Slow Learner
I've been living in Oakland for two years now. Two years!!! It seems impossible that it could have been that long. It seems like someone pressed the fast-forward button.
Here are the problems which I still grapple with.
1.) Geography.
Here is a conversation I had just the other day with Amanda B.
Amanda: "I'm in Albany."
Me: "Where is that?"
Amanda: "Near Kensington."
Me: (laughs) "Where is that?"
Amanda: "Do you know where the Plant Gene Expression Center is?"
Me: (more laughs) "I have no clue."
This goes on for what seems like an eternity. In the past I have not had so much of a problem with not being in the know. But sometimes it just feels ridiculous, as if I literally know NOTHING.
2.) How do people deal with the constant demand for quarters?? I guess you can go to the bank and trade a 10 in for a roll, but even THAT really wouldn't be enough on heavy days, what with Muni and laundry. I have found myself holding back on hand-outs to the homeless because, fuck them, I need to do laundry later in the week. Compassion is just going to have to take a backseat to clean underwear.
3.) Crowded spaces. Only very recently have I begun to wrap my head around the fact that I have no control over the assholes I must share space with here on a daily basis. Plus, there are more of them then are of me. This last week I made a bicyclist take the stairs instead of plowing his bike into a crowd of commuters on the escalator. Bossypants Hill wasn't taking any shit from him, no sir. And it worked like a charm too, but more often than not, I am the one who regrets the exchange.
4.) Green space. I could really stand to live in a home with a yard again.
5.) Filth. I must be the only schmuck in downtown San Francisco that uses the handrails on public staircases because they are fucking GRIMY. No wonder I can't control my acne anymore.
On a positive note, I have figured out how to pack my bag in such a way that my BART card is in within easy swiping reach. And, generally speaking, I am adapting. Lots of little things! Like, for instance, I'm no longer cold ALL THE TIME. I've learned to enjoy a windy day. And sometimes I even remember my umbrella!
Other things that are good about the bay area: Better pizza. Fancier clothes. Hotter women. (In terms of people there is more of EVERYTHING here. I saw this one woman who looked like the Grinch in hotpants. Scary. Other worldly, and not in a good way.)
Oh, and the most practical benefit of the bay area is that there are more jobs here. Straight up, there are far more avenues to employment than anyone could hunt down inside of a three month stretch.
Here are the problems which I still grapple with.
1.) Geography.
Here is a conversation I had just the other day with Amanda B.
Amanda: "I'm in Albany."
Me: "Where is that?"
Amanda: "Near Kensington."
Me: (laughs) "Where is that?"
Amanda: "Do you know where the Plant Gene Expression Center is?"
Me: (more laughs) "I have no clue."
This goes on for what seems like an eternity. In the past I have not had so much of a problem with not being in the know. But sometimes it just feels ridiculous, as if I literally know NOTHING.
2.) How do people deal with the constant demand for quarters?? I guess you can go to the bank and trade a 10 in for a roll, but even THAT really wouldn't be enough on heavy days, what with Muni and laundry. I have found myself holding back on hand-outs to the homeless because, fuck them, I need to do laundry later in the week. Compassion is just going to have to take a backseat to clean underwear.
3.) Crowded spaces. Only very recently have I begun to wrap my head around the fact that I have no control over the assholes I must share space with here on a daily basis. Plus, there are more of them then are of me. This last week I made a bicyclist take the stairs instead of plowing his bike into a crowd of commuters on the escalator. Bossypants Hill wasn't taking any shit from him, no sir. And it worked like a charm too, but more often than not, I am the one who regrets the exchange.
4.) Green space. I could really stand to live in a home with a yard again.
5.) Filth. I must be the only schmuck in downtown San Francisco that uses the handrails on public staircases because they are fucking GRIMY. No wonder I can't control my acne anymore.
On a positive note, I have figured out how to pack my bag in such a way that my BART card is in within easy swiping reach. And, generally speaking, I am adapting. Lots of little things! Like, for instance, I'm no longer cold ALL THE TIME. I've learned to enjoy a windy day. And sometimes I even remember my umbrella!
Other things that are good about the bay area: Better pizza. Fancier clothes. Hotter women. (In terms of people there is more of EVERYTHING here. I saw this one woman who looked like the Grinch in hotpants. Scary. Other worldly, and not in a good way.)
Oh, and the most practical benefit of the bay area is that there are more jobs here. Straight up, there are far more avenues to employment than anyone could hunt down inside of a three month stretch.