Organic Mutant

Moula siteseeing in SF

I spent many years oh my life without ever taking a daytime nap. It wasn’t that long ago when I sincerely felt that the idea of a mid-day nap was an unnecessary indulgence. Today, that notion seems pretty silly. In fact for the past two weeks, I’ve taken a nap almost every day. Of course I have excellent justifications for this nadir of nodding. Between work, which has been very demanding, an intensification of my gym routine, and travel, I’ve been pushing myself hard (while awake). And there’s another factor which can’t be avoided: I am aging. Gettin’ older. Not a spring chicken anymore. (Can’t take that string much further before I’ll be forced to use terminology I’d rather avoid.)

Anywho, after springing into 2009 with a blaze of energy and a sense of mission, the first two weeks of February seemed to have been a payback of sorts. Not that I am discouraged, but I do have the sense that my brain and body, while stimulated by my January flurries, were maybe a little fatigued from them as well. So now what?

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The Cities by the Bays

I love the Bay Area.  I’ve been living in San Francisco for almost 7 years. Before that, I was in San Diego for one year, and before that I’d been in Berkeley and Oakland (mostly) since I started college at Cal back in the early 90s (HFS). I grew up in San Jose, and loved everything about that experience. Aside from my two short stints in San Diego (the other one was when my family relocated in the middle of my high school tenure) I’ve never lived anywhere else. I loved San Jose, I am a huge fan of Berkely and Oakland (hills, mainly), and I’ve always been thrilled to live in San Francisco.

For those of us who make “normal” amounts of money, living in The City demands some concessions. Rent (or a mortgage, if you can swing it) is very expensive. Yards are rare, as are single family homes and even garages. The weather tends to be a bit chilly. And in my case, living here places me pretty far from my family, with whom I share a wonderful relationship, and whom I miss dearly.

If city living exacts all these tolls, why do I live here? The list of reasons is long. I love the non-car-centric lifestyle. For years now, I’ve walked to work. This means I don’t drive to work! (unless I want to). My workday starts and ends with a mile and a half walk through the heart of the city. My gym bisects the walk, a perfect location for me. At lunch, I walk to one of a handful of favorite spots. At night, I can cab, bus, or drive to the bar, museum, gallery, or friend’s house. Weekend visits to Fillmore street entail a three block walk, and two great movie complexes are within a 10 minute walk.

The Polk, Marina, and North Beach are all short cab rides away. Shopping, hanging at a café, or people watching in any of a multitude of neighborhoods is always an option. And, I’ve become a regular beach-goer during the summer months, ever since I discovered the amazing weather at Baker Beach.

Equally important to the geography and cityscape, I have some wonderful friends who live in SF and the Bay Area, with whom I’ve developed longstanding, meaningful relationships. And I’m always meeting new amazing new people in this city. It is full of talented, engaging, creative people, so many of whom are working hard to create value, and change the world. Meeting them and spending time with them enriches my life. Also, San Francisco is the cultural center of high technology, and I’ve been fortunate to establish my design career here.

Yet, the tug of San Diego pulls at my heart. My family lives there, and probably always will. I want to spend time with them. San Diego is a great city, with a diverse geography and some good restaurants, beautiful beaches, and amazing weather. It has a vibrant music and arts scene. And I guess I could maybe find a job there, possibly. Probably. The walking life would be a thing of the past. I’d have to make new friends – I don’t really have any in San Diego.

On the other hand, maybe I could start surfing again. And maybe I’d enjoy living in a smaller city, with fewer options and less action. Maybe I’d get in touch with the young boy who grew up in the suburbs and loved it. Maybe living on a quiet street in a tract home would be … grounding? But most of all, I’d be close to my family, and get to enjoy those little moments that are lost when you live 500 miles apart.