Cuban Dissidents

On October twenty-ninth I wrote that I left and went to PHill and got the bike at Embarcadero and rode to Civic Center wehre they had the game on a jumbo-tron.  I got money and navigated through the turnstile in front of the Phish show at the Bill Graham.  I climbed Page and some guys in a car yelled at me.  I went to Chihuahua and had a taco.  Then I went to Page bar and discovered the Giants had pretty much already lost in the second inning.  I watched as Pettit and Machi made the loss worse and after a couple of beers I went home.  A high school classmate and my friend had texted me by the time I had gotten there.  I watched the rest of the game with dad and then posted and went to bed.

I dreamt that night that I was investigating a motel room crime scene—the cleanup crew—where Cuban dissidents had been holed up.  They had left a bunch of stuff and we were carting it off before they could return.  I remembered some kind of metal casing that smelled of cigarette ashes and there was a vacuum cleaner that we decided to leave.  However, as we were leaving there was noise down the hall and we had to leave.  I ran down the hall and narrowly missed being shot at.  I ended up in a room where I disturbed a lady in the bathroom coming out of the shower so I ran through a hail of gun fire to another room but I was clearly trapped.

I woke up at 445 and there was nothing on Twitter but I found stuff.  I was up at 630 and rode the bike because I was planning on going to the Women+Bikes event.  There were no incidents on the whole ride.  I caught a Concord train with a paper cup. 

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.

Long Island Friend

On October twenty-eighth I wrote that I typed the whole weekend up and left work at 645 and went to PHill in the dark.  I had to run for the N at Embarcadero and went to Park Chow at 9th.  I was starving.  I caught a 71 home then and sat with mom and watched TV.  I worked on the notes and emails and went to bed.

On the morning that I wrote this my Long Island friend woke me with a message and we made jokes for a while.  I was harassed on 44th as I rode my bike and I passed construction at the Polo Fields.  A cyclist followed me all the way through the Panhandle and Grove to Laguna.  At Embarcadero there was a guy on the phone with customer service for Bike Link.  I took BART and passed a coworker on the canal.

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.

My Ex-Girlfriend

On October twenty-seventh I wrote that the day before I had left the café and headed to the Cheesecake factory via Market.  I yelled at an SUV for making a U turn.  I parked at Union Square and went to Macy’s and met the girls.  We had Cheesecake and talked about their plans.  I noted that I had told one of them, my ex-girlfriend about my mom’s health and we talked about her family.  She had had some salad.  Her best friend and I looked at the view when we had finished and saw the Royals motorcade as they were headed to the stadium.  When she said bye and went to the store my ex and I were able to play catch up.  I noted that it was so nice to see her and she took responded well to the discussion.  I noted that she asked many pointed questions about my career and life choices.

When the three of us were together again I got my jacket and we boarded a cable car.  She and I talked about our last time doing that, while her friend took photos.  I pointed out the local Spanish restaurant.  We got off at Lombard and she teased me a lot.  The three of us descended to the bottom and proceeded to the Art Institute where we looked at the Diego Rivera Fresco and I took panoramas with the girls.  We climbed to the top of the theater and then descended to Columbus.  We took pictures from Aquatic Park and then went to the Buena Vista Café where some lady said she didn’t want us sitting with her.  We privately complained about her attitude When we found another place to sit we got a free Irish coffee from our neighbors and I noted the waitress was talkative.  When we left Gregor Blanco was making an attempt at getting the team some points in the World Series with men on base put that didn’t pan out.

We went to the t-shirt shop and poked our head in at a bar to see the score and at a Starbucks to check the ferry schedules.  I noted that by the time we had made our way to Fior d’Italia the Giants were tied.  We had a great meal and talked about Facebook.  I don’t remember the specifics but I had a great view of the TV when the Giants won.  I paid and we managed to get a cab even though there were 50000 people leaving the stadium only a mile away.  They dropped me off at Union Square and I rode home via Geary and then Pierce.

The day before I wrote this I got up and talked to the parents about meeting my ex on her last day in SF and then went to Java Beach to read the paper.  I tweeted and noted that phone was dead.  I went home and decided I was late so asked everyone but I was alright.  I rode Irving and some guy was crazy driving around the block to yell at me.  I took 34th to the park and it was beautiful.  I rode to market and was just in time to catch everyone at the Ferry Building.  Mom and dad had just come from Pier 70.  We walked around and then got sandwiches.  I traded messages with a friend about baseball.

