why i love berkeley

i think about moving. to san francisco, to mountain view, or anywhere in between that would be closer to work. when i started working full-time i thought i'd last six months before i threw in the towel. almost three years later i'm still not ready. (and i've started acquiring heavy furniture.)

one morning last week i set out from home at 6am and ran up into the Berkeley hills. on my way down i stopped to take in the sunrise reflecting off the buildings in San Francisco. beautiful. i ran down the hill to Peet's (the original) and while in line i discovered that i had dropped my $20 bill. i muttered "darn" under my breath and started to leave the line when the woman behind me stopped me. "I'll buy it for you, whatever you want." she explained that she hadn't been running all week and this would make her feel less guilty. plus she knows what it's like to want something right after a run. i was incredulous and grateful. i got a maple scone. she never introduced herself, but i heard her give her name to the cashier for her drink. thank you, Emily. i'll pay it forward, i'm good for it.

sometimes it's little things that make me love this wacky place. after sunset tonight i went for a walk in the hills up to the rose garden, and after looking out over the last light in the cloudy sky, i headed toward home. as i walked down Shattuck, i passed the woman who sits on the sidewalk outside of Epicurious Garden chatting with the sushi chef from Kirala. i walked past the open windows of the Indian restaurant/salsa club/wine bar and briefly enjoyed the xylophone performance going on inside. then past the lively open windows of Cesar, the favorite haunt of some Berkeley professors and the place where i had a lovely martini last night. i picked up some Thai soup for a late dinner, and then i swung through the grocery store where i struck up a short conversation with the cashier while he rang me up. as i was about to leave he looked me in the eyes and said earnestly, "it was nice to see you".

i grew up an Air Force brat, moving around every few years, and now i have lived longer in Berkeley than anywhere else. maybe it's hard to leave because i really know this place, it feels familiar, and i love it for all its idiosyncrasies. it's home.