Caveman's Fault

Monday was a pretty good day. Got many things done. Some easy. Some trying. Some in preparation for departure to GIN. Some around the house. But, overall, it was a pretty good day.

Tuesday, on the other hand, started out with me waking up late... It was light outside by the time i opened my eyes at 7:20. It freaks me out whenever i wake up and see that it's light outside. My mind goes into some sort of automated Damage Control mode... Racing from point to point, checking to make sure i haven't completely fucked up and missed something important... 

"Fuck!" (It always starts with 'Fuck!') "What day is it? Tuesday. Street Cleaning! What time is it? Oh, thank god... i've still got a half hour."

Living in SF, with two vehicles you park on the street, puts terror in your heart if you wake up late on Street Cleaning Day. The tickets used to be thirty-five bucks. Now they're a first-born child. Since i have two cars that i'm responsible for moving, the fine would be two first-born children... As good as i am at some things, i don't think i can swing that one.

But there was more. i had planned to go pick up supplies early, for my project at Mister and Missus Noe's place. No time for that before 8 o'clock. Guess it would have to wait until after the weekly shuffle.

It was Caveman's fault. Clearly.

Monday night was the eclipse. Miss E left for Marin County about 10:30pm. She was going to view the eclipse from the top of Mount Tamalpais with Mister and Missus Stiltskin. It had been a long day, and i knew Tuesday was gonna be a long one. So i stayed home. After taking a shower, i looked outside and saw the sky clearing up. Thinking it just might be possible to view the eclipse from Dolores Park, i decided to walk up there.

When i left the house, the clouds were thinning. The air was brisk. The moon was bright. i could see the beginning shadow of the eclipse on the lower left corner of the moon. Mind you, this is a very late hour for me to be out walking around. As i walked toward the park, it became very apparent that the Universe didn't want me watching the eclipse.

Those clearing clouds? They were just making way for their big, fat, dark, rainy cousins to come in and block my view. By the time i got to the top of Dolores, it was clear. "It", in this case, did not include the weather. No, what was clear was the observation that, no matter how long i stayed there and pretended i was a sponge, i wasn't gonna see the light of the moon that night. The clouds were low and i wished i had gone with Miss E to Mount Tam.

i started walking home. i wasn't quite ready for bed, which is a crazy concept for me at 11:30 at night. So i took the long way home. A beer sounded good. i walked past the 500 Club. Crowded and noisy. i've never really bonded with the 500 Club, in all the years i've been in SF. i didn't go in. Instead, i walked over to Gestalt. More my speed. Besides, it was gonna be Ha-Ha-Na's birthday at midnight.

They were out of my usual $2 Tecate. Hamms or Olympia? Nah. Let's have a Guinness tonight. As i nursed the brown goodness, Caveman sat down at the bar next to me. You wouldn't know he's a Caveman by just looking at him.

We had met earlier... He and his co-workers were doing some team-building. Errrr... Drinking beer. One of them had come up behind me, thinking i was Steve, another co-worker of theirs. Caveman observed that i sort of looked like that guy from behind, then added, "But you're definitely not him, because he's loud and talks with his hands and waves his arms around."

Yeah. Nobody i know.

We struck up a conversation. Caveman is a pleasant, thoughtful guy. With a sparkle in his eye. He's milked a few cows... Which gives you instant cred with me. Not a lot of teat-squeezers in San Francisco these days.

We talked for quite awhile, about a lot of things. Over a beer and a half. Yes, really. Wished Ha-Ha-Na a Happy Birthday at quarter past midnight. And talked some more. Really enjoyed our conversations. Even if they did result in me waking up when it was light out.

Hope Caveman comes to GIN to visit sometime. Maybe i'll even arrange for him to milk a cow when he does...