you've been dreamless and sleepin' for years

I am in San Francisco and it feels like home, which is such a strange dislocation because my tiny town in Iowa also feels like home and there is no way for my brain to reconcile these competing desires. Today was exactly the day I wanted (other than the fact that I got exactly five hours of sleep last night). I woke up in San Bruno and had a latte and some conversation with Veronica and Adam (and their dog Gus, who realized approximately eight hours too late that I broke in last night). After we chatted, I took a v. abbreviated shower and packed my bags and said goodbye (sadly)....

And then I drove to Alameda, where I picked up Claudia (who will legally be known as Santy Claude in less than a month, once Thanksgiving is over and her true identity is revealed to the world). We left her adorable toddler and less-adorable husband sitting on the porch while we went to a tea shop, where we indulged in hot beverages while hanging out on the back patio. This trip has served, as always, as a good reminder of how v. much I appreciate the friends I have collected along the way - Claudia and I were random freshman roommates back in 1999 and could have very well found each other contemptible (or, barring that, forgettable), but we're 22 years in and going strong.

So, Claudia and I caught up in a delightful but abbreviated fashion (she had a cold, which her toddler gave her via a loving donation of spit and particulates). After, I dropped her off at home and met John and Jess at Saul's, which is the home of many previous lunches (don't call it brunch in front of Jess). Saul's has created a bunch of outdoor seating due to the panny, so we sat outside and it was pretty perfect for my usual order of corned beef hash. John and Jess also gave me the best birthday present ever - a copy of a board game called 'Raccoon Tycoon', which also involves railroads, and so hits every interest I have. So, I predict some new adventures for Wampler Family Christmas (tm) in the future.

We spent a couple of hours having brunch/lunch + gelato, and then I went back to their place for a bit more chatter. Eventually, I had to come back to SF, so I checked into my hotel, took a nap, and bailed on dinner plans with Chandlord due to extreme exhaustion. The panny has left me unable to deal with so much socializing, and I have to work tomorrow, so I indulged in a lowkey evening of unpacking + talking to my parents. I also had a late dinner + wine at the bar where I had my last hotel bar experience pre-pandemic - I am pretty sure it was the same bartender, but instead of talking to a stranger who had dated someone in the Denver mafia, I talked to a stranger whose wife was at UCSF for a brain tumor. Separately, I am 99.5% sure that someone else at the bar was someone I had had a v. bad first date with years ago; I  compared notes with the bartender, who was reluctant to say anything at first bc she's been burned by secret shoppers in the past, but our resulting conversation was hilarious.

And now, after fully reimmersing myself in my San Francisco ways, it's time for bed - I'm back to work tomorrow, and that requires some amount of focus. Goodnight!