Tweed Ride

On 11 November I wrote that the day before I had returned from the café and we started getting ready trying on outfits, grabbing things and packing the bikes. We were running out of time and I was in a bit of a panic.

My friend came down quietly when I was ready and we went to Dolores Park for the Tweed Ride. I noted that the people who had arrived and some took a photo of me.  It turned out everyone was in the wrong spot. My friend and I took a few photos and she passed around the waiver sheet. Then she herded everyone up to the tennis courts where her co-organizer was waiting.

I saw a lot of people with whom I had interacted with over the previous months. One had a hat with a new band, which I had seen in on Twitter. I managed to keep quiet while my friend noisily addressed her crowd with her new tweed megaphone. The photographer took our photo as did a few others. I saw a lot of people I knew pretty well.

We rode up 18th to Sanchez and on to Steiner without any problem. Some acquaintances from the ride in Sacramento were late but they found us along the route. On our first few blocks I spoke to a clothier, a cargo bike expert and a man on a recumbent. Only one car passed us.

I kept looking back trying to find my friend. She caught up as the recumbent approached. An acquaintance from the weekly ride was at market with us. I noticed that her son was wearing pants that seemed familiar. The guy on the recumbent said his wife had an old bike. I saw her on Waller.

I fell into a conversation with one of the originators of the ride while climbing Fell. He told me about the flash mobs he had been involved in. He let me know that he is co-originator for the ride hadn’t had a chance to come because he was really sick.

I noticed that one of my close acquaintances was the very last person in the group when we were in the Panhandle. I made sure she was in front of me. We were at the Schrader Valve when I saw one of the guys that had gone on the Beret and Baguette Ride come up quickly and excited. He told me he had only heard about the ride the day before. He was wearing his beret.

We took Pelosi. My friend and one of the others got together. I brought my noisy bike close to theirs to share. They appreciated it.  We knew we were headed to the Blue Playground at Tenth so I zoomed ahead and beat the lead. We went through the Bandshell. The lady with the hat and band commented on the new route. I shared with her the story of how it was created. She said Golden Gate Park was great.

At the playground I threw my jacket down a location for the picnic. My Sacramento Tweed companions sat with me. My friend was busy organizing. They made announcements and I unpacked quietly. She sat with us a bit later but very noisily ran off to the museums at one point. She needed to be alone together.

I enjoyed my time quietly. The clothier’s lady friend told me they had gone dancing at Lindy in The Park.  I noted a bit of intrigue amongst the organizers as I walked around. There was a noisy crying incident at a slide. I ate my sandwich and spoke to a bunch of people.

Eventually, my friend started announcing the day’s events and I got to know the playground. It was too noisy for me. My companions from Beret and Baguette and weekly ride were nearby. There was a prize for best outfits and bike in a few others and they won one of them. I skipped it all but eventually the group started setting up for pictures so I went to join in. I brought my friend some prosecco and she finished it quick.

I quietly wandered into the tunnel then and when I came back I dumped the bottle as everyone got ready to go. My friend and I got ready separately and we left with some of the Sacramento people.

On the ride to our destination - a coffee shop near downtown - my riding companion asked me about the my old college buddies as we rode to Page Street. I quietly led the way to Webster and took us to Hayes Valley.  At the coffee shop I sat quietly inside while my friend locked up.  A moment later my friend was greeting the party - they had just shown up.

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.

Dressed As Me

On 28 October I wrote that I rode home from work stopping to catch my breath at Hickory and broke a spoke at Market. My friend took it to the shop for me and I got us ready to go to the Halloween Party. It was like winding the house down but surprise we put our shoes on and walk to Church Street.

We took the train to 23rd and climbed up to the party. I had been feeling under the weather but managed. We came in and there were only a few people. We quietly hung out with the people we knew best. Later some really cool people showed up. One of them was dressed as me. Bike partiers were there. As were some of the more active bike activists. One of the revelers had a photo booth. I was really surprised to see my friend’s old coworker. A bunch of new bike partiers showed up later. The hostess’ boyfriend was there of course and they were dressed the same.

