days_unfolding

I woke up from my nap at 5 AM. I want breakfast, although it will make me less hungry for Dim Sum. It occurred to me that I could go to the Pinecrest, which is open 24 hours. I could have a breakfast sandwich, which won't fill me up too much.

I did go to the Pinecrest. On the way, there was a guy collapsed on the ground--I saw him nodding off early--and I was wondering if he was okay. But he was sitting up when I came back.

Okay, my stuff is packed, and I've checked in for my flights. Now I have time to kill. Tried lying down, but I can't sleep. I hope that means that I will sleep on the flight tonight. Texted with Erik about meeting him later.

I checked out of the hotel at 11. Erik came by at 12. He has an electric car, so we got in a discussion of the pros and cons. (He loves it.) He also almost sold me on an iPhone. He's one of the people whom I really listen to. We had a great time catching up and pigged out on Dim Sum. We ordered too much :) Afterward, we walked around in Aquatic Park, where I had been planning to go. He dropped me back at the hotel. I've been reading books on my Kindle. I'm reading an interesting book on the importance of having a quest, The Happiness of Pursuit. I can't think of any quests that I'm on except posting to LJ and DW every day.

I'm charging my phone in the "Business Center" at the hotel. I'd like to be able to use it for my boarding pass, although I did print off the boarding passes here.

Hmm, now I'm looking at electric cars, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid looks appealing.

Finally, it got to the time for the driver to pick me up. Someone called, but didn't answer when I picked up. Someone called several more times, so I ignored it. He then texted me, and I texted him the name of the hotel and address. He asked me if he should pick me up at 8:05 or 8:30, and I said 8:30. At 8:15 he calls and says that he's at the Westin. Huh? I told him where I was again, and he said, Oh no. Eventually he got to my hotel, but it took him several tries to pull in, which didn't give me the warm fuzzies about his driving. I did NOT give him a tip.

I've been pondering why I always get frazzled in airports. I think that it has to do with pulling everything out in security. OTOH, I passed a guy who was strolling along slowly like, I always take my luggage for a walk! I see people who are knocking their luggage over, etc., and I think "You are my people" :)

I got here way early for a midnight departure, hence the 8:30 pickup. My gate was the farthest one, of course. And they changed the gate twice. I found an electrical outlet and am charging my phone.

I really want to go to sleep. I hope that bodes well for sleeping on the flight. It did. I slept the way to O'Hare and found out how to get to the other terminal. The gate was the farthest gate again. (Is the Universe trying to tell me that I need more exercise?) I dozed at the gate, and I dozed on the flight. The shuttle guy called right after I got off the plane.

Now I'm back. Zara is all excited that I'm back. I haven't seen Mimi yet. I'm making lunch. Lunch was good. Hunger is the best sauce.

Now I think that I'll take a nap, then shower, and then do laundry.

Zara is telling me that she hasn't been fed. Liar :) And Mimi is telling me her tale of woe.

Had a nice nap. I could have slept longer, but I want to be able to sleep tonight. Had a nice shower, but my razor is refusing to shut off. Do I need to replace it every four months? I'm not thrilled. Mimi is upset that I shut her out of the bathroom.

Got laundry going. Sorted the mail, except for the Daily Look and Stitch Fix boxes; I want to get it out in the recycling. Fed the girls and mollified them. Got the garbage and recycling out.

The Southfield Park District has golf and tennis lessons, both of which I'd like to learn, but I think that I should concentrate on relearning to ride my bike. Speaking of which, it's ready at the bike shop, but I'd like for them to put the turn signals that I ordered on eBay. Plus I need to get a bike rack from Amazon. The Park District also has a gentle yoga class that I'd like to try.

Had dinner. Got the clothes in the dryer. I want clean, dry pajamas before I go to sleep.

I was thinking that I really don't enjoy flying any more, but given that I want to go to Hawaii and Europe, flying it is. Train travel is more civilized though. I just IMed my Italian teacher to see if he's back in Italy. I think that my "quest" is to work really hard on Italian for my trip next year.

Hmm. I had wanted to go to Aquatic Park to watch the sunset, but didn't make it there today. I had prided myself on not taking a cable car, because that's for tourists, but the cable car goes directly from my hotel to near Aquatic Park. I'm going to buy a day pass tomorrow to take public transportation.