While eating we talked about family and my parents plied my ex with questions about what she was doing for a living.  We went for a walk then and mom tried to get us into the Exploratorium but that was not possible so we looked at the outdoor exhibits.  We returned to Pier Three and had coffee.  Mom and dad made their goodbyes and she and I discussed my career.  She said it was not as dire as I made it sound.  We went to the Slanted Door then and where we mostly talked about our relationship.  I was glad for that.  Initially I described my relationship with other women but I only did this to provide some background over the discussion of what we would do in the future.  I noted that she tried to be critical but in the end signaled that she understood that I wanted to stay in touch.  We talked a bit about the future but eventually things became trivial again and I started to think about the game.  We left the Slanted Door then and found her friend waiting at a Starbucks and I headed to the station after giving my ex-girlfriend a kiss goodbye.

At the station my attempts to get to the Inner Sunset were all foiled by the game—the N Judah would not come—so I left the bike and took the J to Duboce and walked to the Page.  Bum had the game dialed and eventually we won.  He broke some records.  I got a taco and jumped on a 6 and waited for the 71 or the N at Stanyan.  I walked from Judah home.  A girl I knew from high school sent me a dozen text messages.

The morning of the day that I wrote this I was up early but didn’t have to go until 7 because of my dentist appointment.  I took the 48 and then settled in for the amalgam on the left side of my head be drilled out.  I deferred on making plans for more but noted that I would probably get more done in a few weeks.  I got coffee and a paper and got the bike.  I boarded the wrong train but didn’t learn that until Lake Merritt.  At PHill the numbness had worn off.

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.

Nervous About the Other

On October the twenty-fifth I wrote that I left work at the normal time.  Boarding at PHill I read the paper and got a text from two people I went to China with in 2002.  I had been sending messages to one—my buddy in Portland—because I was nervous about the other—my ex-girlfriend.  He told me it would be alright.  I realized, as I rode to Sanchez on my bike that this was likely true since she was traveling with her friend and neighbor and being German would likely both be delightful.  She gave me a hug when I arrived at the apartment she was staying at and introduced me to her friend.  We talked for a bit and then went for a walk.  They knew about the World Series Game and were fine with watching for a bit.  They told me that the day before they had worn themselves out on a walk to Golden Gate Park and a bike ride to the ocean.

We walked to Duboce Park past some fire engines.  At Haight I spied my Bicycle Coalition friend from the MTA riding home.  We were starving at this point so we went to Chihuahua.  I checked the score at the Page and the Giants were losing.  We had an okay meal and talked about my father and our friends.  I tried to get her cute friend into the conversation.  We found some seats at the Page and saw the Giants had begun to rally but it was difficult.  We had to continuously swat people out of our view.  She was her same old snarky self and hadn’t changed much.  I noted that my father was right about her being a real friend.

We finished our drinks when I decided the Giants would lose and left.  They convinced me to text one of my friends but I shouldn’t have.  We looked at buildings on Page Street.  There were a lot of young ladies at Deluxe and the Jazz was awesome.  The girls kicked it but we had had a lot to drink.  We took photos and did Jaeger shots.  We took a cab to Sanchez and I kissed her goodnight.  I rode home on Page Street.

On the morning I wrote this I collected my notebook and paper and went to Le Soleil.  My father was getting ready for the day and asked about prop H.  I said vote yes and no on I.  He wasn’t voting on H but was voting no on I.  On Page I triple parked because some film crew was in the way.  No one was happy with me but everyone understood.  I told them they should call the cops.  At the café I tweeted about A&B until the girls sent me a text suggesting I meet them at Union Square.

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.

Schmoozed with Randoms

On October twenty-fourth I wrote that I left late the day a before because the party was at 7.  I rode to PHill and got off at Embarcadero.  I got the bike and went to 3rd and Mission and ate at the Grove.  I checked email and etc.  My twitter friend texted me and I went to fifth and Mission to Impact Hub.  I talked to a few people and for a while just schmoozed with randoms.  There were a couple of ladies from Oakland transportation agencies.  I had gotten an extra beer for her because the line was so long.  When she came in I let her stay at the door for a while and once I figured out that she was done there I left my new friends and gave it to her.

I left her then and tried to make do on my own.  I talked to a couple of students.  One with Transform I had met at CFHH and the other a student of a professor I knew.  I talked to a couple of guys from MTA and Seattle and saw a few I knew pretty well.  I ended up in a conversation with a guy who had gone to schools that rivaled my own. He was an engineer with MTA.  I went for a second beer and eventually decided to return to interact with my twitter friend.  She seemed to have been talking to a planner from Orange County for a while.  He and I had a lot in common—having worked on cycling projects in Long Beach.  I introduced them to a friend from a planning agency.

