Jiggity-Jig

No, I have not been sick all this time, thank goodness, just scattered. But nor have I been racking up many ped miles. For the ten or so days between housesits I had a borrowed car (thank you, thank you!) to make the transition easier; two suitcases, a rolling backpack, laptop bag, guitar, and various bags of food and, um, tea tins, is a bit tricky to negotiate on public transportation. Also, I was alternating time between the city on days when I had commitments and Santa Rosa – not a walking town – where I stayed with family, so l’auto certainly made the back and forth tres simple.

I finally landed in my six week housesit yesterday. The first day or two can be jarring and I often find myself dazed and confused. A couple of things are immediately required to make me feel at home: food preparation and a walk to the nearest library. Since I know this part of town well (Upper Noe/Glen Park) finding the library was no exciting act of discovery, but it was a great pleasure to get the gams moving again. It was an incredibly windy afternoon, not my favorite walking weather, but the sun was out and people looked happy because of the holiday weekend. Drivers were patient and polite (mostly) when I crossed the street.

In the library I forgot myself for a time browsing the New Books section. The Noe Valley library is small but sweet, and surprisingly quiet just like the old days, and I always find good stuff. I am, however, a picky reader and I also confess to judging a book by its cover. Aesthetics matter. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all part of the same message and the presentation should be suggestive of what’s on the page. I’m sure I miss some quality writing merely because some art director did a poor job of representing the content, but hey, there are a heck of a lot of books out there and I’m not going to read all the good ones anyway. So, my eyes browse the bindings. And then, should something stand out – a title, a font, a color – the cover. If that passes muster, I'll skim the description, but skim only: I don't like to know too much about the story, I just want a very general sense of it. If it seems interesting, then I will open the book. I tend to open at random, glancing at a few pages in the center to get a sense of the layout. How does my eye respond to the composition of words and negative space? Then the front page, the all-important opening sentences? They either grab me or they don’t, it’s instinctual. It’s not a fool-proof method, but I have to say it has served me quite well over the years and I’ve made many remarkable discoveries.

From the library I swung down toward the Mission to pick up my mail at my old house, then circled round to get a few groceries from the shops at the end of Church Street. What I really wanted was a watermelon but I didn’t realize this until I’d paid and was leaving and I didn’t want to go back in. Fool.

Well, all this to say, even though I have the Transition Blues each time I move, there’s nothing like walking the new ‘hood to shake it off. In the next week or so I’d really like to head out for an epic walk in some direction I’ve never gone. And now, having put it in writing. it’s bound to happen.

The Walk: 2.7 miles