I was really tired when we left. We caught a J and walked home.

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.

It Wasn't Latin Enough

On 22 October I wrote that the time came down to the wire. When my friend returned she took over and I left with a bag of food for an acquaintance’s house. I walked up Valencia Street 16th and took BART to Glen Park. I stopped at the grocery there and got a little lost trying to find their place.

My host let me in let me in and I spent a half an hour talking about my life over the previous year. All the procedures we had to engage and people that had visited. I gave them stout and told them about the early sleep schedule.

I headed to BART and met an old classmate at the taqueria. The taco I ordered took too long but their friend’s were cool. I met his fiance a second time. We walked to Latin American bar. They weren't impressed because it wasn't Latin enough. We looked at Xuxa videos.

We went to pizza next-door and a liquor store. They wanted to have “cheap” beer. We tried to go to The Make Out Room but ended up at Cava 22 which had Spanish karaoke. I got really bored. Thankfully we quit a little later. I said bye as they head off to have Pupusas and dance.

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.

Drink and a Meal

On 8 October I wrote that we were packed by nine. My friend walked quietly to Four Barrel and when she returned we were on the road at 9:45 enroute to Sebastopol. Once there I got coffee and she got chips. We stopped at a few stores but ended up at another store after stopping in at the farmers market. My friend’s sister asked for coffee but we didn't have time.

At our destination in the hills we parked and hung out in the living room with our host and her daughter - our close acquaintance. I quietly got in the pool and spent about 45 minutes there. My friend was in the grass taking pictures.

When I was done I made it clear I needed some time to myself. I found a drink and a meal and found her again. She went away then. I was fine for a while. We hung out near the kegs.  I saw a couple from my friend’s old job and some other people. We hung out with all of our host’s friends.

My friend and I separated at one point. We were too noisy for each other. There were tons of things to play with in the living room and outside. I remember my friend’s sister in the living room talking about tech people.

I was eating appetizers in passing but basically just chasing noise all over the house and outside. Eventually I had to return to the car. We had a need for stuff.  We hung out with the dinosaur and I took pictures of a toy car in the driveway. Later we moved to the field.

We ate the roast pork then. We got in line. I sat across from an acquaintance I hadn’t seen in awhile.  The ladies were sitting in the grass when we decided to go home.

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.

Richardson to the Palace

On October 7 I wrote that when I gave up on being productive at work a coworker invited me to  a happy hour. I stopped at the apartment to accommodate my friend and headed out to meet them in Hayes Valley. We talked about work and our supervisors. They all got calsl from their girlfriends - one of them in Mandarin.  The host was really easy to talk to.

I said Bye before I rode to Hickory to page and up the Wiggle to the Conservatory for Bike Party. I found my comrades.  One of them - a friend of a friedn - had a political flag.

We Arguello to the Presidio and onward to a spot near Pacific Overlook. There I got to know the guy with the political flag. I also gave a helmet back to the guy that had lent it to me.  I spoke to an acquaintance's husband for a little while - I think she appreciated it - he and I had a lot in common.

We descended to Lincoln after I went to find a garbage can. We crossed Richardson to the Palace. We circled inside and hollered at each other. I put my bike with my riding partner. I tried to interact with party leadership.

I hung out with a lot of people I knew. I saw one guy for the first time in two years. I tried to do catch up with another guy but he seemed really trashed. The ride left and I was alone for a bit but caught up to the sweep.  After Fort Mason I quit and got pizza at Nizario's. Then I rode up Grant and took Market home to bed.

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 Played Chess

On 23 September I wrote that my friend had gone to four barrel and later 24th street.  I started getting ready to see friends in the park. I had told the neighbor that I'd be by at 11:15 but it was 1125 I finally got my equipment together and met her. She showed me how to operate the trike and then I rode to the Panhandle.

When I got there I discovered a bunch of people there with my friend, whcih was a relief because it meant the meet up would be easier. We climbed noisily on the statue and made noise at the bikes. One of the party had a new bike to replace the bullet which had had a wheel that had ruptured.

