public-transit stop that had a map posted, and MJ handed me a barbeque pork bun (roll?). As I nearly collapsed in orgasm from the heaven that had just crossed my palate, we came upon (no pun intended) a trolley map. We realized that we weren’t too far from the Haight-Ashbury District, which was our next destination. We took off in the direction necessary and, a few blocks later, saw Golden Gate Park. A detour through Golden Gate Park appealed to us both, so we set to it.
{Side note: Before leaving for SF, the Hub and our kids gave me a Mother’s Day gift—a pair of shoes I’ve had my eye on but wasn’t willing to pay the dough for. Excited and eager to show off my cool new kicks, I wore them on my trip, and, because I flew United and didn’t want to check a bag, didn’t bring any other footwear. Yes, I’m an idiot, and no, I don’t claim to have a lot of common sense. During our walk, MJ and I had to stop at a drug store and get some bandaids. What I got instead, lucky me, was a package of Band-Aid bandages for blisters. They’re awesome—I was instantly without pain from the freshly-open blister on the back of my heel. Worth every cent of that $4.99.}
Walking, walking, walking through Golden Gate Park. It was absolutely beautiful—snowy blankets of tiny white flowers, symmetric balances of landscaping and natural beauty, and tons plant life that I had never before seen. A Horticulturist’s wet dream! Aloe trees--yes, trees--taller than even MJ, gardens of foxgloves and patches of nasturtium, which we helped ourselves to (MJ informed me that the flowers are edible, and that they reportedly taste like radishes; after eating one, we both agreed that they have a spicy radish kick, but are much sweeter). Lost in the spectacular scenery and absorbed in the conversation, I didn't even really notice, until MJ started laughing, that we had walked in a complete circle through the park. A 3-and-a-half-hour circle, approximately, but the weather was mild enough so I didn't end up sweating like a fat-hairy-man-swine-beast like I normally do (a trait given me by my Mother). We changed our path and headed to our destination once more. (Mind you, I'm a shutter-bug. The entire trip, I was taking photos like a Japanese tourist in Washington D.C., and MJ was patient enough to just let me go to it.)
View from Golden Gate Park, Nasturtium
Venturing onto Haight was an experience in its own. We walked along, noticing the people (and I noticing all of the dogs--"Oh look, there's a Bernese Mountain Dog--hey, there's a Standard Poodle--oh, wow! A Landseer!--Check out the little Shar Pei mix.....!" {sorry about that, MJ; I know I'm annoying} Anyway, we peeped into a couple of stores and found a little boutique with handmade, very SF, skirts and blouses. If I were a man, I'd be a premature ejaculator; I blew my wad (at least all the $ I had put in my pocket for that little walk) in that 2nd little boutique we went to. However, I did get a fabulous maroon silk/polyester skirt that has enough material to make a hot-air balloon (the little Asian guy called it a "dancing skirt"). Nevermind the bullocks, that baby had to be mine. And so it was. Now with no dough, we decided to keep walking anyway and just see what we could see. Lots of little shops, plenty of pan-handlers, and a couple of intersections later, we came to the Goodwill Store. Who wouldn't go into the Goodwill Store on Haight? I'm a sucker for 2nd-hand goods anyway, so we commenced to the investigation of what people in San Francisco don't want anymore. We looked around a while, and I found MJ over at the dress rack admiring a black velvet shirt. Oh, wait...it's on the dress rack...it must be a dress, right? Well, MJ is 6'3" and has the legs to pull it off, so it was a short black velvet dress. She tried it on and it looked fabulous--she commented that coupled with a pair of nice undies and some fishnet knee-highs with garters, she'd be set (and I believe it!). While waiting for her to change, I found a killer faux leopard fuzz coat that fit perfectly; the collar hugged my neck, and cut like an A-line, it bloused out roundly at the bottom. It was destined to be mine. Alas, being the impulsive/compulsive person that I am, after buying my dream skirt within the first 15 minutes of being on Haight, I had depleted my on-hand funds (and borrowed a couple of bucks from MJ to cover the tax on the damn thing), so we had to leave our treasures at the Goodwill. Dammit! With 3 $1 bills left betwixt us, I suggested we ride the cable-car back to the flat. My legs were pretty tired, and we still had some time left before we were supposed to go to the American Head Charge show later that night. We got back MJ's place and rested for a few moments before going upstairs to visit with her Grandmother. I did my best to hide my tattoos for the introduction, but I think she was more aghast at my admitting I'd vote for Hillary in 2008 than any of my body art once our conversation progressed. To be in her 80s, she looks good and is more with it than I've ever known my Great-grandma to be. We all chatted it up for a while and then MJ and I made it downstairs, where we progressed to getting ready for our Saturday night out.
