The Birds Are Singing and I Disagree

A friend once wrote this in one of his poems and when I first read it.. I thought how clever that line was... "The birds are singing, I disagree". Today, unfortunately, feels like one of those days where I agree with my friend who disagrees with the birds. It's rainy and dark, and I woke up on the other side of the bed... well, fell off it is more like it. I have no particular reason to feel this way. I guess it could be a lot of little things.. like, drinking WAY too much coffee yesterday, feeling discouraged about the depressed job market, and knowing that I have to file taxes soon :'( It could also be that I'm getting sick with a cold... which is very likely. In any case, I hope the day goes better than my morning and the sun peeks out just a little to give me a warm hug :)

Alternative Uses for Coffee

Sitting at my coffee shop again... after having thoroughly researched every good publishing company in the city for job openings, I thought I'd take a break and call my mom. We don't talk very often, mainly because we live on different sides of the country and also I'm not much of a chatty, phone talker.. but I thought it'd be nice to call and say hello.

I'm Persian (although whenever my husband hears me tell people that he laughs, "you're not Persian!"). OK, so I don't really cook huge, gourmet meals (like most Persian women) and I can barely speak conversational Farsi, and I don't wear black all the time and wear heavy perfume and make-up, so in those aspects I agree I'm not "Persian". I guess the more appropriate description of me would be Persian-American since I was born and raised in the States and have adapted more of the American culture than the Persian... but in any case, back to my original thought :) My mom is very Persian. And Persian moms, well, at least mine, have this way of using long, descriptive and often dramatic stories to "teach" you a lesson. I have always been unresponsive when my mom has in those rare occasions told me explicitly what to do... but if she can tell me some crazy story about something that happened to this woman she once knew, then I'm much more likely at least to amuse her and listen (and even sometimes follow her advice, although I would NEVER admit that to her).

This particular phone conversation had me laughing out loud in a crowded, noisy Starbucks, which also earned me some weird looks from some caffeine-deprived individuals. So my mom is telling me about how she took my older sister along with her to an appointment with this homeopathic doctor in her attempt to "convince" my sister to see the doctor herself. The doctor apparently was describing to my mom and my probably freaked out sister that coffee when ingested is not really healthy for you... BUT (and there is a pun here and I HAVE to use it)... when inserted.. ah hem... in the other end, it apparently works wonders to clear out your digestive system (or something like that). Unfortunately the only thing that I heard when my mom was telling me this (in Farsi, which I'm sure I'm probably not even getting the story right) was that, "hey, don't drink the coffee... stick it up your a**!). I'll have to remember that advice the next time I run into a rude and obnoxious person at a coffee shop :)

Daily Candy

I was browsing the web and came across this really great site! It's called Daily Candy. They provide all kinds of fun and interesting info from food to entertainment to fashion and arts & culture around your city! They have most major US cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle and more! They even have a Daily Candy for Kids where they have all kinds of different resources for your kids around your city. I just read some great articles, for example, on a fun little candy store that also hosts birthday parties... and a little shop called "Manni + Nanni" that give manicures and pedicures while a nanny in the shop plays with your kid! I even found a really great kids' photographer that does private at-your-choice-location photo shoots to take natural and unique photos of your child. Nice! If you're still new to your city or are looking to find hidden gems near you ... check it out!

The 38

So, Sofia and I have been taking the bus every morning to her school this week and every time I catch the bus back I always seem to get this one bus driver who is seriously the best bus driver in the city! He's really friendly and always greets everyone that comes on the bus and says "have a great day folks" when people get off... And what's so unusual is that he calls out every stop and even describes important buildings or landmarks at each stop, including connecting bus lines and where they go. The first time I got this driver, I thought... "he must be having a very good day to be so helpful and in such a good mood". But it's been a full week now, and it never fails... every time I get on his bus he is exactly the same way :) Wow... I almost feel inclined to put in a good word for him at the MUNI office (if there is one). Maybe next week I'll even chat with him a little... what a great bus driver!

San Francisco Treat

Writing now from Starbucks... enjoying my tall mocha... and "looking" for a job... I finally decide to contribute to this blog. Too much time has passed since the last time I wrote, I know. But I have good excuses... wanna hear?

1) Life just got too busy and I was having fun :)
2) We packed up and moved from India ... first stop Virginia for a few weeks... final stop San Francisco where G's job has an office
3) Packing and moving is such a headache and I can only focus on the stress that it brings and nothing else
4) Finding a new home, a new school for Sofia, a job for ME!
5) I'm lazy.

So, we've found a nice split-level apartment with a fireplace... nice! We're still sitting on the floor because we can't convince ourselves to spend $500 on a couch! I guess the inflatable twin mattress will have to do for now ;-) Everything else seems to be in somewhat of an order. I want to buy some nice house plants.. but I'm hesitating because I can never really remember to water them.... hmmm... maybe I can just teach Sofia to do it and then SHE'LL have to be the one to remember! We'll see how that one goes.

I have mixed feelings about our move from India to San Francisco. Since we're still new to the area, a few things come with the territory like not knowing many people, not having the regular doctor to go to (which is IMPOSSIBLE to find in this city), and being away from friends and family that can sometimes feel a little lonely. But I'm sure with a bit of time we'll make new, regular friends. I miss our friends in India and just the laid back life there.... the cheap chai sold for 25 cents at any corner, the heavenly and inexpensive day spas, the spicy paneer tikka masala with fresh hot naan, and even those crazy, cock-eyed rickshaw drivers. We'll go back there again, I'm sure...

The city is proving to be really great in things like getting around by public transportation. We decided not to buy a car because parking anywhere in this city is just horrific and not worth the hassle. G and I each got one of those monthly passes so we can ride any bus or trolley or train simply by flashing it to the driver.. really convenient and makes life simpler. And those times that we need to leave the city or we need to do some heavy grocery or house shopping, we just take advantage of this great program the city has called City Car Share. They have their own cars parked everywhere around the city, and after you've applied and been approved you get hourly or daily access to any of them. You just go online and reserve the car for a certain time period and you're good to go! You don't have to pay for gas either because they provide a credit card in the car that is used just for filling up your tank... AND it's only $5 an hour!!! (and $10 a month) How simply wonderful!! We even rent the car to go to the airport if one of us ever needs to go since it's so much cheaper than a taxi ($10 for two hours compared to almost $40 one way!).

Since Sofia started school this week I've been roaming around finding new stores, resources and interesting places. On the same road I found a cool shop that teaches sewing, a knitting store, and a yoga place. That's the one nice thing about living in the city. You can find EVERYTHING here and they're all pretty close together. I'm looking forward to discovering new gems :)

The highlights of the rest of this week? Sofia's Spanish class at school today, gymnastics tomorrow, and ballet on Saturday :) What a city!