Verbal snapshots

Until today, when a hike in Muir Woods yielded them in abundance, I've almost completely neglected to take any pictures of my manifest and wonderful activities since Friday. Things have happened quickly, a camera would have been inconvenient, I plumb forgot, etc etc. -- but I do think I've been more in the moment without one. In the absence of such pictures, though, there are a few memories I need to preserve in words for recollection.

- Standing atop a boulder at Golden Gate Park and looking down at nearly the entire city of San Francisco from the hillside
- Running across the wet beach in my sneakers to taste the Pacific Ocean. It is salty, but not as salty as the Great Salt Lake. Its waves are bigger, though. In fact, they're bigger than Gulf waves, which accounts for this coast's legendary surfing.
- Making enormous bubbles at the Exploratorium, then making enormous smoke rings at the Exploratorium, then making enormous towers on wobbly tables through the use of counterweights at the Exploratorium
- 1999-Sushu's letter to 2009-Sushu, written ten years ago as an essay for her Chinese class, which correctly predicted what she would major in, her current unemployed status, and the fact that she'd have a wonderful boyfriend; she also admonished herself not to get complacent, as hard times are ahead. Sushu's mother presented the letter via overhead projection at the dinner.
- Jono's extemely sensual presentation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show's "Transsexual Transylvania" at karaoke
- Wearing the Raskins' python as a hat
- The plenitude of Asian restaurants in the Bay Area, and the extremely concrete and real distinctions between Japanese, Thai, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Szechuan...), Vietnamese, Korean, Mongolian, Cambodian, and other Asian food, in contrast with Fort Myers' all-pan-Asian all-the-time approach

And then today I went for a marathon hike on the steep trails of Muir Woods. It was about a 2.5-hour walk during which I climbed, then descended, over a thousand feet through a gorgeous redwood forest and a rolling meadow with amazing views of the surrounding hills. I met two deer and a goldfinch along the way. Yes, I know, you want pictures. I was going to put them up tonight, but it looks like I'm relocating to Pacifica tonight in preparation for an early start towards Seattle tomorrow morning (not sure yet where I'll be tomorrow evening). I'll have Alexis's company, as well as (last I heard) Isaac's, though he may yet decide to ride with Aviva. All concerned have been warned that my backseat will be cramped with road tripping supplies.

Gotta get going if I want to make it to Pacifica by seven through rush hour traffic. Till next time!