this is my cannery row
i'm trying to make a habit of sitting still cross legged and quiet on top of signal hill before work every morning. the view is amazing from up there, especially downtown long beach and the ocean and that big green bridge going into san pedro in the distance. and if it's not too cloudy or smoggy i can actually see san pedro sometimes. or catalina. or closer, a little to the left and below there is a big baseball diamond that was full of muddy puddles one day a few weeks ago after it rained and i wanted to drive down there and find that field but as soon as you come down from the hill you lose perspective real quick. the past two mornings i've been up there i've seen the same elderly asian woman out for a stroll to the top of the hill where she stops to do tai chi for a while. and this morning there was a man who brought paints and an easel and set about painting the city. at the bottom of the hill there is a home depot, and across the street there is a group of mexican men who stand around every day looking for work, waiting for someone to pick them up so they can make a few bucks an hour laboring at whatever task they are given. what must that be like? to live and work in such a manner? this afternoon they were playing soccer. i wish i had the guts to walk over there with a big goofy smile and a friendly "buenos dias!" and "como estan?" and "can i play soccer with you just for a while?" and maybe one of these days i just won't care anymore and i'll actually do it.