My Head Hurts what about yours?

In a time of environmental turmoil, government disenchantment, high unemployment, religious upheaval, and geographic colonization, our future seems almost hopeless. Where does one focus his/her attention, commitment, and energy?   If you live in California, specifically, San Francisco the important topics are numerous and each must be considered with equal anxiety.   Most issues are surprising even to the people that make it their lifelong purpose to consider and find the worst of everything in life. 

What is on top of the mind most San Franciscans? I thought about this question for a while and I came up with a list of what may be waking us during the night with cold sweats in our silk pajamas.  The following topics flood the local and national newscasts for what feels like around the clock reinforcing all the negativity in the world.  What is important to deal with first that is the question?  What would resolve or solve these crises so we can all get back to doing whatever it is that we do after watching the morning news (negative energy while sitting/standing).  My head started hurting putting this list together.

 Japanese Nuclear Crisis

The non-working radiation detectors on the West coast

Ousting Libya’s Qaddafi regime

The National Budget approval

The States (California) budget approval

Unemployment (Job Creation)

Foreclosures 

Corporate Greed

Homeless in San Francisco

America’s Cup Race

PROP 8

Disappearing 6oz Irish coffee glasses (Should San Francisco sue Buena Vista  for hoarding all the glasses from the rest of the restaurants?)

The Iraq war

The Afghanistan war

The Libyan war

Iranian issue

North Korean issue

Iranian espionage on US soil

Another terrorist attack

Google’s takeover of Silicon Valley

The floating islands of plastic and trash in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Amazon not paying sales tax

Oil shortage

Deteriorating pipes

Southern California succession from the North

Supporting the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters

Oh boy, I sure could listen to  an hour long Jim Rohn audiobook right now

I love this City...it's as plane as that.

Waking up every day overlooking the San Francisco Bay is like opening my eyes onto a different world each morning, with a fascination about nature’s power to rearrange the molecules all around us so as to completely change the environment hour by hour like a high-speed movie.   San Francisco changes from a drizzling foggy morning to windy gusts that can give the most experienced sailor on the Bay a tipping scare of his/her life on a large and seemingly ocean worthy sailing yacht.

Those of us that live in the City know that the uniform is layers of clothing every day except maybe those three or four days that the weather person guesses wrong and the temperature reaches above 70 degrees.  Even then San Franciscans don’t give up their coffee. You can bet on the likelihood that the temperature will drop especially when the afternoon fog rolls in or more descriptively snakes in under that Golden Gate (the mascot of the City) and along the shoreline mysteriously swirling around Angel, Alcatraz, and Treasure Islands causing each to disappear in sequential order as though each island had priority over the fogs deathly hug. Later and just as fascinating the regressing fog releases its lock on the islands one-by-one as each reappears in reverse order. This is amazingly beautiful to me!

I am not what San Franciscans consider a native to the City but I am here now and would never think of leaving this mysterious and delightful City on the Bay set upon precarious geologic tectonic plates that continuously shift beneath our feet slowly and quietly, and those periodic and surprising jolts that scare the semi-tourist and the “want-to-be San Franciscans” (the non-believers) losening their stranglehold on the real estate and limited affordable rents and lease prices. I love the fact that Mother Nature does some natural culling of folks from the City.  I personally feel special to live here permanently and already have experience with nature’s periodic rock shuffle. 

I’e walked around most of the seven square miles that makes up the Cityscape and during my adventures I learn that the City is as diverse as the weather is variable.  No matter, I love this unique City and the people I’ve met that live here.

Unique Cultural Experiences in the City

Experience all the culture of Europe on Sutter Street.   I had breakfast at Thad’z Cozy Cafe and Bistro between Hyde and Leavenworth Street directly across from the historical SteinMart Hotel and Apartments.   In the one and half hours I set drinking coffee, writing a little and eating a fantastic Lox Bagel, a specialty creation of Thad the owner and operator my hearing sense picked up on German, Australian, Scottish, British, Spanish (from Spain), Italian and a couple of other dialects I couldn’t quite make out but I would swear they had to be speaking Bubonic.  I’ve been twice to the cafe now and there is some regulars that stop in that give the cafe some of it permanent European  ambiance.  Ralph who didn’t say much in the beginning past good morning did start talking to a couple of Brits about being stationed on the HMS Victoria while in the Navy, which Navy I am not sure of yet.  Mike who seems to arrive between 9 and 9:15AM daily and speaks very loud, (I think he’s a little under the weather if you get my drift), nice person however and likes to spend time with his Facebook friends on the public pay-for-use internet access and computer Thad has setup.  Mike shouts at everyone he knows that comes in the door by their name, GOOD MORNING, BILL for all to hear. Thad introduced me to Mike then Mike responded, “Oh, yea I saw him yesterday.”  Mind you we didn’t meet yesterday we just saw each other.   Then Mike introduced Ralph to me but Ralph kind of ignored Mike initially until Mike’s voice raised up a couple of more decibels thinking Ralph didn’t hear him the first time though the most distance between anyone in the cafe is six feet.   I am all into supporting small local business owners and Thad’z Cozy Cafe’ and Bistro is one to visit even if only one time for most of us.  Thad loves his community and the variety of people that make up his customer base each day.  Treats everyone well and those he like even better.  I am already getting cappers added to my salmon bagel. “No Charge, Thad shouts across the cafe. 


April 20, 2011