Got to San Francisco yesterday. James called almost as soon as I turned my phone back on, to ask if I wanted him to pick me up at the airport. He and Kar are such loving people. Back at the house, the garden is like some beautiful elvish palace. Huge sunflowers taller than people, and scattered around. Wildflowers in the shade. They tested the earth, and apparently it had no toxins, though it needed some nutrients, which they'd added.
The upstairs room has a real bed now, and is a lot more comfortable than when there was just a futon. And they've gotten a new couch for the living room, since the old one had been pretty well busted for awhile.
The new roommates both seem nice. I got to chat with each of them for a few minutes. One is getting a master's degree in creative writing, and the other is doing an undergraduate degree in environmental science. What great things to study!
This morning I slept until a reasonable hour - maybe the jet lag will not be so bad this time - and then Kar and I went to Boogaloos for breakfast. She had her usual amazing scrumptious amazing food, and I had a chicken caesar. Then we drove to one of her job locations on the Haight, and she did some work while I hung out in a coffee shop.
People are so friendly! Back in NYC I talk to strangers, but here it's like they expect that and are more than happy to get into a conversation. I must've talked to half a dozen people over the course of the morning, and they told me tons of stuff!
One couple I met was on honeymoon from Spain, and we talked about the different educational systems, and whether Greece will stay in the EU, and whether Hollande will do a good job or not, and whether China will become the dominant world power. Then they went off to shop in the Haight and go to the MoMa.
The barista at the coffee shop is the niece of the owner, and had to run off to her 2nd job - teaching conflict resolution to at-risk youth. The barista who came in to replace her was singing loudly behind the bar, and it turned out she wanted to start a band and go touring.
I also read a bit in my John Adams biography. So far I'm really enjoying my plan to read all the Presidential biographies in order. The Washington one by Chernow was a bit too slanted; and the Adams one is even more slanted; but I think I just have to expect that. Anyone writing a Presidential biography is going to be trying to make the case for their favorite Presidents to be considered the best of all time. It's too bad, because I love really great biographies, like Ellmann's biography of Wilde. Really great biographies stick to the primary sources, and don't try to pretend they understand what was going on in the person's head. The great ones also involve a lot of research of the surrounding culture, and don't present a modern morality on top of the biography. Chernow, for example, went on and on about how Washington was terrible for owning slaves; and while slavery is bad, it's out of place to make those judgments in a biography. If I'm reading a biography of a slaveholder, I'm interested in what actually went on regarding that person's slaves, and their activities surrounding the issues of the day. It does me no good to hear the author pontificate about how Washington was good or bad based on his slaveholding practices. I'll make those judgments for myself.
Anyway though, it's really fascinating to read these overlapping biographies. Next up is Jefferson, and I'm particularly looking forward to that one, because I already know he became a big enemy of Washington and Adams, with tons of intrigue and suspicion, back-stabbing, and the whole nine yards. But I've only heard it from the perspective of the Federalists. Jefferson's Republican party has yet to be spoken for.
This evening is the Miramar Friday Night. Good company, nice snacks, interesting conversation, and maybe an episode or two of some favorite TV show of Kar and James's. I think they may be on the X-Files these days. Hopefully I'll stay up late and get a San Francisco night's sleep.
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