торнадо!

I'm in San Francisco, safely ensconced and yet also waiting for the next apocalypse (I would actually prefer not to be here for the next mega earthquake, tanks). I actually arrived yesterday, after I v. casual day of packing, prepping, and then having my beloved airport margaritas at Cantina Grill before my flight. However, when I landed, I was texting [censored] in a v. desultory manner when he suddenly reported that the train he had heard was actually a tornado and he was heading to my basement. Then, a minute later, he texted to say that Dad had texted him to say they'd had a direct hit (my parents' house is a mile east of mine and tornadoes move quick).

sssanyway, this was all v. startling and surprising and upsetting, and it didn't help that I was slightly drunk and stuck in an uber and unable to do anything to help. As it turns out, my parents were fine, and our house is mostly fine too - they were extremely lucky, since the tornado basically went over the top of their house. It took off the ridge cap on the roof, but that was the only damage that needs to be fixed immediately (before too much snow goes through the 4" of open roof along the top of the roof line). It also blew an old fuel tank into the side of the house, but other than cracked siding it didn't really screw anything up. The tornado took out a big old maple in the front yard, and it knocked a shed over onto its door, and it somehow picked up my dad's smoker off the patio and tossed it a few hundred feet (but the grill and patio furniture are all still there). It also picked up a pickup cab in the north yard, bounced it on top of another car, and then threw it 700 or so feet so that it's now half-submerged in our pond.

So, needless to say, it's a big relief that my parents were fine and somehow the storm didn't knock out any windows or do anything more dramatic. It's also a relief that we tore down the old house last year - it would have been scattered over several thousand square feet of field, and that would not have been a good outcome. Some other people had damage too - a neighbor's shed was completely destroyed, and the ballfield where I played tee ball as a kid was completely leveled (no fence, no scoreboard, no concession stand, and no sign of any of those remnants). Tornadoes are eerie in terms of what they touch and what they take and what they leave behind, and this one was no different.

sssanyway, Last night I couldn't do anything, so I kept my dinner date with Veronica - we went next door and had food + two bottles of wine + a lot of conversation, and it was fantastic. This morning was not so fantastic - between worries about tornadoes + my hangover, I was not in it to win it. But I ate brunch nearby, and I spent the afternoon doing day job stuff that I had to do to prep for the week ahead. I also talked to my parents and to [censored], and everyone seems to be handling tings okay for now.

Luckily, I didn't have to work the whole night - I met Jane and Jen at Akna for a lowkey friendship renewal dinner. Akna is a popup in Hayes Valley serving Mayan/Yucatan food, and it was extremely tasty - our tamales were excellent, and the ceviche as great, and the cheese dip with beans and chorizo was lowkey the best thing I've tasted in weeks or months. I was v. impressed, and it was a great place to catch up for a couple of hours and discuss life.

And now, it's still early in California, but I think I would be best served by disconnecting for a bit and going to bed. Goodnight!