Woke up, and sick it was. a terrible sickness, tho' not tempered by that ultimate sign of hangover: vomit. But wait... Bottles in the bin of recycle trumpet the condition - i drank that much? Well, not quite - but 90% yes. And so the reduced speed.
The Lords Prayer
I was to catch mass @ St. Patricks Cathedral - forced myself out of the house early w. the remand to myself comeon: you wanted to return there. you know the time. you have the time. and it fits into time and space for sequences later in the morning. Get it done.
What to get done? A favoured San Francisco visit of a decade ago = when it was The Original Four (Vito, Rocky, Jonny Law, Cliffhouse) of Folsom time, I managed to hit St. PAtricks for four masses in nine days - xmas, the Sunday next to it, then New Years, and the Sunday next to it: all on a simple bike ride fro The Mission. The need for thee eternal return stemmed from the lovely singing of significant parts of the mass. Done unlike ever before/since - and it was this morning, a decade later, that I was to see if I could catch that magic again.
It was the Lords Prayer - a single organ and a single woman (yes beautiful, but it was her voice for once that superseded all), a slow, soaring, beautiful version, singular, washes over. Just her and the organ. That first time it hit me - by the third mass in those nine days there was my hunger to hear it displayed - and here, after a decade - I was back to worship it - and praise Jesus - again.
But - um - if only I could make it. I showered up, clothed down, and hiked out, understanding that hangover do not last forever. Determined me to make my way as best I can instead of people dropping me off - I flanked Lake Merrit to the south and then west to the 12th Street BART. Staggered I was by the bird life on the "lake" (Vito : its an estatucary) - gulls and mallards, of course, but also black little things, pelicans, varying cranes, etc. I took snaps, but none too many are pro. But the birds ... wanted to get a guide book for WESTERN USA.
BART ride was fine - but then: there was a long climb up the stairs in the downtown San Francisco stop to the surface, and the dizziness and need to vomit hit. The stairs I had to climb - tall steep mutherfuckers - staggered me bigtime. Thoughtflashes of "go back, lie on the couch, recover" mixed w. "fight, yr close, it'll pass, just rest". Sweated, felt the churning ... felt it pass enough ... gathered, up, up - but this time the escalator - into daylite.
And, Mass!
Again, after a wander this way and that to bearings straight, needed stop @ a donut shop to get anything inside to help w. the Churn, and final approach for sure this is it.
Yep - same church. An Advent Sunday again. Strong amounts of people - filled way. Tourists and Filipino parishioners maxed out. Me late - after the two readings and the Gospel came the Sermon - and me in the middle of it. Booked back for the readings - uninspiring and not dwelled upon. Remembered remark by Father was something about pornography in a list of bad things because it leads to 'selfabuse' an' all 'at. But for me, it was survival that stood center.
Catholic Masses emphasize a lot of standing, sitting, kneeling, in varying orders. And sitting. Soon, for me, the terrible state of my stomach lead me to an ALL Sitting Policy that I followed thu' till the end of mass - no Holy Communion for me, even.
The Lords Prayer
I was to catch mass @ St. Patricks Cathedral - forced myself out of the house early w. the remand to myself comeon: you wanted to return there. you know the time. you have the time. and it fits into time and space for sequences later in the morning. Get it done.
What to get done? A favoured San Francisco visit of a decade ago = when it was The Original Four (Vito, Rocky, Jonny Law, Cliffhouse) of Folsom time, I managed to hit St. PAtricks for four masses in nine days - xmas, the Sunday next to it, then New Years, and the Sunday next to it: all on a simple bike ride fro The Mission. The need for thee eternal return stemmed from the lovely singing of significant parts of the mass. Done unlike ever before/since - and it was this morning, a decade later, that I was to see if I could catch that magic again.
It was the Lords Prayer - a single organ and a single woman (yes beautiful, but it was her voice for once that superseded all), a slow, soaring, beautiful version, singular, washes over. Just her and the organ. That first time it hit me - by the third mass in those nine days there was my hunger to hear it displayed - and here, after a decade - I was back to worship it - and praise Jesus - again.