There were awards and I started interacting with a lawyer friend.  The OC Planner went away and my I gravitated to interact with the MTA guys one of whom was moving to NY in November.  I met his friends—one of which was a past chair of YPT.  When my twitter friend approached us the conversation had turned to meeting up in a few weeks and we ruminated on the venue—the Inner Sunset had a great Shaanxi restaurant.  We also talked about CFHH.  My lawyer friend introduced me to someone from Folks for Polk.  My twitter friend and I left then.

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.

My High School Reunion

On October nineteenth I wrote that I got off work at around 5 and I had already texted my friend but I noted that he wasn’t always easy to find I just went to 16th and hung out with one of the bartenders on Clarion until he showed up.  I introduced them and we went to Sycamore and had food and beer.  We went to Uptown and I saw one of my favorite regulars there.  Later my friend and I tried El Rio and Virgil’s but settled on the Cukoo.  We sat in the back for a bit and then sat in the bar.  There were these super drunk girls.  After we left, I rode home and I was asleep at 2.

The next morning I went to Java Beach and had coffee.  I made jokes with the barrista and had coffee.  When I left I noted that there were some unattended bikes.  I went home and updated my anti-virus and then took the exams for PG&E.  I talked to pops, who had just returned from driving mom to Sac—she continued to Reno.  My sister and father had gone to the park to the car show.  I got to see the kids.  I left for the Uptown then.  There I talked to the regulars and then headed to the design center for my High School Reunion.

I rode 17th and parked across the street.  I got my name tag and hugged Ada.  I went to the bar and had a free drink.  I talked to a lot of people I hadn’t seen for a long time.  One of them, who lived in New York, insisted everyone have a whisky and I asked her to sit with me but there wasn’t a seating portion of the night.  I went and had some food then I returned to the group.  Later I went for more food.  I walked around then.  I saw these two business women from the South Bay and talked to another classmate that now works for MLB.  He said to go upstairs.  There were a few more people that I knew there.  One of them worked for the Port it turned out.  I then talked to some good old boys and a classmate I sat next to freshman year.  She and I talked for a long time.  I got food and on the way I saw a bunch of ladies who I know now have kids.  One couple I noted were my classmates in grammar school but one of them had gone to our rival High School.  After talking to him I discovered he was a coworker.

I ended up back in a conversation with the lady I had sat next to in freshman year.  When we went for photos she stood behind me.  I was surprised to discover that she preferred my company so we ended up walking to the bar together as the party started to break up.  Once there I noticed that quite a few of us had had too much to drink but for the most part things were awesome.  One single mother had to tell me her life story.  A lot of people said they had moved to Lodi or Stockton.  My friend from New York was the life of the party.  I talked to the class stoner for a while and learned that another classmate had (finally) come out of the closet and had a successful career in West Hollywood.  I said bye when the bar closed.  I received a message later to saying that they were still out.

On the day that I wrote this I had a pretty bad hang over and it took about four hours to recover.  I had to take a few Advil to get better.  I had another couple at 42nd and Irving with a V8.  I filled my tires and then rode the Wiggle to Valencia.  I had a little trouble at Market.  I texted people from the reunion and then stopped by to see my artist friend on Clarion.  I sent a photo as a tweet to a friend and had three cups of coffee at Blue Fig with another twitter friend.

Later I wrote that I walked to Borderlands and sat with my friend for a few hours.  I read the paper and had tea.  A lady sat next to me.  I talked about a bunch of stuff but mostly about the internet of things and its implications for a nonprofit I had visioned out as Access 101.  My friend asked how this pertained to my paper on car centrism.  This was where I launched into my discussion of car centrism and equity and how the disconnect between the advocate and activist is a false one since you can be paid to be car free.  I explained that car free and inequality define a pair of spectra.  The idea of paying people to be car free is defined as a car free work culture and taking an equitable approach to a car free work culture should simply be a matter of charting our car free classifications with predictable results: low income car free at the low end in certain places and high income car free in others.

We talked about the coalition then and at some point how incorporation is the best method of deploying any kind of action plan.  I noted that we went to the Latin American Club.  I noted that we likely talked about the coalition and how the departures of the membership and volunteer coordinators in 2011 had left a void.  I described Everett Rodgers’ work and we tried applying his theories to Facebook.  Then we talked about the void or vacuum that volunteering leaves since value accrues at the director level and volunteers get no ownership.  I noted the barrier to entry should be low like a login.  I pointed out the organizing volunteers may allow for the extraction of value before the utility of their actors is lost when there are internal purges.

