Sunday, May 20, 2012

Danny and I had a walking tour planned for today but we realized at the last minute that today's Bay to Breakers event would make that difficult, so we postponed it. Purchased a gift. Followup with seamless.com about why they trim reviews to 2,049 characters without warning. I reported the problem on April 7 and got a prompt reply from Moni L: "Thanks for writing to us. My colleges and I have absolutely no explanation for the reviews character limit. Since this is something we do not deal with on a consistent basis or any basis really - What I'd like to do is forward your request to our Partner Relations Team so we can get an explanation. I hate to pass the buck, but I want to ensure your concerns are resolved in an appropriate and timely manner with the appropriate department." I never heard back. Breakfast: leftover veggie stir-fry with brown rice. Clothes shopping by myself in Union Square, visited lots of stores but bought only underwear at the boys department of H&M: 3 for $12.95 before tax. Tried to catch a subway train to the Castro but waited over 6 minutes for trains that were supposed to arrive in 2 and 4 minutes. Surfaced, waited 17 minutes for an F and took that instead. Late lunch by myself at Super Duper: veggie burger with cheddar cheese, fries, organic iced tea: $9.40. Got a beverage at Peet's: medium chai tea latte: I think this was $3 and something cents. Stopped at Hot Cookie: one small snickerdoodle, one small chocolate chip: $1. Other errands: CR2032 batteries for Spoke-Lit at Walgreens ($19.51), Kleenex for Patrick at Mollie Stones on 18th Street (about $3). While I was people-watching at Market and Castro Street a bicyclist fell, not exactly sure how—perhaps the Muni tracks? She fell and lay in the middle of the intersection across the old Muni tracks. Another bystander and I approached her and determined that she wasn't bleeding, but her ankle looked severely swollen, and she was in a lot of pain, complaining frequently. I called 911 and reported it. Another bystander came by and offered to run to 440 to bring the friend she had been planning to meet. A few others stopped to help. One bicyclist turned his bike upside down in view of oncoming traffic, and later I vaguely recalled this being a symbol to indicate a bicyclist down. Someone secured a makeshift ice pack probably from a nearby bar. A motorcyclist stopped and parked in the intersection to provide more of a visual indication to drivers that a problem had occurred. Her friend arrived from 440 and consoled her. While we waited she mentioned that she was planning to ride in the forthcoming AIDS Lifecycle. It seemed like longer, but the paramedic team arrived in maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Medics placed her on a gurney and took her away in the ambulance. Someone took care of her bike. I hope she'll be okay. I was a bit unnerved by the event, and after taking a few minutes for myself I rode an L train home. Walking between the L stop and home today's solar eclipse peaked. I wasn't prepared for viewing it, and I did not see anything particularly spectacular. I couldn't tell the sky had darkened, perhaps because it's the Sunset and when fog rolls in the sky darkens, and this happens so frequently that an eclipse would appear to be no different. After a bit Patrick returned home from an afternoon spent with Aaron in Oakland petsitting a pomeranian and housesitting.