¡Marianísima!

An old friend once called me a “chaos attractor,”which sticks years later because it is such an apt description.I can be in a crowd of people, and the wackadoo will come talk to me.Or on a BART train with plenty of seats and only a few people, the raving lunatic will come sit next to me and try to engage me in conversation.

Dad says that this is my aunt’s legacy, that in airports or anywhere, strangers would start talking to her and tell her their whole twisted life story.Yay, thanks.

As escape isn’t always possible (Transbay Tube, for instance), I’ve tried to come up with means for averting chaos.There’s the iPod, a book, avoidance of eye contact, feigning sleep.This weekend, on BART, the conductor came over the loudspeaker, “Bicycle riders are not allowed to have their bikes in the lead car.Please move your bicycle to any other car.”Suddenly, from somewhere behind me, a voice said, “That’s the way to tell them!”I giggled to myself, and kept on knitting.

Next thing I knew, Chaos disguised as a semi-homeless man was nearing my seat, and saying, “I think the conductor just needs to smoke some more marijuana.That would make her more amiable.Don’t you think that would make her more aim-ee-a-buhl, if she just smoked more marijuana?”The voice edged closer to me, and I could see Chaos moving into the seat directly in front of me.Argh!All I could think was, “Don’t look up.Keep knitting.”

My internal dialogue was something like this: “Purl four, knit eight, don’t look up.1-2-3-4, don’t look at crazy, he’s talking to the couple in front of him. 1-2-3-4.” I could see he was scruffy, could hear he was stoned (but, shockingly, more annoying than amiable), and could sense the discomfort of the poor couple he was talking to.He offered them pot and asked them how they become happy. When he said “I can tell you’re happy Irish people like myself,” my dialogue went from counting stitches to self-coaching, “Do not look up!If he sees your freckles and your Irish face, you’re doomed!Knit, dammit, just keep knitting.”I noticed he had a crusty homemade scarf on, and feared that he might see me knitting and engage me in the story of the scarf.

Instead, he started singing, “I’ve been riding down the road, trying to loosen my load…” and meandered off at the next stop.I held my breath through the “Doors are closing, please stand clear of the doors,” and joined in the collective sigh of relief as they closed behind him.

So, as I was channeling my grandma through my knitting, I managed for once to avoid her daughter’s knack for chaos-attraction!

When we got to the Embarcadero in the cold rain, late and without a camera, I declared last night’s Chinese New Year’s Treasure Hunt “better in theory.” But it was really fun.We started at Embarcadero, got our clue sheets and our map.The course boundaries were the financial district, NorthBeach, and Chinatown.It took the four of us (with two internet-connected cell phones) about an hour to decipher the clues and mark the points on the map…then the hunt really began.We weren’t really racing, but walked toward the first clues and generally found where we were going by following the hordes of other dorky people walking in the rain with Ziploc-covered maps and flashlights.Hey, at least we weren’t like the brain trust group in rat-decorated hazmat suits and k’nex headgear.

After finding the 10^th of 17 clues (a “bienvenidos” sign on a doorway in an alley in NorthBeach), we decided “That’s good enough.”Besides, we were in the culinary center of San Francisco, and hungry.We wandered around a bit, until seduced into the Trattoria Volare Caffe with free bruschetta and the promise of homemade pastas.Yummy.

Eventually, we declared our annual mission: We will play, we will get all the clues, we will enjoy the process (no running!), we won’t worry about turning in the results, and we will wind up eating dinner in North Beach.

So, it was better than expected.And next year it will be even better yet, since we are going to have the following: clear skies, warmer temperatures, a team name, and a digital camera.

A better blogger always has a camera.

Last month, the sun set on my 30s. But as it did, I was watching the sunset in Hawaii, with a delicious mai tai in my hand and a great guy at my side. It really doesn’t get better than that.

While in Hawaii, Derek & I hiked: to a beach, to the green sands of South Point (but we arrived in the dark, so who’s to say if the sand was really green?), into a lava tube, and onto the crater floor of Kilauea Iki. We snorkeled near the Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay, which was, as one of our fellow snorkelers decreed, “like swimming in an aquarium.”I felt like a little kid, and my mask kept leaking because I couldn’t stop smiling.I could hear all my friends back home calling me “Water Baby,” which just made me laugh to myself, and break the seal on the mask yet again.

If you get the chance, go to the BigIsland. It rocks!

OK, I’m starting this blog that I’ve been threatening.

The questions I’ve been asked are “Why?” and “What are you going to write about?” The answers are “Why not?” and “Everything,” respectively. More specifically, this blog is my defense against all those well-intentioned friends and relatives who keep asking, “Why aren’t you writing?” It’s also me encouraging myself to write by making it public. It’s a journal, of sorts, and a way for people to know what’s going on with me. This will save my friends from the “intimate spam” of mass emails.

Sometimes, I’ll write about what’s going on in my life, or something I’ve seen or heard. Hopes, dreams, that sort of thing. Essays, writing samples, lists, poems, stories, song lyrics. I’ve just started writing a novel; I won’t be posting chapters here, but I may give updates on its hero, Eugene.

There may be some talk of knitting or weight loss efforts, but god forbid I should write exclusively about those topics.

I’m not going to promise to write every day. I know myself better than that. But I do promise to not let it die a premature death from neglect.

Finally, I would love to hear from you, so please post your comments or questions.