Whilst walking with my uncle and his wife on Sunday on the way from an Indian lunch to the SF Museum of Modern Art, the Random() class of this part of the multiverse decided to throw a Jawanza-type object on the street corner. I saw him walking steadily perpendicular to my path but had I not stopped, recognized his unlikely face and called his name twice (while Gloria, attentive as hell, snapped a photo of the moment), we would have collided instead. I had not seen him since CONA in 2004, and marveling at the serendipitous meeting we agreed to have coffee that evening, which we did, and it was good.
The fam arrived in Hawaii yesterday, Monday, and we gorged ourselves at the hotel restaurant and I fell asleep for three hours before we went to a luau for dinner. It was some of the best pork I’d ever had in my life, probably the best pulled pork hands-down. I flung some more emails groping for an acceptable job this fall.
Today was relaxing by the beach, my sister and I took an hour-long surfing lesson which was cool but there were a lot of rocks at the bottom of the water and I cut open my foot at one point, but what the hell is a good learning experience if you don’t bleed a little bit? We tried to hike Diamond Head to see the sunset tonight but the park closes at 18:00. Instead we drove around and saw the wealthy suburbs around Diamond Head and Waikiki.
Today I also finished Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums, which was not only great and had been too long since I’d read Kerouac but reminded me of the way that On The Road in the summer of 2004 kind of saved my soul. I’ve still got Big Sur on tap, but right now I am reading a book called Deep Economy by Bill McKibben, which I’m finding quite good and should be read by anyone who thinks they want to do a damn thing about this state we’re in the same boat, brother. I also snagged a book about the politics of Einstein and another one by Zinn.
What more to come, when I’m in that place for a week where there’s nothing to do but stew and worry and solve problems or worry some more, or watch movies and resurrect old friends.