I rode to Pete's and got a coffee. Then the group rode to the Schrader Valve and onto the conservatory.  When we arrived we hung out on the west side and ate fruit and crackers. More people showed up. I went and made noises at the hotdog cart. I played chess and I went to see an acquaintance across the way.  She came over after I got some air. I was writing the trike in noisy circles at that point. We left after one of our companions went on a ride and I took pictures.

We rode JFK and panhandle easily. The weather was great and my friend lead us to whole foods. When we got to the apartment she was loud as she went inside and I dropped the trike 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.

Between Fulton and JFK

On 17 September I wrote that the previous my friend and I got ready to ride to Glen Park.  Our neighbor lent us her trike and we rode Valencia to Arizmendi. We took Tiffany to Duncan and Doris to Church until we climbed the last block of Church to Chenery.

At the park we hung out with the Facebook group until a little later people started leaving.  I got a corkscrew at the grocery and we took Arlington back. We hung out at Upper Noe playground.  The corkscrew broke.  We hung out in the auditorium for a bit.

I set up the apartment while she dropped the trike off. It was quiet until our friends showed up. That was fun. Later my buddy and I took the six to the Sunset and got a burrito. We took a 44 and a 38 to the Blarney before we met up with his hosts. They went to see a movie

The morning of the day that I wrote this my friend and I rode up to meet the neighbor who was waiting with her tricycle.  Then we ascended the Wiggle to the Panhandle. We only missed one light really. The previous day’s trip made it clear that the trike would be able to keep up.

We conferred while riding through the street closure and determined the tunnel between Fulton and JFK was the best spot. I had fun with a quiet chase in the sand climbing sliding with kids.  Eventually I caught a breath of fresh air and watched as someone I knew rode by. We packed to go then and rode around the bandshell. A short while we zoomed down the Wiggle to Duboce.

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.

Ready for Gatsby

On 10 September I wrote that I rode my borrowed vintage Raleigh to the 24th and met my friend’s buddy. We waited for the train and a bit later my friend got on at 16th.  She rode with us to Lake Merritt station.

My friend’s buddy and I met a bunch of people at Safeway and I got coffee with a few people from Sacramento and one other person from the Mission District. I skipped getting Prosecco because the supermarket card reader was not working.  Passers by wanted to take pictures because we were ready for Gatsby. I lead us up Hayes and we took East 14th up Haas Street. We went to Victoria Park.

I checked the map and we then headed into Oakland on Myers and passed by food company. We rode up Pleasant Valley and up to the Dunsmuir Estate. There I discovered my mom and sister were there together and some of my companions poured me a drink. I hung out with my family. My friend had gone to Alameda bu was on her way.

In the meantime the others had gotten comfortable. I took my niece for an ice cream. My friend texted to that her old coworker had arrived and I hung out with her. I helped her carry stuff. We sat talking.  Eventually my friend showed up and I was able to get a space for us. There was a bunch of noise at that point but I was in charge.  Everyone was helpful.

We had a sandwich and moved the camp. However, I lay quietly at the original site until I decided to come too.  We hung out with others yelling, running up and down the path.  Some ladies went for a walk in eventually they all got ready to go. I hung out with the people I had arrived with next to a couple that had a really well organized display. They offered us Fernet and I drink all the sparkly wine.

We were ready then and said bye to those who had not gone already before riding the same route back. At BART the Sacramentans boarded first – they had been really worried about the train. I rode with the rest to Civic Center and then rode the bike to the apartment.

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.

Went Swimming and Surfing

On 4 September I wrote that my friend got ready to go and then headed out to Haight Street on a six.  I just gotten things settled in the back of the apartment and was about to work on the front room. There was plaster, drilling and a few other things left to do. I was ready but it took a lot of time and it was nearly 108°.

The day before I wrote this we were up at 6:30 and went to Andytown and back to the house for quiet time. I texted my old classmate – who had arrived at the beach only minutes before – they set up waiting for us.  When quiet time ended we went to Gus’ and then to the chalet. We changed our shoes at the chalet soccer fields and went to hang out on the beach.