I hadn't really decided what to do on Saturday. I decided to check out the Haight-Ashbury area, which I've never been to. My Peace shirt would go well there. I have to be careful not to buy things (good luck!), although if I go early, I could get to the UPS store again before it closes.

The picture of the City Lights bookstore had a book about Keith Haring in the window, which I wanted. I found out how to order it from City Lights online. It's more expensive than Amazon, but save independent bookstores!

I wound up staying up late. I did paint my nails, but messed a couple of them up, so I need to see if I have another nail polish remover pad. I woke up at 8 local time, so I seem to have acclimated to the time zone.

I'm trying to figure out a game plan. I need to gather my stuff to mail. I need to get a day pass for public transportation and eat breakfast. And mail my stuff. Then I'll go to the Haight.

I'm looking new-agey to the max with my peace shirt, my blue crystal, and my blue tiger-eye bracelet.

No matter how organized I try to be, I'm not. I got everything together--although I almost forgot the books--but then realized that I need to charge my camera battery (done).

I went to my fave breakfast place. The walk up the hill was easier this time. I had corned beef hash and eggs, and it was so filling that I ate only a fourth of it.

Best-laid plans: I'm feeling kind of shaky and need a nap. Afterwards, I'll go get my transit pass and take the cable car up the hill to the UPS store. I'll go to the Haight later and be judicious on what I buy. One store that "has the biggest selection of tie-dye in the country" also has an online store, so maybe I can have something shipped to me.

Success. I found the UPS store and my stuff is on its way to Mom's house. Before that, I got my day transit pass after some confusion on where to get it. The line for the cable cars was ridiculous, so I remembered what I read online and walked up a stop and got right on. I got off a stop early, so I still had some hill climbing, but it beat climbing up the entire hill. I caught a cable car on the way back too.

Now I'm in my hotel room drinking some water. Then I'll go back out.

Oh! The Sutter and Bush UPS store is open on Sunday! Excellent!

I made it to the Haight-Ashbury. Lots of vintage clothing stores and a few head shops. But I ran into a problem called "Where did the hippies pee?" Place after place had no public restroom. I finally got an iced chai latte at a coffee shop to use their washroom. and their WiFi--I wanted to.look up the address of the store that I wanted to go to. I found the store--I had walked right past it--and bought two tie-dye hoodies to be shipped to me. They weren't sure how the shipping was going to work, but said that the owner would be in touch.

My "peace" shirt got a comment. "Peace and love, yeah!"

It got too late for me to go to Aquatic Park to watch the sunset. Maybe next time.

I think that I'll nap a little and go get dinner.

( Pictures )

I couldn't sleep, plus I wanted to get over to Pier 39 because there are two stores that I wanted to check out and I'm shipping a package tomorrow, so I got up. I thought about painting my nails, but I forgot to get a nail file. So I went in search of dinner. I ate in a fifties-themed diner that had a fantastic burger and garlic fries. Well, I didn't eat ALL of it.

On my way there, there was a guy on the corner panhandling shouting "Change for a Lamborghini"! It's good to have goals, I guess.

Uber wasn't working again, or at least the Internet access on my phone wasn't working, so I stopped at Walgreens and bought some nail files, plastic spoons, and soda. I went up to my hotel room and used the WiFi to find out what public transportation I could take to get to Pier 39. I was walking the wrong way though. I realized that if Google Maps was working, I should be able to get an Uber, and I did.

Pier 39 was kind of a bust. I found one place that I was looking for and bought a beautiful blue crystal necklace. At another place, I bought a t-shirt and diary of how I'm extending my comfort zone with quotes (it's kind of hard to describe) and a magnet. The other place that I had been looking for moved upstairs, but they closed early, so I didn't get to check the place out. I took a cab back to my hotel.

I had thought about taking a hot bath to soothe my aching muscles, but I think that I'll get ready for bed, paint my nails, and go to sleep.

P.S. The FitBit thinks that I went up 14 flights of stairs. That sounds about right :)

P.P.S. I was consulting Dr. Google about my bruising, and it can indicate problems with platelets. Mom had problems with platelets (multiple myeloma). If it keeps happening, I better get it checked out.

Hmm. I usually stop first at the AIDS chapel at Grace Cathedral at the beginning of any San Francisco trip, but it opens at 10 AM. My breakfast place opens at 7 AM. So I need to stall for a while.