But - um - if only I could make it. I showered up, clothed down, and hiked out, understanding that hangover do not last forever. Determined me to make my way as best I can instead of people dropping me off - I flanked Lake Merrit to the south and then west to the 12th Street BART. Staggered I was by the bird life on the "lake" (Vito : its an estatucary) - gulls and mallards, of course, but also black little things, pelicans, varying cranes, etc. I took snaps, but none too many are pro. But the birds ... wanted to get a guide book for WESTERN USA.
BART ride was fine - but then: there was a long climb up the stairs in the downtown San Francisco stop to the surface, and the dizziness and need to vomit hit. The stairs I had to climb - tall steep mutherfuckers - staggered me bigtime. Thoughtflashes of "go back, lie on the couch, recover" mixed w. "fight, yr close, it'll pass, just rest". Sweated, felt the churning ... felt it pass enough ... gathered, up, up - but this time the escalator - into daylite.
And, Mass!
Again, after a wander this way and that to bearings straight, needed stop @ a donut shop to get anything inside to help w. the Churn, and final approach for sure this is it.
Yep - same church. An Advent Sunday again. Strong amounts of people - filled way. Tourists and Filipino parishioners maxed out. Me late - after the two readings and the Gospel came the Sermon - and me in the middle of it. Booked back for the readings - uninspiring and not dwelled upon. Remembered remark by Father was something about pornography in a list of bad things because it leads to 'selfabuse' an' all 'at. But for me, it was survival that stood center.
Catholic Masses emphasize a lot of standing, sitting, kneeling, in varying orders. And sitting. Soon, for me, the terrible state of my stomach lead me to an ALL Sitting Policy that I followed thu' till the end of mass - no Holy Communion for me, even.
Bu there WAS The Lords Prayer. Only - well, I guess I'll have to back when St. Patricks ain't having a choir. My Masses a decade past were off hours, and the music was restricted to that single singer and keyboardist. Here they had a full twenty voices. Now, don't get me wrong - The Lords Prayer was sung, and maybe even in the same pace - but here was an example where one beats twenty. Well sung - but not, say, 1997. I'd figured. I was kool wit it.
Marshalls above All
Plan was to go to a local sweets place (Papa Beard?)and wait for Vito and Munson Wu. In I went, struggling, but grateful for the chance again to stomach something that mite antichurn the stomach. So I got - can you believe it - GREEN TEA and a few mini croissants (brilliant). Now, I like tea as much as the rest (well, maybe Gf, Mom, and Darwina rank me in that aspect, and mightily), but if I go into some place for drink it'll usually be Coke or Pepsi or whatnot - a cafe, too. But teas seemed the soothing option. Not bad. Sat outside, waited justa bit, and frenz came. They also ate a bit, we chilled, I mended mainly (nagging headache the rest of the day), and we slipped the ways and were off.
Vito needed a hat, so we processed a few stores that turned out to not have what he wanted or was too dear, so my continual bugging for Marshalls was finally heeded. I admit to ulterior motives - I wanted to see what sports gear - specifically soccer jerseys - they carried here. An Earthquakes jersey would have been kool. Vito got his hat - I was the one who said "Hey- what about this one?", I got a USA jersey and a $10 tie (oh arent we the posh one, actually picking up a tie @ Price when ususally the price is thrift store style or a frenz donation (Crankfaces from a few weeks ago are getting heavy rotation in school). Not bad. Crowded place. Gang of tourists. Comme Moi, I suppose.