It was soon quiet time and my friend ran out to the ocean. Our companions went swimming and surfing. We moved our location. I was worried about the noise but my old classmate and I went for a walk and I got to enjoy the cool air on a hot day. We waded out into the water.  We had salad and drinks playing loudly in the sand.

We got some chicken from the store and were all by ourselves together when we got to the 44th house. Around 730 and the parents all arrived. We wound the house down and I made a meal. We sat at the table until around 930 mom and my friend had a lot to talk about. After that my friend rode the borrowed cargo bike around when I went down to break up our stuff. We went to bed after that but we did watch cartoons.

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.

Seventh Floor had Soundscapes

On 28 August I wrote that I was at Café Soleil writing and then I went to the hardware store. When I got back quiet time was over. The apartment was a bit of a mess so I tidied and did dishes.

My friend and I went to a neighbor’s house where dinner was being served.  I noted that while we ate there was music and I asked asked our host about it.  We moved to the living room and had whiskey. Our hostess started to be by herself with us and my friend too. The host told us about how they were going through a lot of stuff at the job.

They gave us a bunch of stuff and we walked to the apartment. Then we wound the house down. My friend wanted to be alone so when my old classmate showed up we went to the french fry joint before going to Shotwell's. We sampled beer and I played pinball. We saw Mellencamp on an autoharp. We walked through the Mission to the apartment.

My friend was asleep and slept all night. Next morning my old classmate went to his thing and I made noise in the living room. My friend interacted with him and then went running when he left.  She returned and we made plans to go to four barrel. We left a bit later and we didn't get pastries. I had a 2nd cup of coffee. We agreed to get rid of the table. She went for quiet walk and I got the cards and got rid of the table. I had chai on the way back.

At the apartment I made sandwiches. My friend chipped away at the mantle. I was really tired. She and I ate and right before quiet time I unscrewed the mantle so I would be able to put putty on it.  I want to SFMoma then. My old classmate was on the fifth floor so when I got my ticket I went to find him. The stuff we saw on that floor wasn't permanent. I liked it a lot. There was Lichtenstein and Mondrian. The sixth floor very but was similar.

The seventh floor had soundscapes. One was mechanical. One was a single take of Scandinavian guys collaborating. It reminded me of Arcade Fire. There was one piece that was just a large pool with a lot of bowls floating around.

My old classmate looked at all the stuff. I caught up to him and we spoke to each other via the canned telephone. We went down to the sculpture garden and then got ready to go. We saw a giant sculpture at the first floor on the Howard side – ship metal. We looked at the permanent collection.  We went to Shields and rapped with the bartender. He had just opened. We talked about bar names.

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.

Grated Zucchini and Eggs

On 20 August I wrote that I rushed home from four barrel to be myself. By 11 I had tidied up and cleaned I had started some laundry and couldn't finish it. I wanted to be in the East Bay to see old classmates at five.  However, they called off as soon as I was getting ready.

I checked with my friend. She was really helpful. She told me that her aunt was going to be staying in Alameda.  I rode to the inner Sunset and then took a six to Quintera. Then I went to Taraval Taylor's. I dropped my pants off and went to mom and dad's. Then at my parents’  I retrieved a sander and my mail – also some sheet music. Mom engaged in some victim blaming about pedestrian behavior. Later I had a long talk with her about my interactions with my friend. She said they were going to vacation.

I took the seven to Cole Valley and picked up some dowels. Riding down to the apartment was difficult as I had no bungee. However I made it with a couple of stops. I wedged it with a thing in my bag.  I finished the laundry and then I headed to Alameda.  On the boat I had brought a beer with me.

At the house dinner was served – it was very noisy – about 6 o'clock the meal was chicken, plums, zucchini – it was a lasagna. It was very delicious. My friend was bonkers.  I offered to wind the house down and when we were done we looked at pictures from grandma. About two hours later we had set up in the attic and the the others were in bed around 11.

Around 630 I made a disruptive noises in the kitchen until everyone showed up.  There was grated zucchini and eggs with a caprese he salad from the garden. I really liked it. They even made me 2 cups of coffee. I ditched out after a while and left my friend in the kitchen. It was quiet time anyway.

