This weekend I moved into a studio apartment in the Mission. Uri and Anna, good friends who now live in the South Bay, helped greatly on moving day. Uri is a pal from Northwestern days, and we met his wife Anna several years ago in Washington DC.
My step-father, Bob Eddington, also helped with the move, flying in from Phoenix for the occasion. I can't remember any other time in my life when the two of us had so much time together, just the two of us. It was great.
Bob met my Mom in June of 1983, at the swimming pool near the housing development where they both lived on the east side of Columbus. Mom and Dad were still married, but divorce proceedings were in progress (finalized in August.) I was six and my younger brother Jeremy was three. Mom was charmed when Bob bounced us both up and down on his knee in the pool, and love was in the air. They married in May 1985.
Bob had a first marriage, which lasted nine years. I always knew this growing up but had no reason to ask him about it. Now, given how my life has developed, we had a reason for such discussions. Bob pointed out that the signs of falling apart were much clearer in retrospect than at the time, an insight that was familiar.
It was a very efficient move because I don't own very much. The minimalist tendencies that Helen helped me hone over the years came in handy. Right now there's just a mattress on the floor; I'm thinking of putting a tatami mat underneath it and giving the place a Japanese aesthetic. Last year in Tokyo we slept in a ryokan and it was fun.
I'm also without a TV, for the first time ever. With my trusty iPhone NY Times app I can keep up with the news, and I have the Web at home too (as of yesterday.) Being without a TV feels weird because it is almost hard wired even if I never watched that much. However, a happy result of this situation is that I am listening to much more of my music collection than I usually do. This library is particularly strong in Thelonious Monk and Bob Dylan, although I can't stop listening to the Rolling Stones.
While Bob was here I wanted him to sample some of the best of Berkeley and the Mission. We managed to get to Jupiter, Venus and Triple Rock in Berkeley, and had a Mission frenzy in the hours Sunday before he caught his flight: Ritual, Tartine, and Dolores Park. John and Cait joined us at Tartine, which was wonderful.
I always had the iPhone at the ready, but resisted the urge to take pictures every second. Below are my favorites; Uri, Anna and Bob at lunch after the move; and me with Bob in Dolores Park.
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