And then there was 1…

My apartment is empty again…Friday, the last of the three Wisconsites left to go home. Four of them total, stayed with me for a week and after a while, it just felt normal. Normal, in California. We started to become more like brothers and sisters. Fun was had and quirks came out. Unfortunately, I did have to work the whole week, but I was very proud of how self sufficient they were. They went wine tasting, hung out on the beach, and toured the sites of San Francisco. I took them to local spots – San Jose’s version of cheers (O'Flaherty's), my office, SCU, local restaurants, and of course the resident San Francisco Gender Illusionist bar, Asia SF. I think it’s been a long time since any of us have ever danced that much!

Each visitor is now to either visit again in June or move to the bay area or both. I can’t take much credit for that though. Sure I gave them a free place to stay. But even after the horrible weather they experienced (horrible for California standards…), it was the charm of San Francisco they fell in love with. And, it was awesome to see the bay through their eyes. I know why I moved away, it was a good, important, personal reason, but they reminded me of the things that I always took for granted. And, I think that many Californians can take this area for granted – getting lost in the high cost of living and well, work to pay for the high cost of living.

In memorandum…

-Paul’s morning greeting to me (while he’s half asleep and I’m leaving for work bright and early in the morning…)… “Make lots of money!!”
-Ryan’s fascination for palm trees. And, whoa… “I’m a minority here”
-Benko’s fascination for everything. And ultimately the realization of why I was so miserable in Wisconsin.
-Luc’s need to wake up early and write a short story. And his observation that ‘everything looks like a movie set around here.’
-Northern California…is not LA, thank goodness…otherwise I don’t think their view of California would have been so positive.
-Real Mexican food…and well, real Mexicans…and Indians, and Asians, etc…
-Each helped the retail economy by buying clothes they couldn’t afford.
-Union square at Hotel Diva… “view or quiet? the room with the view, please.” Yeah, if by view you mean a small window looking over the stairwell, then yeah, view.