When I do Absolutely Nothing

Ah, summer is upon us all here in the San Francisco area. It's been a few days since my last day of work, and I'm feeling mixed up feelings of excitement to enjoy this city, and a sense of uselessness and loneliness, and to be quite honest, it feels rather beautiful. I'm not doing very much, but the little things I do get to do make me a happy girl on the inside.

This weekend was a long weekend for all of us, and there was so much to do. On Monday afternoon I packed up a delicious salad and went on a picnic with my local church. It was a surprisingly beautiful day in Golden Gate Park, with warm sun and the usual breeze from the ocean.

Spending hours in the lazy sunlight chatting away with new friends I've made over the past month or so was a great way to spend the Memorial holiday.

The next day I woke up late, later than I have since February I'm sure. The sun was high and I decided to leave the house instantly to cozy it up in a coffee shop and read a book of the Bible that had been introduced to me on Sunday by a groovy guy from Los Angeles. 

Ethiopian Drip & Mushroom Tartine

It was a rare occassion, so I suppose I ought to back up a little and talk about how I've never been formally introduced to the book of Ecclesiastes. All I'd ever heard about it was that it was depressing and kind of a wierd book that not many people know how it ended up in the Bible anyways. But finally, I got to hear about it from someone who didn't just read it, but also studied hard core for like 3 months at least. I was intrigued, definitely, by the way in which the author of the book depicts life as it is, without reservation. I've been in need of a less mystic spiritual guiding light, and so I was immediately drawn to this book. And where better to read the Bible than in a cozy hardwood hipster establishment?

Enter Brown Owl Coffee, the only hipster joint on my street. Brown Owl doesn't mess around with their brewing, it's one of the few places I can be happy with a drip coffee. And their mushroom tartines never disappoint. I found myself cuddled into an old school desk, which at first felt strange, but it just grew on me, with my little Bible app and a delicious breakfast before me. The sun was poking through the Parkside clouds little by little and every once and a while the drumming of the L-train could be heard out the front door of the tiny room.

On a whim, I decided to take the train, as thought it'd been calling my name, and rode into the depths of downtown, following the sun. I hopped off at Montgomery Station, and ventured into the sunlight of lunch hour in the financial district. Men in suits sit on the side of the street with sandwhiches in their hands, food trucks park on the intersections, and women run in and out of coffee shops with bags and trays of coffee in their hands. On such a lovely day, who'd want to stay in the office. I  thought to myself, this isn't something I get to see very often, while I'm in school. It must be summer.

A view from the Quintara Steps near my house.

I found myself following the sunlight to Chinatown. What seemed like a four by four complex of streets and alleyways had just about anything that could glitter in its windows, from the lovely houses painted white, pink, and yellow, to the free tea tasting establishments and fine jewelry shops. Rooftop garden restraunts and steps leading below the ground, China town is a place of mystery, as though it were right out of Sen Chihiro, though not Japanese at all... I wandered and wandered, getting glimpses of Alcatraz as I climbed up into the Marina and glimpses of the Golden Gate bridge as I moved into the Presidio on my little feet. Suddenly, I realized I could get home if I wanted to. So I walked on home, sighting the Presidio, Fillmore, Haight, Laurel Heights, The Richmond, UCSF, Grandview Park, and the Sunset where I live.

Once I had gotten home, my heart seemed still to have room for a little more adventure, and some ice cream. Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream to be exact. So once again, I chased down the train and boarded into town to Church Station to walk down to Bi-Rite Creamery. Bi-Rite is nestled between Mission High School and one of my absolute favorite parks in San Francisco, Dolores Park. The creamery is a great, local shop with sweets and baked goods as well as some of the best ice cream in the city with unique flavors that are sure to please. The first time I ever went to Bi-Rite, I tried their signature Honey Lavender and Olive Oil ice cream. There's nothing like Olive Oil ice cream in this whole world. It's just supberb. But tonight I craved chocolate and balsamic strawberry.

I took my ice cream up the hill to miss the sunset and watch the city light up. The sun set behind me, lights flickered on at the Bay Bridge, and the financial districts high rises began to illuminated themselves. City Hall glowed like a candle in the darkness of Van Ness. In the park, a man with two huge rods and strings attached runs around creating giant soap bubbles that float up into the city scape and pop away as quickly as they come. Old couples walk hand in hand back to their Castro homes. Young lovers walk their oversized rat-like chihuahuas through the park in the last flecks of sunlight. I eat ice cream, and say goodnight to San Francisco at 9 o'clock.

This morning I hadn't realized how sleepy I was, but I had a hard time getting out of bed to meet a friend to walk through the Japanese Tea Gardens at Golden Gate Park during their free hour from 9am to 10. But how glad I was that I got out of bed in the foggy morning. I ran after the 66 bus and found myself walking with a smile on 9th and Judah to the park, a warm latte in my hand. The Japanese Tea Gardens are so beautiuful and full of little and big wonders to be enjoyed. The sky was grey, reminding me of a summer day in Tokyo, though without the humidity and exceeding warmth. Little squirrels played together, ducks sat on the pond water in the grey morning, and everything green dazzled.

Being there reminded me how I really miss Japan a lot. I hope I can go again soon, and maybe see something I've never seen before... kind of like how I am seeing so many things I've never seen before here in San Francisco.

I have no idea what else I'll do with my day, it's hardly noon and I'm sitting with a warmed apple turnover and a glass of Jasmine tea, wondering. I guess I'll have to see, what else will happen as long as I'm doing absolutely nothing.