pink plastic

it was a hectic 41 hours between arriving back in chicago and leaving for san francisco. no surprise most of it was spent packing, cleaning and squeezing the most facetime possible with my lil quapa monster (aka zuzu). i had to spurn (most of) my thrifty urges to pack things like nyquil, q-tips and the like... saving a couple bucks at the expense of another suitcase aint worth it and i hear they also have medicine and ear wax in asia.

its been a couple of years since ive visited sf and im really enjoying it. i love to hate this place, but even if the people are smug, the topography is undeniably beautiful and the weather is a step up from seattle. this morning i jogged along the embarcadero until i hit fort mason and wound my way back beside the cable cars on bay, hyde and lombard streets, thru chinatown and back towards touristy union square. the hills provide delicious lookouts for city planning dorks like me. thanks to sweet pinoy danny, i also enjoyed spectacular views of the city from a drizzly twin peaks and of the pacific ocean from the blustery cliffs of lands end.

i think i read that plastic grocery bags are banned here. yet while reading a plaque about the previous renderings of union square a pink plastic bag imprinted with a red rose and the words 'thank you' kept swirling around me. the bags haphazard dance, audacious color and illegality reminded me of sfs conspicuous mentally ill homeless population and the very volatile feel of downtown. when armageddon comes, its coming here first. the evangelicals have said as much.

lately i get confused about where i am. nyc? hong kong? but in a few short hours ill be seoulbound on a cathay pacific 747. hopefully another locale wont exacerbate my confusion.