... in sheep's clothing

While my towels are drying at the laundromat, I wanted to take a moment to mention what I love about living in a city (not just San Francisco): being able to walk somewhere to run errands.  It seems like such a small thing, but it’s quite remarkable after you’ve spent two months in a place where you can’t walk anywhere.  In most of the other places I’ve lived (even when I had a car), I’d become quite used to walking 15 minutes to do any number of things:

• Go to the Post Office
• Buy some shampoo at Walgreens
• Get a cup of coffee
• Rent a movie
• Purchase milk, alcohol, and Vitamin Water at the corner store

As I’ve been unemployed for over a year, the chance to go outside and do something vaguely productive holds a special allure.  Not being able to do any of those things made me depressed, frustrated, and irritable, not to mention sedentary.  Just walking five minutes to the drugstore calmed me down and at the same time energized me.  It felt amazing to breath fresh air, walk up a hill, and listen to the sounds of the city.

It’s good to be back.