City Living!

First let me just get this off my chest, OYE!!!! Moving is tough and stressful. Ok now that I am done complaining let me do a couple of thanks. To Rick, Emily, Beautiful wonderful Savannah, Andrea, and Christopher thank you so much for helping me pack up my 17ft U-haul on Thursday night. I rented this beater of a truck and drove it to my current apartment and as I stood looking at this 17ft beast, I am like there is no way I have enough stuff to fill it up. I debated bringing it back and getting a smaller one, but knowing they would charge me I decided I would just have some free space. Two hours later I am glad I did not, we filled it almost completely up. Wow! A couple of pizza pies later and my volunteers were happily sent on their way to chiropractors and masseuses.

Friday I then drove the beast up the peninsula into the city. Now this is no small truck, let alone the fact it had 178,000 miles on it, suffice to say it was an interesting drive, but I arrive at my new home and double park in front. Meet with the manager for all the paperwork and keys and his recommendation was the following, “The meter maids are vicious, do you hear me vicious. Fill up the lobby with all your stuff, then park the truck then move everything upstairs” Sounds like extra work but I am not going to chance a $200 ticket so I take his advice and empty the entire truck by myself. But salvation is on the way in the form of another friend Janet. She arrives and quickly begins to help bring things up the vintage elevator to my fifth floor apartment. Literally 2 hours after arriving the two of us have lugged everything up into the new apartment, phew. We get some lunch, return the truck and I spend the rest of the night trying to unpack enough stuff so I can actually sleep the night.

Saturday my goal was to spend the entire day unpacking, organizing, cleaning the new apartment. Taking a look at the mass of boxes I decide that my time would best be started by walking just down the street from my apartment for a morning Jamba Juice (fruit smoothie). Finally around 9:30 I tackle the job. Now most people would probably go about it in an organized fashion, I am neither organized or fashionable. I complete like half of every room (which when you count bathroom and kitchen I only have three rooms). Around noon I hear noise out my window (besides normal city noise) I take a look and there is this massive throng of people going down Market street. Not like I need any excuse to get out of work, but I grab some clothes and head over to check it out. Apparently it was a national anti-war and simply anti-bush protest. Literally over 30,000 people attended with signs of all shapes and sizes. If anyone has seen the movie PCU (political correct university) this was a living reenactment of the movie. People protested everything from the war, to taxes, to closing fire stations, to the traffic problems of the city all coming together in one show of solidarity for the cause of well protesting. I decide to walk the route with the crowd and check it out. It only became a little tense when you had the Israel’s on one side of the street shouting for protection and the Palestinian’s on the other with full face masks shouting death to Zionists. Not the greatest of situations on the other hand a very clear reenactment of what it must feel like everyday out there in the Middle East. But the cops kept everything orderly with almost no involvement just gentle recommendations and slight modifications. Definitely love the enthusiasm and veracity of the city.

So I go back to my place and decide that with all the cleaning and excitement maybe I will just chill back with a movie and a frozen pizza. Of course the gas in my apartment fails to work until Monday, so I am forced out into the street in search of food. Not an arduous task I quickly find out. A great Tacoria is just 2 blocks away right next to a vintage used book store with really good literature. So after a tasty dinner, and a couple of books to occupy what little free time I don’t have, I head on back to the apartment. I am maybe 1000 ft from my front door and pass a little bar I have passed throughout the couple of days of running errands called the Mint. Well hell no guts no glory, I venture in by myself. It is a dimly lit bar with this off-key music in the background. Turns out it is a 7-day a week Karaoke bar. Except for the woman who was singing when I first entered the singers were quite good (maybe the alcohol lessened some of the pain). The two woman on my left and the bartender quickly introduced themselves to me and bought me a shot to welcome me into the neighborhood (thanks bartender Daddy Diggs). Nice to have a fun bar to come home to if ever a stressful day.

So overall although I had some trepidation about the drive into the city, and the parking situation and possible crime against my car, I think I am really going to enjoy this city living. My next entry will discuss some of the interesting characters I am beginning to see in the city. Trust me an entry you will not want to miss.

Keeping with my new theme on this day in 1957 under the US Army’s 101^st Airborne division 9 black students entered a formerly all white school. Imagine the strength it must have taken them to go into an openly hostile environment to make a stand for freedom that our country is so proud of, and integration which we are still struggling with. Next time something seems like the right thing to do but just a little difficult, think of 9 scared teenagers just wanting to worry about Prom or Sadie Hawkins dance, being forced to fight just for their right to go to school. Thank goodness they did what they did!