Last night’s trek to San Francisco was a long one, but ultimately successful. The Tib ferry was late getting to the Ferry Building, and the shops were closed, so I was unable to get a cut of ‘the salmon of knowledge’ or a yellow flower, the gifts I was imagining for the birthday girl. I walked along Mission Street, looking behind me to see if a bus was coming – it never did, as I was stuck in that Limbo time in Saturday evening transit when the day schedule turns over to night. I took deep breaths to control frustration, and channeled the energy into a brisk walk. Arriving at Poltergeist forty-five minutes late, I saw LW almost immediately. After getting a Bitburgie at the bar, I headed out to the back and was impressed by the scene of long wooden tables filled with groups sitting near pitchers and pints of beer. The group was fun and friendly – we had chats about motorbikes and SCUBA diving, and after singing ‘happy birthday’ in the middle of the courtyard, I grabbed another Bitburgie and decided a brief cameo would be preferable as the birthday girl’s attention was spread thin between her many friends. ‘Two weeks’ until she can chill – until then she’s back on the whirlwind tour of all miracle work and no play.