I noted that there was some guy sitting next to us trying to start a conversation but we left.  My friend indicated that he might go to the Riptide.  I went to my bike.  The lights were gone.  I went to Chihuahua and then got a text from my New York friend on BART.  I dropped the bike at Embarcadero and then caught the N.

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.

We Mentioned an Art

On October seventeenth I wrote that the day before had left at 415 and breathed a sigh of relief before I boarded the train.  I went to the Palace Hotel and ate at the Piper.  The meal was too expensive and the food was only ok.  I was watching the game and waiting for my friend.  There were a lot of people and the game went back and forth.  I noted that I couldn’t remember the details but the Cards did come out ahead by the time she showed up.  I told her everything about my life since I had last seen her in the first few minutes she was there.  She had been at work til 630.  She told me a little about herself but really my eyes were on the TV.  Our mutual friend had been texting her about going to shows.

The Giants won and began their trip to the WS and she and I headed to “Spare Change?”  We got a little lost but found it on California at Kearney and the door man didn’t know where “Spare Change” was but immediately knew where to send us when we mentioned an art gallery.  The artist we were going to see had left but we looked at her stuff.  The game had made us miss her.  Afterwards, we went to Gitane and talked about her family.  We walked to Market and she went to find her friend at the Fillmore.  I tried to find a 71 but the message never came.  I took the N

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.

Who Liked My Hat

On October thirteenth I wrote that on the Friday before I left at 530 and told my coworker to meet me for Bike Party in downtown Oakland.  I looked for lights for her but wasn’t successful.  My friends were finishing up at a restaurant when Lauren we ate some take out on the way.  The ride left from West Oakland BART.  We rode Mandela Parkway to Telegraph.  I saw a Coalition staffer on the way to Mosswood Park and noticed upon our arrival that there were a lot of people.  I introduced my coworker to the guys.  My friend’s wife invited us to her Halloween Party as we were riding through Piedmont.  The locals seemed to appreciate the ride.  We went around Lake Merritt after that and stopped across from the Henry J Kaiser auditorium.  I met a cute English lady who liked my hat and we became friends on FB.  I found the people and we finished our beer.  I noted that some people were keeping warm using BBQ coals left in the park from the day which had had stellar weather.   There were more people than I had ever seen at Bike Party.  When the ride left for the last stop near the gazebo my coworker and I said bye at 19th and descended to the train.

The next day I was up at 10 and went to Java Beach where I saw my district Supervisor briefly.  Some friends from the Coalition came in a moment later and we talked for a while.  One of them had intended to attend a political function with the Mayor but that didn’t happen.  She was headed to the Noriega Street Faire and the 45th avenue block party.  I tried to share my views on the SPUR agenda, swales and parking.  I did the same for the paper I was writing but she was wholly resistant.  I finished the paper when they left and went looking at the block parties.  I saw the lady who runs the kids programming at the Coalition on 45th Avenue with her family.  Then I went home and worked on my notes.  In time I realized I needed to watch the game.  I messaged a bartender I knew and went to Irving where I got Falafel.  Then I rode to the Uptown.  On the way I noted that the crowds in the street were cheering for a hit from Sandoval.  I ate my sandwich and watched the game at Uptown.  I sat next to the bartender’s husband.  I saw the whole game and we won.  I was outside with off duty bartenders for a while. 

The next morning I was up at 10.  I went to Java Beach and tweeted—read the paper.  Later I went home, checked with friends about the game and shared messages with my twitter friend.  I noted that she seemed to like me as a friend but I was clearly struggling with that.  I noted that I needed to exercise patience.  I went to Celia’s and watched the game.  There were a lot of crazy surfers and nice ladies.  The Cards put up a fight this time and we trailed for a while before coming out ahead.  While the game was tied when I went home, the Giants lost.

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.

The Coalition’s Ongoing Commitments

On October ninth I wrote that I snuck out at 4 and fought a head wind to PHill.  I noted that I had a kid following me across Bancroft.  I got on the train and edited.  At Powell I went to Bristol Farms but my friend had not arrived so I went to the Coalition office but returned to Bristol about ten minutes later.  We ate there and when I got back to the office with him the meeting was in full swing.  A number of known transportation policy people and Coalition staffers were there.  Two of which presented the Coalition’s ongoing commitments to the group.  I asked about our connection to the State and my friend asked a question as well.  Afterwards I talked to some of the board and said hi to people I knew.