My hotel is on a great street for people-watching. I saw a really cute guy waiting for my DoorDash yesterday. I guess that I'm seeing the sights :)

Wow. I have some large bruises on my left arm. I have no idea what happened.

I'm looking at other train trips that I could take. I told Dad that I might take the train to Washington DC to see the museums. We got into a conversation about the Smithsonian. New York is another possibility. Hmm, I wonder if I could swing a short trip next year.

I also told Dad that I wanted to go to London and see the museums. He said that he never wanted to go to London. Then we talked about Paris, and he encouraged me to go. I'd want to brush up on my French though.

I need to charge my FitBit watch, so I have more time to kill. I removed my nail polish because it was chipping. I like how it looked, though, so I'm going to pick some up at Walgreens. I got my camera strap attached to my camera with the help of YouTube. Hmm, now I'm looking at a nail salon near Union Square, but I don't know its hours.

I stopped at Walgreens and bought some nail polish and makeup brushes. The person working there loaded me up with freebies, even though I told her that I was traveling and had limited space.

I found the breakfast place. It's crowded, which is a good sign. I had Smoked Salmon Benedict, and it was perfection.

I made it up Nob Hill, stopping to rest a few times. I made it to Grace Cathedral. Apparently they're charging for entrance now, which annoyed me slightly but whatever. I sat in the AIDS chapel for a long time. It is still a peaceful place. But this time I felt a message of survival. It seems wrong in a way, given how many people died, including two of my friends. But the world keeps on turning, which is reassuring. I also walked the labyrinth outside. I like how it brings you close to the center and brings you back out. Like life.

The following picture is of the Keith Haring triptych at the AIDS chapel. I felt a little guilty taking a picture inside Grace Cathedral, but no one else was there and no one stopped me.

I went to Chinatown and shopped until I dropped. I bought a sweatshirt that said "The City" (what locals call San Francisco). An incense burner, a bracelet, and a kite. And an amber necklace. Now I've stopped for lunch in a Chinese restaurant. The waitress didn't understand me--I was the only non-Asian person in the place--so I wound up with crab soup. It was good though. And I brought the leftovers back with me. I need to pick up some utensils.

I went to City Lights, and got a pile of books, mostly on Buddhism and one about the social construction of the self, which sounded interesting. I'm glad that I bought a pile of books because I want the bookstore to stay in business.

Then I had way too many bags to walk back. I ordered an Uber, and a guy showed up in a Tesla! Only in California :) I gave him the wrong address though, so I had to walk up the street to my hotel.

I need to find a post office or UPS store and mail packages back to myself. There is a UPS store in the Fairmont Hotel that's open tomorrow. Excellent.

7818 steps so far :)

Now I think that it's nap time.

( More pictures )

I got up at the crack of dawn as Dad said, but I wound up waiting for him! We got to the station late, but the train was late. I didn't get a window seat, but my seatmate went to the observation car, and I thought, "Oh, good!" This is definitely how the poor folk travel. There's a guy snoring loudly behind me :)

Well, crud. The person sitting next to me came back, so I went to the observation car. My food was gone when I came back. And I'm hungry.

I caught the bus to San Francisco with no problems. However, when it stopped about a mile from my hotel, Uber wasn't working on my phone. So I walked it, partially uphill, with my luggage. Boy, I was tired when I got there.

I decided that I was too tired to go out to eat, so I DoorDashed a poke bowl and some soda. The poke bowl was good, but they forgot to give me silverware, which I asked for. I wound up eating it with my fingers!

I took a nap and slept through until 5:30 AM.

I found a money-belt-type wrap on Facebook and ordered one. I could keep my phone, ID, etc. in it when I take my flights.

I had planned to get up early to get things done, but--you guessed it--I overslept.

I had a good session with the life coach. She keeps me from going in the weeds and getting overwhelmed. She has me writing lists. I think that I want to keep meeting with her even after I get the house done.

Well, hell. The cleaner thought that the kitchen and bathrooms were too dirty to clean. I just booked with a cleaning service and warned them that the kitchen and bathrooms haven't been cleaned in a long time. Now I'm thinking that I'll need to clean the kitchen and the bathroom to get them cleaned. Sigh.

