I had such a terrific day with my mother today. We met up at the Powell Street cable car turnaround (our usual spot). On my way down Powell Street to meet Mom, I watched the cable cars depart the turnaround and head north toward the wharf. I don’t know why I’d never noticed this before, as many gazillion times as I’ve walked that stretch of sidewalk, but all the people sitting inside, hanging off of, each cable car look so damn happy. I mean it. It’s really a beautiful thing if you think about it. For so many people, this is a dream destination, a place that one honeymoons, that one saves up for to have that once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Next time I’m feeling cynical about this old place we call home, I’m just going to go down to Powell Street and watch the cable car clingers with their beatific smiles.

Back to the world of the mundane. Wasn’t the weather schizophrenic today? I didn’t know whether to open my umbrella or slather on the sunscreen at any given moment.

Mom and I lunched on scrumptious dim sum at City View Restaurant on Commercial Street, a little alley off of Montgomery in between Sacramento and Clay. I thought it was awesome dim sum, nearly on a par with the stellar Yank Sing. My mother eats like a bird so for each bamboo steamer with a threesome of nibbles nestled inside, I scored two, tiny Mom, only one. Works for me! Even better, including tax, title and license, the whole bill came to $21. I was shocked to pay so little for such fabulous food.

Our afternoon’s post-prandial entertainment was bowling, at Yerba Buena Center. I’d never been there (for the bowling option) and was pleased to learn how cheap it is (at least during the work day). Mom and I rented shoes and bowled two games, all for $20. (Can you tell by my logging of dollars and cents that I’m currently unemployed?) I was thrilled to see my score increase from game 1 (50) to game 2 (55). Poor Mom. She slid from a mighty 62 (I wish!) to a lowly 50. We’ve both resolved to aim high, for breaking 100, some day.

It was such a pleasant day about town that I came home and started thinking, should I go to Glide Memorial or First Unitarian for a service tomorrow? Then I realized, the weekend has barely arrived. Hallelujah!

Happy weekend, y’all.