REUNION, DAY ONE
I woke up excited today since I will be meeting a cousin whom I haven't seen in 48+ years--which is practically half-a-century's length of time! I will be meeting them in San Francisco, CA, since he and his family and I will be staying for the reunion at the Grant Plaza Hotel.
But, first, I had to go to a bank, BofA, to withdraw some money for expenses. I went to the Sonoma Boulevard branch here in Vallejo, CA. When I stepped in and saw the long line, I remembered why I usually try to avoid coming here.
I got back home to do some last-minute packing. When I looked at my watch, I realized that I would have to hustle on down to the bus stop in order to catch the 12:15 p.m. bus.
I stepped-out of my condo and into the rain. I had with me a backpack and a duffle bag; and they were quite heavy, about 25 pounds ( 11.34 kg ) total weight. And I had to run with them, the backpack on my back, the duffle bag in my right hand and an umbrella in my left hand. By the time I got to the bus stop just two blocks away, I was practically out of breath--but I got there just in the nick of time. ( I really gotta get back in shape. But I don't envy the military recruits who have to do endurance training with a 50-pound [ 22.68 kg ] backpack strapped to their backs! )
When the bus stopped at the transfer station, I missed the # 80 bus that would have taken me to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART Station because the driver didn't wait for me and because I couldn't run anymore since my thighs and my shins were aching from my running earlier with the extra load! ( Yup, I really gotta get back in shape. ) I had to wait a half-hour to catch the next bus. But, at least, I got to use the transfer station's facilities to empty my bladder. While I sat at the bench waiting for the next bus, I called the hotel to see if my cousin and his family had already checked-in. They hadn't yet.
I got on the next # 80 bus and, a few minutes later, some old man asked me if I would like to take a survey on the transit line's service. I declined. In retrospect, though, I should have taken the survey to give them a piece of my mind for leaving me behind!
Before the # 80 bus could merge with the freeway, it stopped short of the on-ramp because one of the back seats was loose and the driver had to secure it in place.
I got off at the Montgomery BART Station here in San Francisco, barely able to walk. To make matters worse, the top escalator was out of order and I had to climb up the stairs to the street level--and I still had five or six blocks to go.
I stopped by a 7-Eleven to buy some stuff and, more importantly, to give my legs a rest!
Then, I went to the Posh Bagel Shop across the street to buy a health smoothie and an egg to snack on while my legs were resting. There was an old Chinese lady with bags standing in the doorway and looking at the menu pictures on the store front window. I said, Excuse me, four times before she finally realized that there was someone behind her who couldn't get inside because she was blocking the way. She must have some serious hearing problem and the buzzing and ringing in her ears are way louder than the ones in mine! I called the hotel once again to see if my cousin and his family had already arrived. According to the front desk clerk, they hadn't yet.
And then it was time for me to do a slow and painful walk up the slight incline to get to the hotel three blocks away.
I checked-in at the front desk and asked once again if my cousin and his family had already arrived. It was about 3:30 p.m. by then. The front desk lady said that someone had asked about me twice. I said that it was I who called and that she had mistaken me for my cousin because we have the same last name.
I went into my assigned room ( on the 4th floor this time around, room 402 ) and waited. And, to kill time, I finished my blog on 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE. I checked my watch. Then I private messaged my brother and sisters to let them know that I was still waiting for our cousin and his family to arrive. And, later, I private messaged them again to say that since today is April Fool's Day that perhaps our cousin pulled a prank on me! I said to myself that I should have checked-in tomorrow, instead.
When I checked the local movie listings on Fandango, I found out that 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE in 3-D is being shown at the AMC METREON. And I had enough time to catch the 7:05 p.m. show. So, I put on my jacket, put on a knit cap because it was unseasonably cold outside and fetched my umbrella before I stepped out of my room.
I got down to the lobby and asked the front desk lady once again if my cousin and his family had already arrived. She called my cousin's room and handed the phone to me. As it turned out, they had checked-in at 2:30 p.m. and were just resting-up because they were still jet-lagged. The Chinese front desk lady and I obviously had some communication problem going on!
My cousin came to my room and we chatted for a while. I also called my sister in Michigan so that they could talk to each other.
At 8:30 p.m., we went on our way to Chinatown to have dinner at a restaurant, the Far East Cafe. Each of us had an umbrella in hand which I brought with me in anticipation of the rainy weather.
After dinner, we walked to the 7-Eleven so that they could buy some bottled water and some snacks.
Tomorrow, after my doctor's appointment, we will go to Fisherman's Wharf via cable car, weather permitting. And I hope that my legs will feel better by then. I really, truly hope that it will not rain tomorrow so that we can go to the wharf were I can amuse myself by using my mini laser pointer to fool the pigeons that flock in the area! I hope that this won't count against me, though, Karmic Merit-wise. Shhh, don't tell my Yogi; I know I won't.
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The 7-Eleven Bottled Water and the VitaminWaters ( XXX and Energy ) that you see above are the ones I bought at the 7-Eleven near the corner of Sutter and Kearney Streets. The green bag that you see is what I had to buy to put my purchase in because there was absolutely no room anymore for them in either of my bags. The Naked Acai Machine is what I bought at the Posh Bagel Shop across the street from the 7-Eleven but nearer to Grant Avenue.
You can see my jacket, duffle bag and backpack on my hotel bed up above.
As you can see, I put my Acer C7 Google Chromebook in front of the TV on the nightstand because there is no electrical outlet anywhere near the desk! There is no Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer, by the way--or any other Bible. I wonder why ...?
The above picture is of my cousin and his wife and three daughters. His son decided to stay in the Philippines instead of going on this trip with the rest of the family because of his previous academic obligation. This picture didn't come out clear. And I blame it all on my camera which takes lousy nightime pictures. My camera better redeem itself tomorrow in the daytime!
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