I'm figuring out where I can eat in San Francisco without gaining a ton of weight. I've got breakfast (check out the Napa omelette!) and dinner figured out, but I'm flummoxed about lunch. I suppose that I could skip lunch, but I'll probably be getting up early because of the time change. I'll probably be in Little Italy around lunchtime, and there is a ton of pasta, which I should skip. Okay, I found a place on Pier 39, not in Little Italy. Their salmon bowl sounds good.

My plan for Saturday in S.F. is to eat breakfast near Union Square, go to Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill, maybe or maybe not go to Russian Hill, go to Little Italy, go to Fisherman's Wharf (stop in Enlightenment and Expedition!), and go to Aquatic Park and watch the sunset. Then dinner in Fisherman's Wharf and take the bus back to Union Square.

This might be the bike. Or this one. I'd want to get a rear rack, panniers, and lights because it'll be an errand bike. I think that I'm leaning toward the second one.

Submitted a Kroger's order, including bleach so that I can bleach the damn floors. Oh, and frozen yogurt bars, which I'm not telling my weight-loss coach about, but I'm down seven pounds, so I'm losing weight regardless. Plus the miracle of the FitBit Sensa's strap going down a notch. I'm pleased.

I'm tired. I'm going to go to bed and get up early this time to clean the bathroom and kitchen.

And here comes another storm. The Detroit Airport was closed the other day due to storms. I hope that nothing will go wrong when I fly out of there.

Cats: you went to sleep and then got up, and therefore you should feed us. I finally fed them to chill them out. I'm in the kitchen muttering, "Dogs have owners; cats have staff."

Crap. I tried to place a Meijer order, but their app and Web site are wigging out. Sigh.

Got the garbage and recycling out.

I got a headache working and lay down near the end of the day. I overslept my nap and didn't have time to pick up my CVS prescription. I arranged to have it delivered. My Olazapine prescription will be eligible for refill on Wednesday. Good.

Placed my Meijer order. It came, and I got an industrial-strength dustpan for sweeping up the cat litter.

Miss Mimi Complains-A-Lot wanted some dry food, so I gave her a little.

The band for my Fitbit Sense went in a notch. Very cool.

Oh cool. I texted Erik (my ex for those who are new) and we're meeting for lunch on the 10th in San Francisco. It will be good to see him.

I got my music stand, the packing cubes for the "jump bag" that I'm taking on the train, and a black-and-white tunic that I think that I'll wear in San Francisco or on the way back. Or maybe I'll wear it the first day of my train trip.

Ugh. I sneezed and peed a little. I was going to wear the clothes that I have on tomorrow because I took a shower late, but I guess not. Getting older can be the pits. I'll wear my "ciao" shirt and the berry-colored jeans tomorrow. I'm getting my brows done at lunchtime.

Oh ouch. I did something to my back while I slept. And the forecasters are saying rain until 1PM.

Woman Within is having a sale. Hmm. I wound up getting two cardigans, a wool dress in Claret, two jean jackets, and two swimsuits. They also had a leather coat that really I liked, but it was expensive and I'm working on having it not fit me. That made me think about looking at leather jackets on ThredUp, and I found a really cheap one that I liked. Oh, fuck it, I got the leather coat. I can always sell it on eBay when it doesn't fit.

Oh crud. The thrift store is now closed on Sundays. So much for bringing Mom's stuff over. I could go on Monday or Tuesday if I get my shower done in the morning.

Now I'm vaguely hungry, but I should probably wait until I'm very hungry. I certainly have lots of stuff to do.

Hmm. If I want to buy a van, I should do so in Bloomington or Springfield. They have CarMax there. And then drive it up here. I'd have to put stuff in storage though. But that beats getting myself out to Grand Rapids. Though how would I get to Bloomington? Huh. There is a bus to Bloomington.

My goal for today is to clean off the kitchen table enough to repot my orchids. Oh, and I need to cut up a pineapple and mangos too.

The cats want foooood nooooow. I've started schlepping stuff upstairs while their dishes are soaking.

I bought a cheap label maker to label my travel shampoo, etc. Once I get the extra pairs of yoga pants, I'll start packing for the California train trip in September. (Do you think that I'm excited about this trip or what?) I'm wondering if I should get a shawl with pockets for San Francisco, which might be cool due to the marine layer.

