Woohoo!!!

Bay Bridge Freedom Tower. My commute is one of the main features of my life right now. There's no public transportation to work. Driving morning and night is not boring, though. It's tiring, but it's not boring, and I listen to a hell of a lot of NPR. I think I've heard at least four clips of George W Bush saying phrases such as "faith-based initiatives" and "that ain't right," and five clips of Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about "bipartisan budget" and the cost of public transportation. (Yes they are raising the cost of toll starting in 2007 on every bridge to pay for the 3 BILLION dollar OVER BUDGET "pretty bridge" that'll be replacing the Bay Bridge).

This is my typical route: I get onto Highway 24 to Oakland which merges onto 580 to SF which turns into a big clog of a toll (Fastrak lane does NOT necessarily move any faster than the other ones -- the secret is to squeeze through the lanes and merge towards the front). After I spend like 25 minutes crossing the toll and the Bay Bridge, I'm on the 101 south to San Jose, switching over to 280, and then it gets gorgeously scenic. It's one of those highways that has a logo of a poppy flower on the signs, which in California means pretty nature. After a long, winding road through the woods and past valley lakes, it's off to 85.

It's stunning to see a fog cloud hovering over the hills, and morning sunlight shining straight onto the faces of pastel houses on Glen Park and SSF, while careening 80 mph around a concrete wall, laughing at the fools on the other side of the freeway who are stuck in traffic. Stunning. Well, besides the traffic, it makes me realize that the Bay Area is a really beautiful place. East Bay, SF, Peninsula ... even South Bay! (I never thought I would say that about South Bay). The topography, the weather, the variety of everything ... things I've really taken for granted.

So, it's a little over an hour of lots of exciting dodging, speeding, bumper-to-bumper traffic, racing old dudes in expensive roadsters, listening to NPR and/or 98.1 KSFM "funk-and-old-school," and so many vast landscapes -- sea, field, forest, skyscrapers, dense suburbs. It beats the tunnel. Not to say that I like or encourage long single-person car commuting. Or driving at all for that matter. Just trying to look for the silver lining ...

But it also means lately I've been going to sleep at 9 PM. Wah!

---

New apartment prospects: we found a loft in the heart of the Mission for more than I was expecting to pay, but I am still looking for places 700+ sq ft in Lower Haight, Hayes Valley, Inner Mission. Preferably $1800/month including parking ... but I think that's gonna be a rare find.

On a happy note, I'm getting a new Wacom tablet! HEART!