- Victoria Billings
Considering Darren and I aren't physically joined at the hip, chin, elbow or any other body part and we don't share any internal organs, Darren decided that he would up and leave his home office this week and make the Caltrain commute to the company's headquarters in Sunnyvale. This action was done for no other reason than to escape me, Little Ol' Me.
For reasons that will become clear, I was not able to get out much earlier this week.
However, the previous week all was good. A tourist trip to the San Francisco Zoo was a highlight for the week. As far as zoos go it was pretty nice. It didn't knock Perth Zoo off the top of my personal favourite's list but it was an enjoyable day and accomplished to cross it off my 'things to see and do' list.
I reminisced listening to the young girl at the giraffe enclosure excitedly telling her mum, "Mummy when I grow up, I am going to work at the zoo."
I had the dream but sadly never made any zoological gardens payroll, but I have worked with my fair share of monkey's over time and I recall my mum telling me to clean my pig sty of a room on a number of occasions, all in a day's work for a keeper.
Disclaimer: Context of “Monkeys” generally refers to sales account managers who have submitted employee expense claims to me over the years. No close department colleagues come under this category.
Talking about monkeys, Darren and I enjoyed some stand up comedy on Friday night at a seedy looking underground comedy club on the outskirts of the Tenderloin. 'Comedy for the price of a movie ticket' was the attraction. For $10 entry fee we were fed unlimited bowls of pretzels, drank cheap Chardonnay in plastic tumblers from the bar and were entertained by five very funny up and coming stand up comedians.With the audience dominated by couples, seemingly happy holidaying couples and hooking up on first date couples, one comedian decided to turn relationship therapist and intervene on our happy union... To his watchful eye the distance between our seating arrangements concerned him. We let him have his laugh and get his audience giggle at our expense. If only they knew how much quality time we shared together, they would understand why we didn't feel the need to be sitting on each other's laps.
The date also provided some material for the jokers on stage, being 20th April. Ignoring the fact that it was Hitler's birthday, little did we know that this day has long been known in Northern California as 4:20 day (pronounced four-twenty)... Unofficial National Weed Smoking Day. This was all unbeknown to us, having never embraced the cannabis culture.
Q. Is this day recognised by the Pot Smoking Community in Australia?
Saturday, Darren and I took our Zipcar to the states capital of Sacramento (pop 407,000). Lonely Planets introductory paragraph states, “The city of politicians, lobbyists and a beefy governor with an odd, orange-hued tan who commutes from Los Angeles."
It was pretty clear why Mr Schwarzenegger would choose to commute rather than reside in the State's Capital.
However, the first four blocks on the west-side of downtown (Front, Second, Third and Fourth) are known as "Old Sacramento", a State historical area. It has wooden sidewalks, gold-rush era storefronts, cobblestone streets, it was definitely worth a visit. The frozen cheesecake on a stick dipped in melted chocolate was a definite highlight. "Heaven"
Since ancient times Sunday's have long been considered the day of rest. No point living in the past though is there....so after my introductory ride the previous weekend on my brand new Walmart Bicycle we decided to raise the bar.. significantly.
Sausalito (pop. 7330) was our destination on this lovely Sunday morning.
The Sausalito Chamber of Commerce boasts, " Sausalito is a charming waterfront community that lies across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Because of its Mediterranean flair and breathtaking views, it is often compared to the French Riviera.
Today, you can stroll along the water and watch the sea lions cavort, rest in the plaza and listen to the splashing fountain, soak up the ambiance in the many open air cafes, browse through the unique boutiques, and check out the marinas."
A ride from home, over the Golden Gate Bridge and down the hill to Sausalito is considered a big feat for a beginner like myself. The decision to abort the planned ferry ride home and cycle the uphill return trip home may be considered just plain moronic.
So 30 Kilometres and a number of steep slopes later we arrived home, where I then stayed for the next few days.
Check out the satellite mapping of our ride.
The outcome of this enjoyable 30Km leisurely rides was:
1) The reason I didn't do much this week. Without a wheelchair a person that can't walk generally is unable to go anywhere.
2) There was no blog writing and consumption of wine on Sunday evening, just outpouring of 'whine' and lots of it.
3) In summary the reason Darren chose to escape the comforts of his corner office for the joys of public transport commutes to hang out with his boss. I think the expression was, "You have been a bit of a downer the last few days."
Well, it's now Friday again and a new weekend is upon us. Strangely enough I am eager to go for another peddle. We will have to do that on Sunday, we have to make sure I can walk for our BBC London interview tomorrow afternoon. hehehehe more on that next week.
XX
Mel
P.S We will have to send out emails regarding our contact details more often, good way to get the gossip. Congratulations to our friends scattered around the country, Trish and Sam in Perth who will be welcoming their second child in the coming months and congratulations to first-timers Judy & Andy in Sydney and Scott and Aree in Adelaide...