When I return to the living room a short bit later it was no longer quiet time and her aunt was leaving. After that I have to keep the noise down in the kitchen because we were packing. Also everyone was gardening and gave us a bunch of veggies – apples.

We agreed to take separate modes of transportation. I left too late because I had looked at the wrong schedule for the ferry. My friend beat me to the apartment. She started quiet time and I went to the hardware store.

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.

Cake was Being Presented

On 13 August I wrote that the day before I was up at 645. My friend and I had to just go to BART.  I was really nervous because we had gotten up so late. The train left Jack London Square at 9:15 and it was 810 as we headed to Civic Center. At 12 street I felt we were doing better. Unfortunately, we stopped for coffee and Blue Bottle is notorious for being slow.

At the station the train hadn't arrived yet. However, I only was able to buy the tickets and the printing took too long. I quit and ran outside. We barely made the train.  The conductor told us we were in their ticket system which was ironic. Some of the Bike Party people from the East Bay were getting on at Emeryville. I was effusive.

We had quiet time at around 950 and it lasted until we got to Fairfield. I got our bikes together and we tried to be quiet about it. At Sacramento I said bye to the bike party people. They remembered my name. We packed up and visited the station. I was alone for a bit. We went to Evangeline's in old town.

I cut some fresh air is Charlie looked at the costumes. She came out and told me to buy a gift so I did that. After that we rode down the river. I try to get a photo of us in the bridge but there is a bunch of problems with the bikes. After that we rode the 25th.

An old acquaintance greeted us at the door. It was great. The dog was crazy so I let the ladies talk and went outside. I soaked my feet in the pool. I played fetch. When I returned inside the ladies were talking and drinking. My old acquaintance said that her hubby was on his way with whiskey.

We sat for another 45 minutes while the ladies shared clothing. I took that as a cue to refactor the bags. In the meantime my friend was dealing almost continuously with noisy chaos. The dog had come in and the door was open. When the hubby arrived I was re-packing the bags out front.  My friend’s new clothes were in there.

We left when they were on their way out. We had an easy time finding my old college classmate’s. The afternoon was quiet. We parked in the driveway and I noticed there were not a lot of people around. However I saw a lot of people I knew.  Especially from my recent trip to Hawaii.

We slowly got to see everyone. I had already had a bunch of whiskey and then I had vodka tonics and margaritas. They were good. I went swimming. I tried not to be a wallflower but avoided interacting too much with the birthday boy for some reason.  I did give him our present. It was a gag but worth it. He said the “you suck” memo pad would get him in trouble at work.

We had tacos and then we had a few other things to eat. A bunch of old acquaintances were there. I made all this noise with a lady and her mother.  I used to know them really well. That was nice. The other birthday boy and I had a conversational distraction. Their younger brother said he would come to stay.

The cake was being presented when my friend and I got ready to go. That was a bummer but people understood. We were tired.  We rode through Land Park and over to city college. We found our hostess' house pretty easy. We set up and wound down. Her fashionable associate showed up for about an hour.  We said good night. There was a lot of noise that night. It was a new room and place.

In the morning at six I was up until 830 we hung out in the living room. At first I thought I was too loud but our hostess is normally up at that time. We had her delicious coffee and I went to the market for milk. I took a picture of Sutterville road and posted it to Twitter.

I started quiet time and left the ladies to talk. My friend shared a lot about me with her. After that I had a meal and packed. Our hostess gave us some clothing. I noted that as I was packing the bike was unbalanced because of this new stuff. When we left it was OK though.

She showed us how to get to Broadway past the brewery. We went to the antique show and they quietly walked around while I watched the bikes. That was a breath of fresh air. They saw a fellow fashionista.

We had missed the noon train but we had a lot of time for the next one. We stopped at Safeway and our hostess voiced her approval at my new role. When my friend came out we said bye to her and road to Amtrak.

We zigzagged and I thought we were safe on our path. At the station we rebuild our bags and went on the train. The conductor insisted we sit upstairs. We hung the bikes and settled into a four seater before I went to the café. It was pretty loud there. We had our snacks all the way back and it became quiet at that point.

