Plastic Bags and Other Sentiments

So I recently bought a book (thanks half-priced bookstore!) called, "No One Belongs Here More Than You."  It's a collection of short stories... some of which are incredibly bizarre.  To be fair, I'm pretty sure that has influenced my writing tonight.  Though I have to say I've been waiting for inspiration... and it came!

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It was 8:28 when I started walking to the bus.  My phone said that Bus 24 would come in 6 minutes.  Then bus 34N would come 20 minutes after that to the stop by McDonalds.
On the second bus, at 6th street, the lady driver said "Everybody off! This is my last stop for tonight."
It wasn't my last stop.
Why was she stopping?
I got off.
I checked by phone - more than 2 miles from the restaurant.  It was dark.
A cab with it's light on showed up out of nowhere and took me there for $10.

Skates on the Bay had 9pm Social Hour... as my friend in NYC would say, "Amazballs!"

Cast of characters:
Kevin has a jar of love.  I don't understand it yet, but he has one.  He is also planning to dance to Brittany Spears, a choreographed version of his coming out story, as his final project for his Sexuality and Spiritual Arts class.  I'm invited.

Jo is my neighbor.  I'm not kidding.  Not 10 minutes after I arrived to meet a group of strangers at the restaurant (I'd met one of them once before), it came up organically in conversation, "Jo, where do you live?"
"Off Main street... actually main street and Damen."
"No way... me too!"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Where?  On Damen?"
"Yeah, like across from the medical center."
"I think we live in the same building."
"No, I doubt it."
" 9812?"
"Yeah"

"Well, if you ever need a cup of sugar, I'm in number 11."
It's intriguing.  No one really knows what to say.  He doesn't say much for the rest of the night.

Jordan has a lower lip piercing.  He has his cartilage pierced too.  I wonder what he would think about my tattoo.  He teaches community college classes.  He is passionate... Jessica says he lights up when he talks about teaching.  I notice that it's true.  Jordan tries to include everyone.  He has a kind smile.  Jordan wants to read our Liberia report.  He asked what the last thing I had written on my blog was... it made me write this now.

Bob didn't talk.  At all.  He left early.

I think Jessica and Jo might be dating.  I'm not sure.

Jessica compliments my shoes as we walk out of the restaurant.

Jessica and Jo gave me a ride home.  I didn't have to give directions, because Jo lives in my building.
Jo gave me a free yoga pass.  He had gotten it for his birthday - he deduced that it was actually not much of a birthday present at all - since they were passes for other people.

Jo didn't get out of the car.  He dropped me off at his own building and drove away with Jessica.

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When I moved out to DC I was surprised, and a bit amused, to find that stores charged you for bags - as I soon learned - in an attempt to encourage consumers to buy and use reusable bags.

Now that I've moved out to San Francisco, I've learned that non-compostable plastic bags are ILLEGAL in the city... that would explain why I, with less of a sense of amusement, got a brown- paper- lunch - bag- looking sack from Walgreens tonight.

Stop!  Desist!
Plastic bags ARE our enemy!

What?!  Don't act like you didn't know.

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If I didn't know better I would say that smoking pot is completely legal here.  It's like no one notices... but everyone knows.  How could so many people do something that is illegal in so many places... It's cool, and strange.  I don't think I like the smell.  Berkeley smells like pot.

There is a park that smells like pot too.  It's called Peoples Park, and it's full of homeless people.  They do all of their business in that park.  I've walked by it every day this week on my way to work.  I saw a rat run out of the street and into the park this morning.

"I don't have any cash... sorry."
But am I?  Sorry?

I'm lying.  Is lying somehow better than ignoring?
Why are there no restrooms for customers in stores and restaurants here?
But Berkeley has public restrooms?

Even my library card is hippy-fied... all multi-colored tie-die.
The man sitting on the bench outside the library, with no teeth, tells me I have a nice smile.
That reminds me of the woman on Main street who didn't have a shirt on and the man who was holding her breasts and shouting is inquiry at every passerby "Aren't her tetas amaaaaazing?!" ...

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"I'm such a bad gay!"... "I mean, I'm really good at being gay, du-uh!  I just don't know anything like about like you know the history and laws and stuff ... all that stuff that a good gay should know about."

"Can I be a bad straight then?"...  "Can I say that?"

"Sure."
"Okay."
"I guess we're all bad something then, right?"
"Right."

"Nos vemos el proximo, verdad?!"
"Si bonita... hasta el proximo!"

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Pics to come soon.
As always, but maybe even more so tonight, thanks for reading!
KK