quasify

1: Today’s the 4th of July and it looks like the entire city is having a barbeque in Golden Gate Park. The smell of smoke and mesquite and burning meat is overpowering. There are so many parties going on, people playing frisbee, drinking beer, smoking weed.

2.5: At Stow Lake. Maija and I came here yesterday – today I see a black and white husky being walked by some dude who looks like he couldn’t care less. I have a weird sensation of autonomic deja-vu.

4: At the Conservatory of Flowers. JFK Drive is closed to car traffic on the weekends – it’s much nicer like this. Little kids on wobbly bikes everywhere.

4.8: Dodging tourists by CAS & the DeYoung. Lots of people going to see King Tut today.

6.5: Passing the bison paddock. I see five today, all their bodies oriented North to South. I step into a tourist’s photo of his family & the beasts.

7.5: First euphoric episode trigged by Von Iva.

9: The sun has been threatening to come out, and now it has. This violates my agreement with the SF weather gods – the clouds agree to block out the sun during long runs and I in turn complain less about not seeing it other times.

10: At the turn around point for a small backtrack, also where I get off the bus for work. I see a hippie couple in yoga shirts, tie-died pants and an offspring on shoulder, and two girls carrying a bag of cold plums.

11.2: A sad lady is sitting smoking on her steps, with a black eye, checking her text messages. A tricked-out maroon & gray Rolls-Royce slides by.

12.4: This is a very large hill. Why is this on my route? At the top is a giant concrete reservoir that is going to be turned into a solar farm soon.

12.9: I’m approaching Pacheco, which I typically take down to Sunset. I see this Pirate-themed & longhorned art bus. Awesome. It belongs to the Jugtown Pirates.

14.6: For the first time I notice that there’s an Urban Farmers Store here, selling drip irrigation systems. This is the southmost part of my route.

16.7: I’m back to the park. A guy is selling crates of strawberries on the corner of 45th and Lincoln. In my mind’s eye he hands me some as I run by and we high-five.

18: By Ocean Beach. I don’t feel well, have found the wall again. I’ve decided to walk a minute before starting the last hill. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is playing. I would have had to admit some respect for Michael Bay if he had put this song on the Transformers soundtrack somehow.

19: Coming close to maximum elevation and my body is burning from my ankles upwards. I can’t feel my feet which I guess is a good thing. Bleeding from the chest but my shirt is red. The New Pornographers provide the last needed boost to get over the ridge at 42nd Ave.

19.5: Someone from a garage sale catches my eye and nods. I feel & surely look like hell, so I’m not sure if it’s an act of acknowledgment or pity.

20 + one block: Alive, in my lobby. Elevator, where is your slow self? It’s only two flights up. But I’ll wait.