It was quiet all the way onto Richmond BART but noisy until 16th. We had to transfer. We walked back to the apartment and took time bringing our stuff upstairs.

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.

Climb to the Top

On 5 August I wrote that The night before I stopped at the corner for a whiskey but headed to the meet up for Bike Party. Some of the guys were not there but I start talking to my riding partner and one of my buddies.

We rode a Sanchez on 15th and zigzagged a block from the wiggle to page. I saw an old Bike Party contact with us during that. And I thought it was interesting but then he left as we went to page.  We rode to the conservatory of flowers. There I hung out with a bunch of regulars.

When we left we rode Pelosi to who go and over to Frederick. We climbed to Ashbury and headed past Ashbury Terrace. I thought the leader’s route was kind of bad and I didn't like him stopping so much.

At Corona Heights a lot of people wanted to climb to the top but I didn't. The group wasn't really big and I was worried about my bike. I try to stand with one of the free spirits in the crowd but he went up too. I looked for people I knew but gave up.

Eventually I found someone I knew and ended up standing there near this lady who said she had found some keys so I went and found the guy that had said he lost his. However, it wasn't him. So I canvassed the whole area and then gave everything to a ride leader. Later it turned out to be someone I knew.

We rode down towards 15th but I rode to Duboce and onto the apartment. I had a small meal and went to bed.

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.

They Brought Me Coffee

On 30 July I wrote that my friend went to meet old coworkers and they brought me coffee and did the tour. I was making noise for two more hours. We had quiet time together after she did groceries. We prepped for Trike-O-Rama and then quiet time was over.

We packed up and I started loading the bikes but I wasn't fast enough. We walked quietly to Safeway. We were loudly calling to each other through the Wiggle. The Panhandle was easy and once we got to the event I saw a colleague was leaving. He had taken a Ribbon home. He and his companion were effusive.

I set up a blanket and my friend talked to the hostess a lot. I ate cookies. I spoke to sme people and the hostess’ sist. I asked the host a lot of questions. We were mostly late but I got to interact with a lot of friends. The sister said she would go to Gatsby.  A bunch of people left and my friend and I got our stuff together and walked her to JFK and rode to the apartment.

I copied this from my notebook on 073017.

Personal Flourishes

On 16 July I wrote that the apartment was ready for the the trip to mom and dad's. I told them that we would be a bit late but they knew we were not having dinner with them.  Loading our bikes and getting our equipment was really difficult. My friend kept stopping on the ride – it was really our first time doing this – but the ride was easy. We went up to the Panhandle. The crossing at Masonic was under construction and I was annoyed.

Once in the park the ride was pretty quiet. My friend had blankets but it was a terribly cold. We rode to 42nd and then to to the house.  I set up the room and I could hear noises upstairs. I went up and said hi to everyone. We return to the bedroom and started winding down.

It was late but we were able to get to Parkside Tavern. Some health inspectors walked by while I was locking up. They were occupying the hosts and the whole line had to wait. We were really hungry I tried to get a bar table and also try to get a drink but my efforts were foiled both times.  When we were seated the good moods lasted through the whole night. I noted the popular people everywhere. I was reminded of Outback Steakhouse.

In the morning I were up a bit later. I had cereal and, when dad got up, coffee.  Later we headed out to the Botanical Garden for a picnic at Flower Piano.  At first we thought our equipment would not fit onto the bus. We met an older man who told us his brother had died only a little while before. We interacted with him until Ninth Avenue.

Once there we went to Starbucks and my friend went to the store and mom and I quietly made our way to the gardens. I had thought it was the Zellerbach but it we found that the Moon Viewing Garden was next door.  Mom and I enjoyed the music. We stood right next to the piano. My pianist acquaintance was playing really great. It was a standard set of noises. It was marked by his personal flourishes. I noted that I was reminded of Mozart.

An acquaintance from the happy hour walked up only a short moment after I had gotten there. While I was surprised I shouldn’t have been.  We took photos and that was around when my younger sister showed up.  She and I left mom at the piano and hung out with her and her family nearby. I returned to the piano with mom and bumped into a cyclist I knew through the Tweed Ride. I had gone with him and my friend to Sacramento.