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.

Walking to Marx Meadow

On October sixth I wrote that the day before I had looked up exams to take and then I resigned myself to check out Hardly Strictly.  I rode to JFK and parked at the Polo Fields and started walking to Marx Meadow.  I bumped into a riding buddy from the Car Free Happy Hour and we drank some borrowed beer and enjoyed the breeze as T Bone played.  Our mutual acquaintances, as far as we knew, were near the valet so we ventured over that way.  I left my buddy at the far eastern stage.  I didn’t see my friends so I went to the Gold Stage and took pictures of Dwight Yoakum and tweeted.  I I finally found the people I was looking for at the rooster stage.

Afterwards I went to Celia’s, which was packed but I found a seat.  There was a regular I knew and I got to know the bartender—the other was off but was still helping.  I went home after sending a text to a lady I knew on Twitter.  At home I checked my email and had an hour long conversation with dad.  He gave me some financial advice.  He told me that forming a company is alright as long as I only employ contracting up to a point.  My twitter friend sent me a reply.

Then, that morning, I awoke at 645 and sent her another message on the way to work because our conversation had touched on something that I thought she would find interesting.  We met up that day, October the seventh, for a transportation policy happy hour.  I had gotten off at 430 and rode to PHill with a tail wind and after stopping a the bank, I walked to Minna.  I bought her a beer and got to see a bunch of people from MTA, CTA and an assortment of planning agencies.  I have noted on many occasions that I don’t fit in with planners.  I introduced my friend to as many people as I was able and I met a few new people.  When we left we made plans to attend Winterfest.  I caught an N to 9^th where I watched the Giants win the Division championship sitting with Little Shamrock regulars.  I held a Chihuahua owned by the friend of a gilr that used to bartend there.

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.

I Climbed Page Street

On October I wrote that I rode to PHill breathing a sigh that it was Friday.  I rode to Civic and called my friend.  I climbed Page Street and had a taco.  I went to the Page bar and when my friend showed up we went to Kezar together for Bike Party.  There we bumped into his college classmate while talking about corporations.  He was with an Aussie.  I asked him about diffusion of innovation.  We rode through Band Shell and down Cabrillo to about 22nd.  We climbed Lake to the back of Mountain Lake.  I saw all of the people I normally see and a business guy I know—he gave me a beer with a card for his new job.

We rode back to Lake and to the Arguello gate. I saw the couple I first started to go on the ride with.  At Palace of Fine Arts I the spouses of my friends had arrived and I noted that “the men” had engaged in a sustained discussion of mechanics as I looked on.  We were leaving and I interrupted my friend in the middle of a conversation with a lady he knew.  People started to peel off at Fort Mason.  We rode Van Ness to Beach and then to Pier 7 and there the party wound down.  My friend and his old classmate wanted food so we went to Mel’s.  I left them at Ninth Street and was in bed at 2.

The next day I got up at 1030 and went to Java Beach and the barista was ignoring me.  I gave up on her and finished the paper.  I noted that my friend from the night before wasn’t receptive to my texts so I went home and worked on the AAG presentation and updated my job search profiles.  I then went to Park Chow and Shamrock to watch the Giants work through 18 innings until they won with a home run from Belt.  I met two girls back from Hardly Strictly that were into the game.  I also got a response from a lady I knew through Twitter.  I went to bed at around 1030.

On the day that I wrote this I woke up at 3 and 930.  I went to Java Beach and read the paper.  I came home then to work on the NA and look at the GIS exams.

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.

Go To Specs

On October third I noted the day before that the air in PHill was less stuffy than at 49 Geary.  I went upstairs and looked around but didn’t find much that I liked.  I had sent my friend a message but he called off so I went to 77 which doesn’t seem to have any galleries anymore and then to 251 Post and that place was abuzz.  Unfortunately, I found very little to love outside of a piece at Haines.  I went to dela Presse and had a sandwich.  It was really hot and all of the openings were open.  I rode to Visuvio and two waitresses I knew were working.  The bartender—a friend from high school—was talking to some guy.  I asked him about his old classmate and he told me that it was her high school classmate that he had had a crush on.  The Royals won the game.  One of the waitresses was really friendly when she left.  I was glad for that.  I saw another bartender—the one that has worked there longest—talking to an old high school classmate and started talking to them.  She stepped out and I got to talk to the late shift bar back.  That was nice.  I talked to the bartender and my old classmate for a while and when she asked me to go to Specs I went home instead.

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.