29 September 2014

The A's

This afternoon, I observed a young man wearing a shirt which resembled one for the Oakland Athletics ("the A's" as locals say) which actually read "Atheists."

Hayes & Kebab

I've never been in a restaurant on its last day before. The evening of September 28 at Hayes & Kebab was unique in my experience. A string quartet played, and innumerable customers queued up for falafel wraps and adana kebabs and who-knows-what-else. Wine flowed, hands were shaken, and even the Sheriff, Ross Mirkarimi, appeared, with his wife and kid. Hayes Valley was in his district, when he was a Supervisor. He said that as a Persian, he had common ancestry with the owners of Hayes & Kebab. He remarked that there will be a restaurant in the new space, when the building is completed, but it is not clear that Hayes & Kebab will be the new tenant. I've never been in a restaurant so loved, whose departure was so regretted. I wish the owners and staff all the best, in the uncertain months ahead.

Endarkenment

Endarkenment: a word of the novelist David Mitchell, to describe a dystopian future in his novel 'The Bone Clocks.'

Zen

At The Cove Thursday afternoon, a diner wore a T-shirt which read, "That was Zen. This is Now!"

Bibliohead

Bibliohead Bookstore has been packed up, ready for shipping. Next week, Hayes & Kebab will close. Hayes Valley is disappearing before my eyes. The condo boom and techie money are sweeping all before them. Sic transit.

13 September 2014

Walkers

While I was out for my daily walk, I passed a young man whose T-shirt read, "All my friends are walkers!" I learned subsequently that in current slang, "walkers" are "zombies!"