Compared to my trip to Vancouver last weekend, my weekend in San Francisco was a blockbuster smash! To be fair to the time in Canada, the trip had its memorable moments - the sight of the kid turn 180 degrees and hit the deck when the hose sprayed his face, Geda Geda being the first song that came on at the reception, the searing heat all weekend...
As I sat in the aircraft on Saturday morning, waiting for it to take-off for more than 2 hours, I almost gave up on the SF trip. The optimist that I am, I figured that things could've only gotten better - sure! I land in SF and turn my phone on - no service; turns out, no iMate fucking phone doesn't receive T-Mobile in San Francisco. My friends' Motorola, Nokia, etc phones just worked fine. So much for the $200 the phone would've cost me if I paid for it! Surd was a master mind on Saturday morning - he woke up when I called him after having landed. Vista wouldn't start up because wireless wouldn't work so I was all but ready to bore a hole in the wall. I resisted, bought myself coffee and a croissant and people-watched instead. The coffee was brilliant and the Chocolate Croissant was scrumptious. Surd showed up (finally), he ordered the Tomato Salad at lunch (which is this trip's unforgettable moment) and things started changing for the better.
The weather was gorgeous as we sat on the deck of Moma's overlooking AT&T Park, the site of many a Barry Bonds home-runs. The rest of the day is a blur of events mingling with one another, the warm weather being the only constant. Entering Madjool is when I felt like I was awake again. The people were just beginning to pack the place in, the DJ was starting to spin some tunes and the tables were being cleared to make way for the crazy dancing that ensued. I loved the place for the ambience, the three levels and the snooty people. We went to Lush around 1am to hang with some of Surd's friends; Nina was an extremely amiable person and an engaging conversationalist. Surd is a lucky guy to have a friend like her!
Wake up, make tea, call the world - a usual Sunday. Okay, I replaced calling the world with a great run by the Bay and brunch by the Bay Bridge. My mortal fear of running has dissipated and with Surd being in Seattle through the week, this running thing might recur regularly. Sitting out in the open and eating while watching cars whiz past on the Bay Bridge was calming and invigorating at the same time. This is a beautiful city, especially the areas by the water and the way the environs have been maintained is exemplary. A place like this in India wouldn't exist or thrive!
I finally saw real family today; that she brought me goodies from home was but a fringe benefit of our "rendezvous". Hanging with her and Kunal took me back home again and brought me a little closer to them both. Kunal has changed in the past year, he definitely is more docile than I remember him and Vishaka is visibly happier so them two must be settling down into a healthy, balanced relationship. Two hours didn't seem enough time but she had to get back to work and I had to head back to the city but this was a parting well made. "Till we meet again" I said to her as I drove off into the sunset. I blame all these prose-filled thoughts for what made me turn left on to the wrong side of the road.
The rest of the evening went by without incident. We ate great Sushi in the Mission district and watched Clerks after coming back home. I read about the Yankees acquiring Bobby Abreu and started typing this blog when I realized something. I needed to get out of Seattle to see that I had gotten myself into a rut. The timing of this weekend couldn't have been better and Surd couldn't have been a better host. I feel healed now, happier too and ready to take on the challenges that face me till my next break. Waking up and smelling the coffee tomorrow morning might be easier than it has the past couple months...
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