The View from my office

Well, a romantic version of it. (In reality a giant pastel yellow column blocks the window)

Taxi Drivers

Today, my most meaningful conversation was my last. I don't say this because the rest of my day lacked value. Indeed, I spent the whole afternoon and evening with close (and very amusing) friends. But it seems that the most memorable conversations always happen with strangers. Nothing can really top connecting with someone you've never met before.

Tonight, the exceptional stranger was my cab driver. After sipping a beer with friends at Rosewood bar (plopped in the midst of the ambiguous transition from Chinatown to North Beach), I decided to wander home. BART (public transportation) was closed and I resorted to the bus. The 14 never came, so I began flapping my wing streetside for taxis to see. A mini van pulled over and I hopped in.

"Valencia and 16th, please."

Note the polite tone. I love talking to cab drivers. They are such mysterious people - men (and very occasionally women) of the night. Plus, your life is in their hands. Might as well make friends, eh?


Tonight my driver had dark, dark skin and a noticeable accent. After some initial questions, I ask where he is from.

"Sudan," he says. "Ever been there."

(Of course I haven't).

He is driving the cab to save money for school. He will get a bachelors from Berkeley in political science, then a masters in international relations.

He left Sudan because otherwise he would have been killed by the Sudanese government, or the Egyptians, whichever got to him first.

I, on the other hand, grew up one hour away. I just had a night of drinking with my buddies. My work does nothing to save any lives or land.

"Thanks for the nice chat," he tells me as I pay him $10. God no, thank you!

We all ultimately live a life defined by our own thoughts, our own heads. It keeps us from completely understanding others and what the rest of the people on this Earth are doing or fighting for. I suppose that it is a sign of hope, however, that chance meetings with people we do not know and will likely never see again can evoke awareness of issues and stir us towards action. With the slightest effort, we can find camaraderie and inspiration from one another. Even from the back of a taxi cab in San Francisco.

San Francisco becomes Candyland

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Candy Land (coincidentally my favorite childhood game *DING*), San Francisco's famous Lombard St was converted today into a giant boardgame. Here's the gist:

According to the Examiner, "Kids will draw from a deck of color-coated cards as big as six square feet while eco-friendly confetti and balloons drape the background." Also, "purple, yellow, blue, orange, green and red blocks" will be placed along Lombard's 575-foot-long path. "Each block will be about 14 feet long and 12 feet wide, matching the same color sequence as the usual game," Ex goes on to report.
Remember, you and your kids can watch the action go down at 10 a.m. today, but only children from UC San Francisco Children’s Hospital and the nonprofit Friends of the Children will compete. Also, at the end of the game, where Queen Princess Frostine awaits, there will be delicious cake for all. Mm. - SFist

I gotta go by this after work today...Check it out! (For more photos click here)

Why Golden Gate Park is the shit

I thought it was just one park. But apparently not, so says my tea mug this morning. The extension of Golden Gate National Parks is the world's largest urban National Park.
- 1210 Historic structures
- 114 square miles of open space
- 78 shipwrecks
- 23 rare and endangered species (Bison included)
- 12 sandy beaches
- 10 historic forts
- 5 lighthouses
- 2 Redwood forests
- 1 Large Red Bridge