I recall but can’t locate a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville that both praised and condemned the indomitable American spirit. As I remember it, he was saying that no nation could have conquered as much territory and “tamed” as much wilderness in as short a time as Americans had done. Spreading from coast to coast…
Category: Life
Pie for Breakfast
Yesterday, after feeling whiny and sluggish in the morning, I shook off the twin shackles of indecision and procrastination and got going. I re-checked in to my hotel. As I suspected it would, it took them a while to figure it out. I went for a run along the marina. I drove out to Larkspur…
Mornings… Meh
It’s Friday. Black Friday. I won’t be doing any shopping today. An online ad for a suitcase that unfolds from the inside (or something like that) has made me realize how out of touch I am with the latest trends in suitcases. This is, of course, a metaphor for a lot of things. It aptly…
Thanksgiving 2023
With the exception of last year, I’ve written a Thanksgiving post each year dating back to 2019 (when I wrote about 2019 and 2018). Like many Americans, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I like the food. I like the family. I like the four-day weekend. I like the feeling of fall weather. Because…
What the Locals Are Telling Me
Ian works the counter at the bagel shop. The shop is around the corner from my hotel. I went there this morning because I had run out of oatmeal and wanted something different for breakfast. Ian is friendly and blends the right mix of curiosity and salesmanship. He picks up on details (he asked me…
Every Chance I Get
This morning I woke to a slight epiphany, or more accurately, I gave consideration to more potential evidence that what we dislike in others are sometimes the things we dislike in ourselves. The sequence of thinking went as follows (with lots of room for error because who really knows how the mind works, and it…
Control & Conditioning (Not Shampoo)
At 8am (when I started this), it was a brisk 53 degrees and sunny. I had already gone out to have some breakfast and had taken a short walk around the neighborhood. From the window in my hotel room, I could see the sun hitting the Golden Gate Bridge and the mountains beyond. It also…
Confronting Discomfort
There’s a funny story/meme/joke about Pennsylvania winters that circulates from time to time on Facebook. I’m sure it’s also used for other states with winters. It begins with someone saying how lovely the fall is and how they saw their first deer. It continues on about how pretty the first snow is and how gentle…
Laundry and Procrastination
It’s 8 am. It’ll be later than that by the time I finish writing this. The plan was to get up early(ish), have some breakfast, walk to the laundromat and do what people do at laundromats, and then go look at a few apartments. I have showings at 10:30am, 1pm, and 2pm. I like to…
Re-learning to Run
Today I went for a run. It was my second run this week. My hope is to get back into the habit of running. I used to run. I ran without much regularity for a while. Then, when I got divorced in 2016, I started running more frequently. I was dating people, trying to get…
It Was a Good Day
Settling in without really settling in – that’s what I’ve been doing. My first full day here, yesterday, was a mix of getting my bearings, trying to adjust my habits, and working on a game plan. In terms of doing what I NEED to do, I checked out two apartments along with their surrounding neighborhoods….
New Beginnings Can Be Overwhelming
Having arrived in San Francisco yesterday, I felt a strange sense of pride well up inside me. I sat at a park near the water looking out at the Golden Gate Bridge and had this “I made it. I’m here.” sensation. I walked with a little more bounce in my step, and having been here…