05.07.12 - An Orthodox Evening

Another slow morning, I don’t know where the time goes! Actually I was finishing off my article about Hotel Frank and sending it for approval to the editor. Second time lucky!

I cycled down to the de Young Museum which is in the park. There were some interesting photographs, some modern glass art which I love and 20th century American art which I never quite
think hits the mark. The rest of the museum is ‘ethnic’ art and artifacts which also doesn’t really float my boat so it was a short visit but I am prone to earl onset of museum fatigue so I didn’t mind. I spent the afternoon in the Velo Rouge writing my diary and, as always, looking for inspiration for stories.

As this is going to be a short entry I will include observations that I have not included already...
1. Americans do not cheek kiss as a greeting they do a tentative, one armed hug instead.
2. American newspapers are a different shape; longer and thinner than in the UK.
3. The announcements on the bus in SF are in English, Chinese and then Spanish because there is such a large Chinese population here.
4. I am nearly used to the bums; although disconcerting they are not aggressive. Most of them are too off their faces to be violent. SF is particularly appealing to bums because of the weather; never too hot and never too cold.
5. The SF fog is cold and wet, you can see it rolling down the streets and the moisture sticks to the trees and then drops making the pavement wet. From my house I can hear the fog horns, I have heard two distinct horns so far.
6. I have cooked scrambled egg, poached egg and ravioli in the microwave.

At 6pm I went to Vespers at the Russian Orthodox church. I arrived early so I had a beer at the dive bar next door, another typical dark bar, sports on the TV, juke box on the wall. As is now becoming normal I got chatting to a middle aged man, this time he was from Ireland although he had been here for a couple of decades. He worked in the construction industry and had an accent thick enough to confuse the Americans. His parting comment was ‘Tell the truth like they do on the Russian Times and Al Jazeera, like they used to on the BBC.’ Well I wasn’t expecting that from a paddy labourer, I shouldn’t be such a cultural snob.

The Russian church was quite small but beautiful and every inch covered in paintings of saints and the holy family. There weren’t many people there and initially I felt a bit conspicuous but I just love the chanting and the smells and bells and the way people walk in and out when they like, light candles and kiss icons as and when. The chanting was piped back from behind the screens and the priests came in and out of doors as if they were performing a slap stick routine. When they started chanting in English it rather took the romance away, it’s much better when you can’t understand what they’re saying.

I cycled back with a bottle of sparkling California wine to placate Sandra. I had asked her if it was ok for my female friend to come and stay over the weekend, it was really just a polite notification, I didn’t think that she would kick up a fuss. She is usually really kind and leaves me little gifts but she can be a little fussy and I have been told off for leaving the light on and not cleaning the surfaces properly so maybe I should have guessed that she would have a problem with it. In her reply email she said that she had specified that it was a single occupancy room (my friend is staying for two nights!), she doesn’t like having more people in the house and that because amenities are so expensive in SF she will have to charge her $75! What a cheek. I thought that she could just have so, OK for this one time but not again. And $75?! Despite this we had a very nice chat, she is fun and lively but way too attached to the dog which she admits is like her baby. She has only left her for one day in the past 3 and a half years.