Happy Birthday

Saturday was J’s birthday. Unfortunately, I had failed to plan anything or get her a gift. I could make all sorts of excuses such as the preceding week being incredibly busy, or that I’m not a “birthday person,” or that I had something big planned that wouldn’t fall on her actual birthday, but I won’t do that. Instead, I’ll just admit to failing in my birthday duties, failing hard. Failing so hard that I might not recover until next year. Failing so hard that my tendency to repeat words for emphasis overpowered my ability to write more than sentence fragments.

But all was not lost. We went to breakfast at a cafe, then took a walk down to Baker Beach. In the early afternoon, we met two friends for brunch at a delightful open air restaurant in the Mission called Foreign Cinema. The food was delicious, though my dish had a piece of brown paper towel cooked into it. I’d rather not know how it got there.

Afterward, we walked to Dolores Park and ate some chocolate cake. The Mission was sunny, and it was hard to leave.

J and I decided to go to Heath Ceramics in Sausalito to look at pottery. Traffic across the Golden Gate Bridge was backed up in both directions due to what looked like a suicide jump that had just happened. Police had blocked off the lane nearest to the city-side pedestrian walkway and were looking over the edge. J claimed to have seen a Coast Guard boat below once we pulled off the bridge.

Traffic was backed up all through Sausalito. After looking at finely-crafted ceramics, we tried waiting out the traffic. But it wasn’t getting better. Instead, we treated the scooter like a bike and rode up the shoulder the whole way, saving us time and filling the stuck car drivers with unbridled jealousy.

Edward Glove Feet.

Stuffed dog looking out.

Video Hut.

Breakfast.

Corner store sign.

Car in deep driveway.

Shipping container.

Hidden path by the beach.

Plant blocking the way.

Net on a Mission St. building.

Abandoned theater on Mission.

Snow flakes.

Chipped paint.

Interceptor for private use.

Birthday cake in Dolores Park.

Flowers.

Watch out for translucent green children in the street.

Boat repair area near the Heath ceramics factory in Sausalito.

I wish someone had warned me that this is what happens when you get engaged.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad day. But it wasn’t a perfect day either.

Happy birthday, J. I guarantee next year will be a show-stopper.