{Side note: On Thursday night before leaving for SF, the Hub and I discovered that one of our snake-children, Stewart (my Anerythistic, or Black Albino, male), was missing. Gone without a trace, he didn't even disturb the lid to his tank. We turned the kids' room upside-down looking for him, to no avail. Feeling desperate, I turned to the almighty, ever-truth-telling Eight Ball and asked, "Will [Hub] find Stewart this weekend while I'm gone?" I was relieved when the response was, "It is certain." Sure enough, Hub was calling me on Saturday morning to let me know that he had found Stewart, who had been hiding in the closet of the kids' room, down inside a bag that contained a peat brick. The Hub also informed me that he had caught another snake outside (this one a rat snake), as well as a male box turtle to put in with our female (who lives outside right now). A few minutes after hanging up, my phone rang again, and it was again the Hub. This time he treated me to a play-by-play of turtle-porn, as within minutes of putting the male in with our female, they were already locked up. Aaaahhhh.....Kansas entertainment.....}
Finally able to drag myself out my cozy cloud of a bed, I noticed that MJ was awake and talking to her Grandmother at the front door. Once her Grandmother left, we talked about plans for the day, got in our respective showers (oh shit, we forgot to turn the water-heater on!), and got ready for our next adventure. We began the morning by walking down to one of MJ's favorite Chinese bakeries to get some Dim Sum take-out (instead of sitting, you go through a line and select your items) for our breakfast. Dim Sum was a new experience for me, but MJ was a pro--she even ordered the items by their real names, instead of in English. I was impressed, but how, you ask, was the food? Well, the first thing we got into was the sesame balls, and I must say, that little round orb of sweet deliciousness was one of the best things I've ever had. The crispy outside and sweet, warm, doughy inside about had me falling on the sidewalk in ecstasy. We kept walking, trying to find a public-transit stop that had a map posted, and MJ handed me a barbeque pork bun (roll?). As I nearly collapsed in orgasm from the heaven that had just crossed my palate, we came upon (no pun intended) a trolley map. We realized that we weren’t too far from the Haight-Ashbury District, which was our next destination. We took off in the direction necessary and, a few blocks later, saw Golden Gate Park. A detour through Golden Gate Park appealed to us both, so we set to it.
{Side note: Before leaving for SF, the Hub and our kids gave me a Mother’s Day gift—a pair of shoes I’ve had my eye on but wasn’t willing to pay the dough for. Excited and eager to show off my cool new kicks, I wore them on my trip, and, because I flew United and didn’t want to check a bag, didn’t bring any other footwear. Yes, I’m an idiot, and no, I don’t claim to have a lot of common sense. During our walk, MJ and I had to stop at a drug store and get some bandaids. What I got instead, lucky me, was a package of Band-Aid bandages for blisters. They’re awesome—I was instantly without pain from the freshly-open blister on the back of my heel. Worth every cent of that $4.99.}
Walking, walking, walking through Golden Gate Park. It was absolutely beautiful—snowy blankets of tiny white flowers, symmetric balances of landscaping and natural beauty, and tons plant life that I had never before seen. A Horticulturist’s wet dream! Aloe trees--yes, trees--taller than even MJ, gardens of foxgloves and patches of nasturtium, which we helped ourselves to (MJ informed me that the flowers are edible, and that they reportedly taste like radishes; after eating one, we both agreed that they have a spicy radish kick, but are much sweeter). Lost in the spectacular scenery and absorbed in the conversation, I didn't even really notice, until MJ started laughing, that we had walked in a complete circle through the park. A 3-and-a-half-hour circle, approximately, but the weather was mild enough so I didn't end up sweating like a fat-hairy-man-swine-beast like I normally do (a trait given me by my Mother). We changed our path and headed to our destination once more. (Mind you, I'm a shutter-bug. The entire trip, I was taking photos like a Japanese tourist in Washington D.C., and MJ was patient enough to just let me go to it.)
View from Golden Gate Park, Nasturtium
Venturing onto Haight was an experience in its own. We walked along, noticing the people (and I noticing all of the dogs--"Oh look, there's a Bernese Mountain Dog--hey, there's a Standard Poodle--oh, wow! A Landseer!--Check out the little Shar Pei mix.....!" {sorry about that, MJ; I know I'm annoying} Anyway, we peeped into a couple of stores and found a little boutique with handmade, very SF, skirts and blouses. If I were a man, I'd be a premature ejaculator; I blew my wad (at least all the $ I had put in my pocket for that little walk) in that 2nd little boutique we went to. However, I did get a fabulous maroon silk/polyester skirt that has enough material to make a hot-air balloon (the little Asian guy called it a "dancing skirt"). Nevermind the bullocks, that baby had to be mine. And so it was. Now with no dough, we decided to keep walking anyway and just see what we could see. Lots of little shops, plenty of pan-handlers, and a couple of intersections later, we came to the Goodwill Store. Who wouldn't go into the Goodwill Store on Haight? I'm a sucker for 2nd-hand goods anyway, so we commenced to the investigation of what people in San Francisco don't want anymore. We looked around a while, and I found MJ over at the dress rack admiring a black velvet shirt. Oh, wait...it's on the dress rack...it must be a dress, right? Well, MJ is 6'3" and has the legs to pull it off, so it was a short black velvet dress. She tried it on and it looked fabulous--she commented that coupled with a pair of nice undies and some fishnet knee-highs with garters, she'd be set (and I believe it!). While waiting for her to change, I found a killer faux leopard fuzz coat that fit perfectly; the collar hugged my neck, and cut like an A-line, it bloused out roundly at the bottom. It was destined to be mine. Alas, being the impulsive/compulsive person that I am, after buying my dream skirt within the first 15 minutes of being on Haight, I had depleted my on-hand funds (and borrowed a couple of bucks from MJ to cover the tax on the damn thing), so we had to leave our treasures at the Goodwill. Dammit! With 3 $1 bills left betwixt us, I suggested we ride the cable-car back to the flat. My legs were pretty tired, and we still had some time left before we were supposed to go to the American Head Charge show later that night. We got back MJ's place and rested for a few moments before going upstairs to visit with her Grandmother. I did my best to hide my tattoos for the introduction, but I think she was more aghast at my admitting I'd vote for Hillary in 2008 than any of my body art once our conversation progressed. To be in her 80s, she looks good and is more with it than I've ever known my Great-grandma to be. We all chatted it up for a while and then MJ and I made it downstairs, where we progressed to getting ready for our Saturday night out.
posted by Dora Maar at 11:24 AM
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