I just got back from my vacation yesterday. It was good to see my
friend
Sheldon again. This time I went to see him in his native
California.
Monday
I was up all night Sunday and all morning on Monday the 23rd until
5am when the cab came to pick me up. I quickly stuffed my case with
what I thought I needed, and rushed out. The plane
was full but left on time. I made it to a connecting flight at
Minneapolis, and landed at San Jose at 1:37, 1 minute late.
Sheldon was there waiting to pick me up.
The place was definitely different from Boston. For one thing I
could see mountains and palm trees. We drove off and started
chatting immediately. Went to lunch. Talked about what he's been up to
lately and what was new in my life. We dropped by his father's house
and met his grandmother. She tried to give him food
to take back just like my grandmother would do. He tried his best
diplomacy and we were able to leave with only a big salmon steak. We hung around his house and then ate out and
just drove around.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, we went shopping. I got myself hiking shoes.
The best part of the day however was the arcade. We played
battletech. Each player had their own pod with screen, joystick,
throttle, and status displays. Each player could choose their own tech
depending on preferences. The status displays were actually fully
functional in the advanced mode. We played for about five
sessions. After each, a player received their individual report of
the battle. Fun as sin. It seems I had kept damaging his leg so his
tech was actually limping along on one leg! That was cool. he he cool,
he he. We had hot dog on a stick for lunch. Weird food. Basically a
hot dog on a stick with a thin layer of fried dough on
it. Apparently the chain has been around since the 50's and they seem
to be famous for their lemonade. Go figure. The employees wear bright
read and yellow uniforms and use a pogo stick like instrument to make
the lemonade. So they jump up and down on these buckets full of lemon,
attracting attention.
Anyway ... Later on we received a surprise call from
my roommate, he was already in San Jose, today instead of Wednesday. So
went and picked him up. We hooked up with Sheldon's best friend Rich.
We ate out that evening. Drove around tech row. Passing by tech companies
the likes of HP, Sun, SGI, Netscape etc. We noticed that 2 out
of the 3 Netscape buildings were empty.
Wednesday
Went to the mall again. Played more of battletech. Blew each other
up. Later we all went to San Francisco, dropped off my roommate
there. Tried to get into the Bruce Lee exhibit but it was closed. We
left my roommate in San Francisco to meet some friends. Spent a rather
mellow evening. Was good.
Thursday
Had a good lunch at an Asian restaurant. Headed out to San Francisco
again and got to see the Bruce Lee exhibit. The exhibit was not
large but did a good job of presenting the martial arts flick
pioneer. The gloves and 2 sets of clothes used in the
Enter the Dragon
were on display as well as some letters were. Including one sent to a producer
pitching for Enter the Dragon. Some notes on philosophy were there as
well. He was quite the thinker. Very contemporary and willing to
throw out old ways if they no longer made any sense. Despite his
rather traditional Wing Chun kung-fu training he crossed many
martial arts. Really cool guy. I've always wondered what he would be
like if still alive. One of those what ifs.
Friday
My last day. Woke up. Me, Rich, Sheldon and my roomate Dave, headed out
to Apple. Rich's connection there got us in as visitors and had
lunch in the cafeteria. Did not see the rest of the buildings
however. Lots of large Think Different
posters hanging from windows and buildings. The cafe had quite a few
selections, including freshly made pizza. We left Rich at the Apple campus.
The rest of us just drove around. Went thru Palo Alto and used a public toilet
there. To top the day off, we went hiking. This was cool. We drove
high up the mountain as dusk was settling in. We were in a fog as
Sheldon drove us to a popular spot. It had a large boulder overlooking
the mountain side and onto the valley. We climbed it and sat and took
in the view. Nothing was visible at first but the fog slowly
lifted. One by one the street lights became visible, the shape of the
bay came into view and the whole place came alive. The darkness was
almost completely upon us. I looked back towards the mountain and
could see the clouds rolling over the top and down the side. The trees
were hidden by the mist. It was beautiful and somewhat eerie in the
darkness. We could see several lonely cars making their way up the
mountain roads. It was awesome. I asked to stay longer and take it all in.
We finally left and found a nice little Asian restaurant. After dinner
we headed home. My plane was leaving around 6:45 am and I stayed up
until 5. Sheldon drove me to the airport. On the way over we stopped
by a hilly side of the town and stared at the stars. The sky was clear
and full of jewels. I headed back to Boston on Saturday and unwound
the rest of the day.
Sunday
Hung out with masukomi and had fun. Nice way to top off the
week. She had just had the last week at work, and we went back to pick
up some of the rest of her stuff she had left.
Sheldon is a really cool guy. I've known him since my
BU days,
after meeting him at the kung-fu club. He's one of those rare people
that I just have to be friends with and hang out. They have a good
soul, they're honest, care about the people around them, and just
great to talk to. I like the way they look at life and listen to
the things they've learned.
There is something cool about them in just the right way. Thanks Sheldon.