My friend showed up as they were leaving. Everyone except my mom and I headed to the fountain for a quiet picnic and it was a breath of fresh air that they were having fun. I found mom back at the Moon Viewing Garden.  After she and I returned to find the rest of the family the pianist showed up to say hi as he headed to another piano.

Mom, my friend and I took our time heading back to Ninth Avenue. We all had wanted to go to the Taqueria but my younger sister beat us. My friend also bumped into an old coworker so we all started drinking coffee and talking.

Everyone headed off when we got to the taqueria, so we said goodbye after we finished eating. My friend and I quietly stopped off at the grocery store.  We took a 7 to Ocean Beach and there I made my friend take some alone time.

She came up at six and we ate a very loud meal. Then we wound down the room downstairs. The kids went home and I sat with my friend in the living room the next couple of hours while she fixed her equipment.  Mom came into the living room and spoke to us. Then dad came in and was goofy. My friend really liked it. I went to bed after that.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I was up at 7:30 and sat reading the paper with breakfast. I lay in the noisy living room for a while.  We had quiet time and then we got ready to go. During that period we moved some furniture for mom and I went on the roof for dad. Mom headed to church as we were packing.

We went to Andytown and the meal was fine. Coffee was delicious. We rode through the park discovered the AIDS walk going on. I was perturbed at the volunteers but later we discovered that we knew someone in the walk. That was nice.

At the Panhandle we took the walking path around construction and quietly roe the wiggle. It was great.

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 Very Nice Catamaran

On June 5 I wrote that at the end of the day on the sunday before I wrote this, I asked the roommate to watch the house. My friend said that she had been having a hard time.  We talked as we walked she told me about her difficult time at the Exploratorium. We went walking down Dolores Street and visited Dorland and Dolores Terrace.

We were celebrating a whole noisy year. We were checking out the architecture and foundations. We ended up at Monk’s as our reservation came up.  We had a chicken sandwich and talked about the noises in the night.  The roommate told us she wanted us back and we picked up a scratcher and some ice cream. We went to bed at the same time at night and that is rare.

That I went to work but skipped everything.  It was remarkable how empty the streets were. Later I had lunch and went to Pete's and did a few other things. I return to the office and asked a colleague for advice but had to quit because my friend wanted us to catch the 430 ferry.

Back at the apartment the roommate was in and my friend had just gotten there. We did a minimum of things and then got ready to leave. Her sister had taken some equipment so our bikes were lighter. However, we had so much still.  I put the panniers on my back and she stuffed her pannier below her equipment.

We tried to make the 430 but the third stop light – there were lots of lights – made it impossible. We went to slanted door and I got us sparkling wine. I had a whiskey is well. We had the bikes nearby. The 520 boat turned out to be a very nice catamaran. The attendant I asked about it made it into a gift from heaven. I had a beer. It was a breath of fresh air to get off the boat with all of our equipment. My friend, who knew Alameda took us down the bike path and I lead us to Santa Clara because of the intersection at Lincoln.

At her sister's it was nearly 6 and the whole family – niblings and everyone – we're all in the kitchen being loud. My friend and I got to work.  We were able to manage the noise and the cousins were out for a bit. I unloaded and set up in the guest room. I remember the others would be in the attic.

They were all trying to get ready for the next day and it was terrible. I remember winding the house down and we ate a meal. There was food and later I asked one of the nephews to take the Quadracycle. When we got back we ate. Later others went on a Quadracycle ride.

Some neighbors and their parents came through. They brought us epic salsa for our tacos. They had to pick up a cargo bike for the ride the next day.  Our group’s part in the parade was a cargo bike float.  One of us had to go to Safeway after others had fallen asleep on the couch. I sat with the ladies helping with the cake but gave up at midnight. I hadn't even taken a sip of my tea.

In the morning it was six when we awoke. Later we made a noisy mess. The whole house was awake then and it was chaos until quiet time started around 8:30. My friend was surprised but everyone was leaving early. I sat doing nothing and playing the xylophone. Some of our neighbors from the city came by and picked up my tricycle.