Now it's raining again, and I need to take out recycling after my voice lesson. Ugh.

Oh cool. My voice teacher is going to give me guitar lessons for singers. She does want me to learn the notes as well as the chords though, which is good. She brought up music theory, but then said that some of that would be included in guitar. I might as well take advantage of not being able to play piano by working on guitar.

Also, working on "Till There Was You" is really opening my voice up. I'm so happy!

It occurred to me to book an airport shuttle to and from Metro Airport for the California trip. Hmm, should I book one from O'Hare to the hotel?

I'm singlehandedly supporting Woman Within, but I got some tunic tops to wear on the train (and plane). It'll be very comfortable and stylish. And they could double as pajamas in a pinch. And I found a blue and black cape cardigan for cheap on Poshmark to go with them.

The cats want fooooood agaaaaain. I exist to serve. I fed myself too. I had a taste for cheese, and tonight's meal had cheddar in it. Awesome.

Okay. I scanned the receipt for fixing Mom's car, and sent the receipts that I have to Mom's trust administrator. I need to write a letter to the neighbors, who want me to pay the bills for trimming trees of ours that grew over the fence, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

I bought a sheet, pillow, and comforter set from Brooklinen, so I guess that I'm returning the Pottery Barn set. It was cheaper too and should be nice.

I couldn't fall asleep last night because I forgot to take my meds. I finally realized that and took them but it was 6 AM. Woke up at noon. Zara is currently lying on my foot.

I'm trying to figure out clothes for the Zephyr trip. The thing is that I want to dress casually on the train and at my dad's house, but be chic for San Francisco. Maybe I should check luggage on the train and on the flight back. Oh well, I have time to figure it out.

Huh. I was trying to remember a late-night diner near Union Square, and I got the name right (Pinecrest Diner). I think that I'll go there for dinner or breakfast sometime.

My new bedroom lamp is out for delivery. I need a spot for stuff that I'll hand-carry to the new place.

I'm looking on Nordstrom Rack for another cardigan and a couple of black tops for San Francisco (and maybe to wear to the Unitarian church?) Actually, I bought a long zip up Irish sweater on eBay. It'll be great for the trip.

Now I'm thinking that I would take a small weekender bag on the train with me and check luggage.

Well, that was interesting. The Amtrak Web site just had my trip from Reno to San Francisco; the app just had my trip to Chicago from Champaign. Neither had my Zephyr trip. And Hotels.com never sent me a confirmation of my San Francisco hotel. Buggy software doth abound. I think that I have it straightened out. Also, my dad never got copies of my itinerary, so I had Amtrak re-send them.

Tried to nap, but couldn't sleep. Just as well because I have a lot to get done.

Ugh. I went to return the Wayfair comforter, only to find that I'd only get $7 back if I returned it and $13 back if I kept it. So I guess that I'm keeping it. Sometimes I like an extra comforter on my bed, so I guess that will work. The Pottery Barn return should work though.

Hmm. The post office opens at 8:30 AM, so it would be tough to mail my Nordstrom's return before work. But CVS is a UPS drop-off point, so I can drop off the Pottery Barn stuff tomorrow.

The lamp arrived, and it's nice. I stuck a bedroom sticker and a fragile sticker on it, but I don't know if I'll carry it myself or have the movers do it. It's larger than I thought.

Also got my Christmas cards, and they're pretty.

Packaged up the Nordstrom and Pottery Barn returns, and they're now out in the car.

Talked to Mom. She's been getting lots of sleep and is eating well, which is good. She has the driving test to get her license back on Monday, but apparently it's just a written test and they'll look at the note from her doctor and check her vision. I hope that it goes okay.

Ordered some wardrobe boxes because the mover said that I'd save some money doing that. I'm not sure where to put all the boxes though.

Worked on a paper for my final project for my programming class. Italian is later tomorrow because my teacher had a conflict, but I still think that I'll go to bed after I do nighttime tasks.

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May 2025

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Entries tagged with san francisco

Sunday-Monday

San Francisco Day 2

San Francisco Day 1 Part 2

San Francisco Day 1 Part 1

In San Francisco

Cleaning to Get a Cleaner

"...Cats Have Staff"

Yoga Pants and Tunics. Travel Clothes.

Many Happy Returns