their eyes watching

Starting to sort out my stuff and do laundry in preparation for leaving at week's end. If I don't begin now I'll manifest the pre-travel-worry-dreams I'm already having - losing stuff (shoes & ID), being late, forgetting where I'm going. In my case, a less casual attitude and more preparation tends to assuage the concerns and leave time for other things. Housemate Jackson is quite interested in this activity and keeps a steely eye on me. So does the handpainted mask in the window of my room.

Since I've been feeling a big hangdog about not getting as much accomplished as I'd hoped, I received this advice from Alan Watts via a fb friend : if you're writing, you're a writer. Write like you're a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there's no chance for a pardon. Write like you're clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you've got just one last thing to say; like you're a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God's sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we're not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don't. Who knows, maybe you're one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to.

october in july
Cold and overcast again today, invigorating. My nephew and I had one more dinner last night at a great Thai restaurant just a short walk away (I love cities!). We've been exchanging family stories and filling in gaps from the years when we were out of touch. He's leaving tomorrow to deal with his brother's apartment and other connected things. His parents are unable to travel here and I'm leaving soon, so he will do it alone. I look forward to the next trip when I can spend more time in his cosy coffee shop, Bread and Butter Cafe. Check it out if you're ever in the area. It's a good place to work, eat excellent sandwiches, soups, coffee and pastries. Good neighborhood walking too, with interesting architecture, and a short distance to Golden Gate Park where it's always lush and lively.

the world is full of magic things,
patiently waiting for our senses 
to grow sharper
            Yeats