China with Nadja

This post is meant to showcase some of my recent Memo posts but it also covers one of my other blogs.

I found a great item in the black note book that I took to China with me.  It is a sad posting about my last day in China with Nadja.  The irony is that I spent the next three years of my life with her but I didn’t know that was in my future.  There is prose and poetry in the piece.  The element that I enjoyed the most about the post is the fact that is uses the same idea—science fiction—as the beginning and ending and focuses not on the ability to see the future but rather the sadness that comes from it.

I also have run out of notebooks with dates in them for the Memos so decided to troll my emails for interesting items.  The memo post that I most recently added was about my experiences as a former campus cycling organizer providing assistance to the next generation of cyclist organizers on campus.  I believe that while Gerry was a student his team raced in a multitude of criterion races but I am not certain how good they were.

Finally, I made a post to my Jobs Page in reference to my current job search.  While one can use one specific tool or another it is difficult to use all of the tools at once.  This most recent post tries to address this.  It mostly relies upon the idea of resources.  In contrast to opportunities resources are important because they tend to be where new opportunities tend to emanate and are much more dynamic.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

A Week in August

I had been spending time looking over my job search options as July turned to August but my weekend started on the first I went to the Shamrock.  The next evening after work I went to Bike Party but decided to go home first.  While I decided later that this was a bad idea because of time constraints, I did find five twenties on the street while ordering pizza on Divisadero.  I met a bunch of people as the ride progressed from visited Jackson Square, through China Town and much of North Beach.  The best stop was at Telegraph Hill where there were easily 500 smiling and dancing people.  I fell into conversation with a lot of new people while wandering around.  For instance, I met a pianist named Matt Mangles with whom I had a lot in common.  The ride made a stellar journey through the Broadway Tunnel and a stop at Aquatic Park.  One of my newest acquaintances was showing his new e-bikes to a group and nearby I noted that that a local politico running for state office had appeared for a photo op.  The ride finished at Rincon Park where we saw a guy with a crazy hat.

The next day I met my friend at café Muse for on a ride to Marin.  We took 15^th Avenue to the top of the Presidio, over the bridge and across the Richardson Bay.  At Blythdale we took Lomita and climbed the freeway path on our way to Corte Madera.  We took Lakeside into Larkspur and side streets near Sir Francis Drake through Ross and San Anselmo.  We stopped at a café near Fairfax where we listened to Jazz and had coffee.  We passed through the Cal Park Hill Tunnel on the way back via the ferry terminal.

I also went to the Car Free Happy Hour.  I sat with the some friends from college who formed a non-profit that travels all over the West Coast.  My buddy from Bike Party came by too.  He had gone to Mission Bicycle to participate in their free tour.  I saw people from Public Bikes and Sunday Streets.  The next day I hung out with my friends from Long Beach at Celia’s on Judah.  I had a flight of tequila, a Tecate and the #5.  We spent the rest of the night walking the neighborhood playing catchup.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis post, which I started writing on 072814, is part of a contemporaneous series.  I developed this  piece as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

This Memo Wrap Up

For this Memo wrap up I cover eight items.  First I have already written three memo posts that I delayed posting because they had happened too recently.  In the first one I helped Kathryn move.  It was a sad and awkward experience but I know that that wasn’t my fault.  Another, older post was of my birthday.

There are also four emails from the beginning of 2011.  The first is me emailing my friend noting that I heard she had returned from overseas.  After this is her response revolved around her return to Portland and how she was integrating back in.  After this I replied much later and was bummed because it was an accident.  She replied to this saying her banged up shoulder was healing.

In addition to these I added a bunch of stuff for the First of the Month.  In the first I visited a museum in china.  Another post is from an interesting lady from Canada, who I only vaguely remember.  She obviously knew my friend Sam so I was clearly back in the town of Xi’an.  I suppose she was only in China for a few months and stayed at the dorm with us.  After this was another email from my father before my parents left to visit me in China.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. I started writing this Notebook Analysis on 071714.  This series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

I Took It Easy

I go on bike rides in Marin a lot because it has mountains and the bridge makes it easier for me than any other place.  Lately I have taken a special interest in the hills above Fairfax.  I have been trying to find a way over the Blue Ridge to San Geronimo Valley and was interested in doing so on a recent Sunday.  However, while I knew I could get there quickly, I also knew that going too fast would wear me out.

So, I took it easy and, rather than going all the way, decided to only try getting near the big hill.  I settled on a popular mountain biking location, Tamarancho, and set off around noon from the Sunset.  As I rode through the park, I passed the AIDS Walkathon at the Polo Fields and again near the waterfall.  Later I rode past the hospice to Ralston where I caught my breath from the climb.  Then I went to Bridge and made my way to Sausalito by Sausalito by 130.

While I did I think about staying in town I chose instead to visit the Kappas Marina.  I went first to Mike’s Bikes because my new seat, which I have really enjoyed, was giving me a lot of trouble.  Then I decided to have a bite to eat at the Bayside café.  I thought my garden burder was good.  As I read the paper, I found that the girl beside me had forgotten her glasses.  I gave them to her at the door.

I rode through Richardson Bay to Lomita and the freeway path.  I remember thinking as I streamed down the hill that it was a wonder I hadn’t hurt myself.  In Corte Madera I went a new way because I didn’t like the hill in the town center.  I followed Lakeside and then caught my breath on William.  I then rode through Larkspur, Ross and San Anselmo super-fast.  In Fairfax I picked my way to Rockridge Street and climbed to Tamarancho.  I got to the main trail in about 15 minutes.  I stood there reviewing the welcome board.

I called it quits then.  I could have continued and still made the boat but decided that it didn’t matter.  I didn’t have a pass anyway.  I made it to the town center fast and bought a water.  Then I went to San Anselmo where the main red light in town refused to change.  I climbed to San Rafael then and went through town on the main street.  I then jogged over to the Cal Park path and rode through the tunnel to the bridge over Sir Francis there at the Landing.  The boat was boarding but I wasn’t the last one on.  I was eating Chex when we departed.

I dumped the bike at Embarcadero and caught an N.  I got off at 9^th and went to the Shamrock and had a couple of beers.  Then I went to Park Chow and had a César Salad.  I caught a 71 home.  Mason just sent a text message to say that he would go to the Dodgers game with me.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. I started writing this Notebook Analysis on 071714.  This series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.