I have returned to the city of sin, after having spent 34 of the last 48 days out of town in some capacity (three weeks in Iowa, plus a couple of days in Healdsburg and trips to NYC and Denver = no time for the city of sin). But it's looking like I'm going to make up for my absence - suddenly, unexpectedly, I have plans every single night (and some days) between now and next Friday, when I leave for Tahoe. Actually, tomorrow night is free, but given all the things I need to do, I expect to spend it working (or to be lured out unexpectedly).
So...I shall keep this brief, since there's not a lot of interesting stuff to report (beyond the surprise special guest at the end!). I woke up this morning after not enough sleep, and I finished packing in time for my parents to take me to Des Moines. We had lunch at Johnny's, as per usual, and then they dropped me off at the airport and we said our sad farewells. Checking in and getting through security took less than five minutes, so I checked the internet world and messed around until my flight.
That flight was interesting in that I sat next to a guy who is from the next county over from me, and who is likely the guy who bought some of the tiger shrimp that my dad also got from a special order at our favorite butcher counter over Christmas. So we talked most of the way, which I resented less than I usually do. We were early getting into Denver, which gave me time to get my boots shined (very necessary after three weeks of snow and dust and mud). And then my SF flight actually got in slightly early as well, which as v. unexpected given the rains here. So I grabbed my bag and then took a lyft home, and had a v. nice conversation with a v. entertaining Brazilian driver who told me horror stories about Oakland (my favorite topic!).
When I got home, I was determined not to fall into torpor, so I unpacked, threw three loads of laundry into the machines downstairs, and went to Whole Foods to get some basic necessities to get me through the next couple of days. They were almost entirely out of eggs (except for the super organic ones that are $9/dozen, which is ridic), so apparently everyone else in my neighborhood was also stocking up on basics. But I have some things to tide me over (most importantly, cream for my coffee), so that's all good.
But eventually, I was lured out of the safety of my home to have an impromptu drink with Vidya (aka Chandlord). She met me here and we walked to Benjamin Cooper, where I had my first cocktail since Healdsburg and we caught up on many of the things I've missed here. She has done an excellent job of befriending the bartenders there (#protip: befriend the bartender), so they gave us whisky shots in super fancy shot-sized flutes (I assume they're for cordial or something), which was entirely unnecessary on top of the cocktail (and not a particularly good mix with my tequila/elderflower/zinfandel drink, which was itself a strange and interesting choice), but entirely appreciated.
So we caught up in a delightful and desultory fashion, and I made it home without being stabbed (although I saw some prostitutes and a couple of guys passed out on the street and some other questionable characters, who were, all together, more people than I probably saw in my hometown the entire time I was home, and far more likely to stab me than any of my neighbors (although you never know about [censored]). And now, I need to sleep and hope that I can get some semblance of work done tomorrow - goodnight!
So...I shall keep this brief, since there's not a lot of interesting stuff to report (beyond the surprise special guest at the end!). I woke up this morning after not enough sleep, and I finished packing in time for my parents to take me to Des Moines. We had lunch at Johnny's, as per usual, and then they dropped me off at the airport and we said our sad farewells. Checking in and getting through security took less than five minutes, so I checked the internet world and messed around until my flight.
That flight was interesting in that I sat next to a guy who is from the next county over from me, and who is likely the guy who bought some of the tiger shrimp that my dad also got from a special order at our favorite butcher counter over Christmas. So we talked most of the way, which I resented less than I usually do. We were early getting into Denver, which gave me time to get my boots shined (very necessary after three weeks of snow and dust and mud). And then my SF flight actually got in slightly early as well, which as v. unexpected given the rains here. So I grabbed my bag and then took a lyft home, and had a v. nice conversation with a v. entertaining Brazilian driver who told me horror stories about Oakland (my favorite topic!).
When I got home, I was determined not to fall into torpor, so I unpacked, threw three loads of laundry into the machines downstairs, and went to Whole Foods to get some basic necessities to get me through the next couple of days. They were almost entirely out of eggs (except for the super organic ones that are $9/dozen, which is ridic), so apparently everyone else in my neighborhood was also stocking up on basics. But I have some things to tide me over (most importantly, cream for my coffee), so that's all good.
But eventually, I was lured out of the safety of my home to have an impromptu drink with Vidya (aka Chandlord). She met me here and we walked to Benjamin Cooper, where I had my first cocktail since Healdsburg and we caught up on many of the things I've missed here. She has done an excellent job of befriending the bartenders there (#protip: befriend the bartender), so they gave us whisky shots in super fancy shot-sized flutes (I assume they're for cordial or something), which was entirely unnecessary on top of the cocktail (and not a particularly good mix with my tequila/elderflower/zinfandel drink, which was itself a strange and interesting choice), but entirely appreciated.
So we caught up in a delightful and desultory fashion, and I made it home without being stabbed (although I saw some prostitutes and a couple of guys passed out on the street and some other questionable characters, who were, all together, more people than I probably saw in my hometown the entire time I was home, and far more likely to stab me than any of my neighbors (although you never know about [censored]). And now, I need to sleep and hope that I can get some semblance of work done tomorrow - goodnight!
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