City Life

I've spent the last few days readjusting to City life again after camping in the forest (btw, I kinda felt like an Ewok, all camped out in the middle of a redwood grove--like I was on the forest moon of Endor). I don't think I'm re-adjusting as well as H., my partner, who jumped right back into the noise and heat of the City (what is up with this crazy heat wave, peoples! It's fuckin' 80 degrees in San Francisco!). Maybe I'm more of a hippie at heart than even I thought possible, or maybe City life is just not all it's cracked up to be.

I have this ear condition that's been bothering me for the past year or so, ever since I got a weird ear infection that was so painful that I actually took antibiotics for it (I'm not a big fan of Western medicine and rarely take their pills, so you know it was bad). Not a smart move. Ever since then, I've had recurring ear pain and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) that gets especially worse when I'm out and about in the City all day, hearing Muni buses roaring down the street two feet in front of me, cars honking in rush hour traffic, people talking loudly on BART, etc. The doctors say my hearing is excellent, and that there's nothing wrong with me, but this pain persists and I can ever hear internally sometimes--as in, I can hear my blood beating inside my body. A nice metaphor for this period of introspection in my life, but kind of a pain in the ass.

All the noise that is part of City living is a big reason I'm having a hard time re-adjusting. After almost 4 days in the peace and quiet of the redwood groves, where the only sounds you hear in the daytime are ravens squawking here and there and birds hopping around looking for food among the fallen leaves, the urban din assaulting my being is at times almost deafening. Having lived in Oakland--which, despite its 'Boyz in the Hood' reputation, is much more tree-filled and a lot quieter than Frisco--for most of the past 13 years, I long for a slower, less hectic urban environment.

Or maybe I just want to be back amongst the redwoods, in my tent, surrounded by nature. I even made a s'more the other night to try to re-live my camping experience for a brief moment, but alas, it didn't taste as sweet. In fact, it tasted sterile and dry, like dust with chocolate.

But on a postive note, I did have some scrumptious Ethiopian food at Colucci's with L. and V. in Oakland the other night (the Segue Alicha is the bomb, if you eat beef)--and you can't grill that on a campfire stove, can ya? I guess there are some advantages to City life, after all.