Night by Night

Let's be honest: it was one crappy week for me.

A job I'd tried very hard to get went to somebody else.

A class I was preparing to teach was canceled, when not enough students signed up.

Plus I was sick. And my kids were away on a trip with their Mom.

Even the first baseball game of the season was disappointing; the Giants appear to be on the verge of a terrible season.

My driving student's confidence was shaken when I got her into too demanding of a traffic situation, and we both felt bad afterward.

Plus, I was stressed all week that my daughter's hamster, Charlie Russell, who was staying here while she was away, would suddenly fall ill and die.

The two previous hamsters who've lived here, Little Flame and Sparkie, both died on my watch.

I hate burying hamsters.



But, the children returned, and somehow, I started feeling better. Charlie Russell survived, my illness subsided a bit today, and we pulled off an early 12th-birthday party for my youngest son.

Eight 12ish-year-olds in one flat in the Mission could drive a stronger soul than me to the brink of insanity.

But my little guy planned the whole thing, and went to Safeway with me to select the drinks and snacks. Not normally very talkative, he talked all the way.



As a parent, you always strive to help your kid be happy. It's natural. Mine finished his model truck today; his friend helped.

You see, my life is a very simple affair. Happiness can supplant sadness from some very simple developments. Today was such a day. My soccer players both had great games. The outcomes were 0-0 and 2-0.

Up top on this post, the apple tree is budding -- pink and white and green. The mystery of how fruit emerge captivates me as I stroll through my backyard.

Other beauties become visible: Along the side of the freeway, driving south into the valley tonight, a great white egret landed and posed for me. The light at dusk was indescribable. Every house and tree stood out, as if outlined by the sun.

Meyer lemons hung heavily like dripping kisses from the trees on the street where we parked and walked to the 60th birthday party of a friend, a man who was a leader of the Asian-American progressive movement that developed here in the '70s.

Remember the I-Hotel?

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