The Winter Solstice
It was the Pacific Ocean we were after on this day. We were discussing the Winter Solstice and Xmas and Happy Holidays and all that, and Vito had found a Solstice celebration on the strand - and on Saturday we decided to go. Getting there was a longdistance haul. San Francisco is a small little compact place, really - yes, there are the mountains in the way - but we went full East to full West by tram and it took a spot of time. Further, we got off to eat close to the beach. (Place fantastic. Munson ate fish soup - ugg - and Vito (?): but I had the glorious Mongolian Beef. Too embarrassed to ask for beef Chop Seuy. Glad I didnt. Another reminder to try different things. Mental note to return to this place in future. Now - on a street and in a neighbourhood w. several thousand Chinese restaurants - will we even remember which one it was?).
Nite fell. Beach was hit. We were late for the 'official' start - we figgered that there would be some big todo and mills of people about a giant fire - but whenwe hit the beach and turn full North towards where the thing was supposed to be - we finally stumbled upon a few small bonfire seperated about on the beach. Maybe 5, or so. 75 people @ most.
Well, not exactely what we expected- but it wa sok. For me @ least, it was fun to be a the APcific w. my good frenz. Some lady w. a dog. pictures taken in the lowering light. We walked north--back to a bus line (me want to tram it back - but they arent so fascinated by the very idea of a tram. and so we wnet back. Bus to downtown SF. Into Bart for the Transbay return. And back to my temporary home @ Vito and Darwinas. Sick no more. But tired.
Marshalls above All
Plan was to go to a local sweets place (Papa Beard?)and wait for Vito and Munson Wu. In I went, struggling, but grateful for the chance again to stomach something that mite antichurn the stomach. So I got - can you believe it - GREEN TEA and a few mini croissants (brilliant). Now, I like tea as much as the rest (well, maybe Gf, Mom, and Darwina rank me in that aspect, and mightily), but if I go into some place for drink it'll usually be Coke or Pepsi or whatnot - a cafe, too. But teas seemed the soothing option. Not bad. Sat outside, waited justa bit, and frenz came. They also ate a bit, we chilled, I mended mainly (nagging headache the rest of the day), and we slipped the ways and were off.
Vito needed a hat, so we processed a few stores that turned out to not have what he wanted or was too dear, so my continual bugging for Marshalls was finally heeded. I admit to ulterior motives - I wanted to see what sports gear - specifically soccer jerseys - they carried here. An Earthquakes jersey would have been kool. Vito got his hat - I was the one who said "Hey- what about this one?", I got a USA jersey and a $10 tie (oh arent we the posh one, actually picking up a tie @ Price when ususally the price is thrift store style or a frenz donation (Crankfaces from a few weeks ago are getting heavy rotation in school). Not bad. Crowded place. Gang of tourists. Comme Moi, I suppose.
The Winter Solstice
It was the Pacific Ocean we were after on this day. We were discussing the Winter Solstice and Xmas and Happy Holidays and all that, and Vito had found a Solstice celebration on the strand - and on Saturday we decided to go. Getting there was a longdistance haul. San Francisco is a small little compact place, really - yes, there are the mountains in the way - but we went full East to full West by tram and it took a spot of time. Further, we got off to eat close to the beach. (Place fantastic. Munson ate fish soup - ugg - and Vito (?): but I had the glorious Mongolian Beef. Too embarrassed to ask for beef Chop Seuy. Glad I didnt. Another reminder to try different things. Mental note to return to this place in future. Now - on a street and in a neighbourhood w. several thousand Chinese restaurants - will we even remember which one it was?).
Nite fell. Beach was hit. We were late for the 'official' start - we figgered that there would be some big todo and mills of people about a giant fire - but whenwe hit the beach and turn full North towards where the thing was supposed to be - we finally stumbled upon a few small bonfire seperated about on the beach. Maybe 5, or so. 75 people @ most.
Well, not exactely what we expected- but it wa sok. For me @ least, it was fun to be a the APcific w. my good frenz. Some lady w. a dog. pictures taken in the lowering light. We walked north--back to a bus line (me want to tram it back - but they arent so fascinated by the very idea of a tram. and so we wnet back. Bus to downtown SF. Into Bart for the Transbay return. And back to my temporary home @ Vito and Darwinas. Sick no more. But tired.
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