After everyone left we prepared the cargo bikes - I the Bakfiet and my friend the Feets - for when quiet time ended. When we packed up, we road 2 miles down central In Alameda on Willow at Lincoln. The fourth of July parade was not moving and was nearly a full on block party as eight square blocks were closed.

I considered getting a beer but gave up on it as I realized there were families with us. A bunch of our friends we're there. Some guy had bubbles on his bike and the machine was similar to one on my bike. I texted mom and dad. My neighbors from the city were sitting with their son. My friend had the noisy Feets. I had to refill the tires because there was a bulge.

When we left it was slow until park. The parade was stop and go for a while after that. The bubble guy and I helped each other out with our bottles of soap. The vets and politicians in cars behind us got applause.  The people ahead of us we're throwing candy. One of the kids kept on stopping to pick up candy. He was slowing down all of the cars behind us. The other bubble person’s daughter had a tea set up in the front of his cargo bike. My friend was loudly enthusiastic.

I remember only idly we were looking for my parents. My neighbor’s son had trouble with his kids bike so I took him on my Bakfiets. My neighbort from the city took his kid’s bike. One of the guys in our group had a train theme and acted like a train. We all followed him zigzagging down Park and then later Otis.

I didn't know that during this. My friend saw her riding buddy. She had been with the Bike Party couple.  I started communicating with dad and my younger sister via the five person message group. On Otis my city neighbor was talking to her son who was in my bike and I made loops until he told me to stop. I interacted with families at the curbs.

When we got to Grand I asked for some quiche from a table. My neighbor’s son got out of my bike because he wanted to be in my friend’s sister’s bike. My friend on the other hand had trouble with the Feets. Her sister picked up my mom and I picked up my niece when we found them. Dad and my sister walked separately.

I found out that mom was in the parade with us later. I was just riding along with my niece. She was transfixed to be in the parade in the front of my bike. There were so many people looking at us from the road. My neighbor’s son got back on his own bike at some point and checked in with us.  I tried to introduce us to everyone. I checked in with my sister who was following. She did not want a ride. My niece used my phone to text the group of five.

We went up Webster and the parade ended. My friend’s brother-in-law led the way and I picked up the stragglers. We told anyone that wanted to to come to the party but he had to go home. My niece and I saw my sister on Lincoln but she still didn't want a ride. She told his dad was nearly at the house.

I saw my friend loudly unloading and left her to figure things out on her own. Later when I return things were fine. Dad was being loud too. There were only a couple of things to eat on the table and later I took a break. We started quiet time at 130 and was in the yard when later my friend came out.

There was a lot of people around but by 330 many more have shown up in the place was very different. That was loud and we were allowed in the living room too. Later I was concerned about catching the 530 boat.  However, we had cake and ice cream. My friend had spent three hours putting icing on the cake and by then it had hardened of it. We were all near the back fence. We met a lot of new people from the company that so many of our acquaintances worked at.

The parents and Nora decided to take the ferry then.  I was bummed but we were not ready to go. I had tried to get stuff together but it wasn't easy.  Meanwhile my friend put my top hat and other things in the our neighbor’s car. I put stuff on the bikes. I said bye to people and try to introduce myself to new people. Our acquaintances from the Snow Cabin were there at the very end. We said goodbye to family on the way out.

We bumped into the couple from bike party as we were getting onto the boat. We discussed the day – they had seen us and we headed to the ferry. The ride was fun the equipment was noisy. At the ferry we were just in time. I had no trouble boarding. I was noisily parking when I saw my friend’s sister’s benefactor.  I thought it was amazing that he and his wife recognized me..

He noisily went upstairs and I was nervous but my friend observed him exclaiming to his wife. That was really cool. The couple from bike party and I sat on the deck while my friend hung out with them. They enjoyed the noise. When we got off we said bye to everyone. My friend and I rode against loud protests down market. As usual she yelled at a motorist. I'm pretty sure that she put the fear of God in her.

At the apartment I unpacked and she made noise in the kitchen. She won't the house down and I made a small meal.

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.