Over 35 in San Francisco [Uncensored and unedited]
End of September is beautiful in San Francisco. The City is not as cold, windy, or foggy. At least not where I am, somewhere between Hayes Valley and the Haight. Oracle’s Open World is happening this week, and I can only imagine the amazing things going on out there, in Geeky World.
Having forced myself out of bed and on my way to Golden Gate Park, I notice: San Francisco these days is full of dogs and their walking companions, people with the latest smart phones, young guys and girls on bikes, handsomely metro-sexual gay guys, women who do not look their age, and in general people looking super healthy; it is obvious they are wellness-oriented.
San Francisco has always been a surreal place, but these days it also seems over-crowded.
As I walk down and up the streets, I remember that I must go to Open World today. An old flame, a preppy engineer whom I met back in the days when Craig’s List was “it,” for meeting interesting people online, sent me an email offering a free ticket to the Oracle convention and so I registered.
It is Wednesday and I have not even picked up my badge. What would a non-techie journalist and writer be doing there?
Looking at cute guys? –Nah. On a second thought…
Back to focusing on walking fast, which I badly need it to be back on running shape and out of my shadowy mental and spiritual space.
On Oak Street one way and Fell Street the opposite way, the majority on wheels are the latest versions of Prius, Audi, and Fiat, and their competing models, their drivers looking as polished as their cars and for a moment, my eyes see their vehicles as packages or book covers.
On some street-sides and easy-to-spot green areas, I see subcultures of people who regardless of choosing or being forced to live “out there” –they exist and function outside, in a truly open world.
Once in a while, either walking or at the many cutesy Cafés, you see a guy with a protuberant belly. Or a man or a woman over 40, or others human beings back to step #1 on the eternal battle against weight-gain, trying to lose it again.
The cellular phone rings and I won’t answer it. It disrupts exercising, and I feel self-conscious about my little black phone powered by a monthly plan, since I can’t use my old Iphone because it is too expensive. Advise: If you are judging my obviously idiotic insecurities, please come and live in San Francisco or in Silicon Valley for a while; you’ll know what I am talking about.
One hour and many A la San Francisco people and their dogs later, I go back home. Not mine, of course. I am renting a room in the house of a wonderful guy who happens to be gay, Latino, and extremely sweet. When I say that I rent a room, by the way, my family in Mexico faints and dismay thinking I am poor –they just do not get that I am part of the “Sharing Economy.”
As I am writing this, I look across the table with a view, and I see my housemate drawing. We are together and disconnected. I respect his space and he respects mine, but not his female cat, a gorgeous yellow-eyed canine princess who loves walking above and around my computer!
- Dare to say anything nor reprimand a pet in San Francisco.
I better hurry up, finish this, go to Open World, and let my dark side thinking rest in peace for a while –Debbie Ford would be proud of me for letting out today, and Dr. Oz happy that I am finally on my way to running again.
Wait. My Open World ticket does not include access to the concert at Treasure Island! It is tonight, and Oracle is going out of its way to make geekies, techies, and surrounding types openly happy and excited.
Open World is a closed world after all. San Francisco can be like that sometimes.
Lupita Peimbert wrote this blog entry in September 2013, and did not care to attend Oracle’s Open World in 2014; she did go to Marketo and Salesforce’s yearly events. ;-).
Lupitanews.com 