yesterday in Berkeley

Yesterday Erik's project scored out before lunch. I was set for a day of writing and was working on something autobiographical and difficult. When he came home, it was hard for me to tear myself out of writing-world and come back to reality. But I did, and we took a shower and went to Berkeley!

First we went to lunch at an Indian-Pak place that used to be called Naan and Curry but which is now called House of Curries. We had paneer tikka masala and bengan bartha and four rotis, if you can believe that. It was delicious, and the food and people are the same though the name changed.

Then we went to the fair trade store so I could look for stationary. I found a little. And then we went to the stationary store Papyrus where I browsed to my heart's content and listened to an employee get busted by her superior, I think for using her cell phone on the job. It was difficult yet sickly interesting to listen to (like a car wreck).

I bought some stationary I had wanted for two years that is now on clearance half off! It's this very nice German stuff, oh just lovely, the nicest.

Then we went to ACME and got some of the finest bread on the planet. Whole wheat seed, olive, which are our usual, and an apple turnover and a cheese roll. We had the apple turnover and cheese roll for breakfast this morning, and they're just first-rate. There could not be better.

Then we went to the postie and I sent some stuff. And then we went to the Berkeley Zen Center so Erik could sit and attend service. I stayed in the car reading zines and a book I got in the mail....

Then we went to the marina and walked on the pier. There were tons of people fishing. It was beautiful and romantic, depite the litter of small fish heads everywhere. It was sort of an art walk because there's some awesome graffiti there. At the end of the pier, we looked out at the remnants of the old pier, and we looked at San Francisco's skyline across the water.

"You got snagged in some line," a fisherman said to us as we walked away.

We looked down, and Erik saw fishing line around his ankle. "Thank you," he said, and disentangled himself.

"I'm going to have to tell those people they caught something," the fisherman said. We laughed. He was really nice, although he looked like a tough character. Those are some tough-looking fisherpeople there generally. I don't like crowds, but walking a pier is my exception because these are good people to be among, and there's nothing like being above the water and staring out to the seals, the hypnotic motions of the water, the finiteness of the path of the pier.

Then we walked more and sat on the bench by the water and enjoyed the mini-waves as they lapped on the shore. It was romantic, I snuggled Erik, and I felt so happy.

Then we headed back toward College but got seriously lost near the university, which I enjoyed very much because I love Berkeley, and getting lost allowed me to just look around like a little tour without the irritating narration.

Finally we made it back to College and ate at House of Curries again. The food was perfect. We were reasonable and only got three rotis that time.

"You were here for lunch too," the worker said.

"We always do that!" I said.

"We live in Sacramento," Erik said. "When we come to Berkeley, we always eat here twice."

"Well then you deserve a discount," the worker said. We laughed, and he knocked our bill down to $20. What a nice guy! He's the boss but not the big boss. Young, with an interesting wide leather bracelet.

"Did you change your name?" I asked, and he explained how they were part of the franchise, but the family wanted them out of the franchise. And he told me they opened a new restaurant on Durrant.

Driving home we talked excitedly. It got steadily warmer as we headed east. It was 11 pm and 91 degrees out when we got to Sacramento, just miserable. Erik said how a cool night is supposed to be your reward for making it through the hot day, and the heat wasn't fair.

It was expensive in gas, but I'm so glad we went to Berkeley for the afternoon and evening, and my love of Berkeley is renewed as strong as ever. It was a perfect use of the longest day of the year.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, today is supposed to be 106--pray for me!