OK, I'm writing on batteries and a one-hour-only free internet connection at Farley's, so time is of the essence. Nothing like a deadline to get the fingers ticking away. I'm downright in love with this cafe now and can understand where its reputation springs forth from. Not only does it have the best latte in the land, the ambiance is unmatched: there's a rotating selection of art hanging on every bit of wall real estate; the patrons come from diverse backgrounds and social strata (an afro-sporting, mustachioed cop just got his morning coffee alongside the skate punk); and there's a detective agency directly across the street called "Golden Gun Investigations", just to name a few of the environmental features offered here. The staff also has apparently been secretly keeping track of my shirt and jacket selection this week because I just had a chat with the barista about the meaning of "neko ni shinju" and past phrases on my clothing. Staff chatting with their customers--even the new faces--and building community...that's the stuff this great city is made of.
I've made coming here part of my daily ritual after volunteering at the KQED offices and will be beside myself with sadness when the drive ends tomorrow night. Of course, to get into SF in time for the morning pledge shift means waking at AM 5:30, but you know, I'm actually starting to like it. And this is just the beginning of why my younger self would be incredulous about my activities these days.
I have, in retrospect, made some incredible lifestyle changes in the past few years. Starting in Japan when I was a student were the decisions to ride to school instead of taking the train, which turned out to be a catalyst for a healthy living ethic I've expanded on. It's my opinion that Americans--really, anybody from an industrialized nation that relies heavily on mechanized transport and industry--must make certain concessions of convenience in order to keep both themselves, their children, their society and their planet healthy. It's not hard, but it does at first run counter to conventional wisdom. I can go on for hours about the benefits of cycling and how there is a bike to fit everyone's needs and comfort zone, but everyone's tired of me blowing that horn so often and vociferously. There's also the Buy Local movement in respect to food and manufactured goods to reduce the energy it takes to transport XYZ product to the consumer. It turns out this is a critical step on the path towards energy independence, and one that hardly anybody--even those in the environmental movement--really think about. Consider it: if you buy an out-of-season strawberry and it has to come from South America, that single piece of fruit may cost hundreds of times its calorie cost in energy before it reaches your mouth. Staggering.
I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who feels guilt about these slights. All I know is that I feel fantastic after riding into Oakland or SF instead of driving, high off of farmer's market produce finds (I really need to visit the Berkeley one more often). Self-righteous? Perhaps. But I'm liking this side of the line just fine and the fringe benefits (for example, riding through 'hoods instead of zooming by in a coach allows one to become an expert on an area without living or even working there) can't be beat.
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