i heart sf

I love where we live.

I woke up yesterday to the sound of oil being drilled right out of the apartment below us. Obviously it wasn't oil, but hell- it was loud. So I got up. It was rainy and grey so Danny was shuffling around avoiding biking to work like he does every morning. I offered to drive him there, and he gleefully said yes. (P.S. He is a very happy man now that his wife can drive the car.) I pulled on some leggings, a long sleeve tee, a sweater dress, and my fake uggs. 

Afterwards, I went to the discount fabric store. While walking from the parking garage to the store, I observed all the people in their raincoats, rubber boots, scarves, and oversized umbrellas scurrying around trying not to get wet. 

I went to Whole Foods and they had the most beautiful flowers. I picked out some pink anemones, white carnations, and orange ranunculus. I love having fresh flowers in my house- and these certainly brightened up the grey rainy day.

After I was home for awhile, I realized that I needed some stupid thing from the stupid craft store to finish the project I was working on- so I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out the door.

As I was waiting for the elevator, my neighbor with the 2 dogs joined me. We idly chatted neighbor chat- she pointed out that it must be so nice to work from home on a day like today, and I petted the doggies. 

"A day like today? Hm." 

Once we were both outside, she said that she hoped I didn't have to go very far without a raincoat in this terrible weather- as she pulled her hood over her head and herded her raincoat clad dogs out the door.

I laughed. Snorted, actually. I should really stop doing that. 

This is as BAD as the weather gets here. And it hardly ever happens. I forget that on a daily basis.

I explained that I was fine, I was used to much worse. Besides, I had long sleeves and fake uggs on! I was toasty warm!

As I was driving home in the rain, looking at the hills blinking with streetlights, my love for this city grew even more. 

"This is as bad as it gets."  I thought. THIS meaning rain. And not pouring rain, not Utah rain. Rain that's not even cold to walk in because you don't really get wet, and it's still 50 degrees outside. 

Last week, one of Danny's good friends came to visit. Danny is trying to talk him into getting a job with him and moving out here. I think it's a spectacular idea.

On the last night he was here, we took him to a fancy restaurant and Danny continued his wooing. His friend was still weighing options. He asked if there was anything we didn't like about living here. We sat in silence for a good 10 minutes. Life here is different, for sure, but nothing that makes it not worth it. 

The food is better- SO much better. The weather- obviously. Our apartment- the perfect amount of room for us, in the sunniest area of town, close to the freeway and to Danny's work. For Danny- the almost weekly chance to hobnob with slightly famous geeks. For me- that my art, my passion for creating is so respected and people want to pay me money to do what I love. Then Danny thought of one bad thing.

Movies.

We don't see movies in the theatre anymore. Because they don't have reserved seating. Because we don't want to fight crowds and stand in line. Feel free to judge our lazy asses.

 So the fact that we totally forgot that we haven't seen a movie in the theatre in over 9 months- really? That is the worst thing about living in San Francisco? I'll take it!

So about winter in San Francisco...

We have had the skylight window thing all the way open all the time except for one cold week in December. We have yet to turn on the heater. I put the down comforter on the bed and we sweated to death for a week before I admitted defeat and put the regular blanket back on.

We haven't had to dig the car out of the snow. My pants haven't gotten soaked thru with blackened slushy shit just going to the grocery store. We haven't almost died driving down our street. We don't have to put on sweaters and jackets and coats and gloves and hats just to walk to the car. I haven't laid in bed all day stupefied with depression wishing that I was some kind of hibernating animal and that when I woke up it would be spring and the snow would be gone forever.

The snow is gone. And I feel wonderful.

I miss my family, I miss my friends. I miss sunday dinner. 

But we love it here, and we are here to stay!

Note: (family, friends) It's not that people don't respect or want to pay me to do what I love in Utah, but you are the only ones that do. Everyone can or has a relative that can sew and so they see your stuff and their like "I can do that, so I don't have to buy it." Or they get jealous and mean because they perceive that you can do something "better" than they can and so it's passive aggressive comments and bullshit stupid drama.