How Unlucky Can One Get?

Yesterday was the unluckiest day in my life!

I had a PTO yesterday (Friday, 3/28/25).  The sun came out and it looked like a pretty good day to relax.

Nope!  I logged into work to do some month-end stuff and ended up working the entire morning.  I was cool about it because work is work, and I still had half a day to myself.

Well, things went downhill in the afternoon.

I went grocery shopping and planned to be home early to make a nice dinner. I dropped my phone while scanning a discount code.  It dropped and landed on the bottom of the refrigerator that was full of lunch meat.  No problem, I will just pick it up.  But guess what?  My phone disappeared!!  Somehow, it just vanished right before my eyes!

I couldn't believe it. I removed all the lunch meat from where I dropped the phone to look for it.  IT WASN'T THERE!  Where can it be?  Could it fall through the grills and end up at the bottom of the refrigerator? I asked the Store Manager to help. She said there is no way to take apart the unit but she tried to pry it open to see inside.  Nope, the phone wasn't in there.  She then called my phone. It didn't ring! Oh My God!  That was the craziest thing ever.  How could the phone just disappear right in front of my eyes?

I ran home to use the "Find My Phone" to see if I could locate it.  The phone was offline.  So that meant someone had it and turned it off. How?  When?  Could it have been picked up while I was looking for the Store Manager?

I, of course, set the phone to LOST immediately and went to get a new phone (and the thought of $$$ flying away hurt).

Then guess what?  On my way to the Apple store, a car scraped my back fender while I waited at the light.   I got off the car and was pissed,  WHY NOW?

The guy first tried to deny scraping my car, then said he would pull over to exchange info.  We were in heavy traffic at the lights, and I didn't want to inconvenience others.  So I followed him.  When the light turned green, guess what?  He took off!!

I was so mad that I actually laughed out loud.  What a day!  What next?  Yes, I would have taken a photo of his car and license plate before moving my car. But, I DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE!!

Anyway, as sucky as it was, I went to the Apple store with a smile on my face.  The Apple guy was helpful and got me a new phone quickly.  However, he could not activate my phone because I have AT&T!!  He said, sorry, AT&T needs to active my phone number on the new phone,  He said there was an AT&T store two blocks down.  Two LONG blocks, I may add.  When I got there, guess what?  The AT&T store is closed permanently!  They moved!

Ugh!  What next? I took a deep breath and drove to another AT&T store. I told the AT&T guy that I had a very bad day and I needed him to make my day better.  He was empathetic and activated my phone without trying to sell me add-ons. Thank you!!

I finally got home around 6pm.  I looked at my new phone ane still could not grasp the day's events.

It was such a bad day for me, but you know what?  I look at the bright side:

1.    My iPhone is still offline. It will be a paperweight if anyone turns it on. The phone is useless to anyone other than me.

2.    The scrape on my fender was not that bad.  I probably would not file a claim anyway.  The guy who ran away will get his karma someday.  I wish him luck.

3.    I was able to restore my data on the new phone and had my life back on track.

4.    I had a bottle of wine in the fridge, and I toasted myself for making it through this day.

Yes, I had a miserable day yesterday, but bad luck will not bring me down.  I am still kicking today.

A Beaten City

I was in the office today and decided to take a stroll down to the Ferry Building during lunch.  This was my normal lunch hour routine.  It seemed so long ago...

When the City ordered everything shut down back in March 2020 to combat COVID-19, no one would have thought that the virus could take down the city and transform it so dramatically.

I walked down California Street and saw all those familiar places no longer opened.  Locked up restaurants.  Boarded-up storefronts. Quiet streets.  No more flower stands.  No more shoeshine guys.  No more street performers.  Even no homeless people.

It was quiet in the Ferry Building. Most businesses are shuttered.  The few remaining eateries were doing some business but it was because there were no other choices.

It is a beautiful day in San Francisco, but it is just not the same.  There is no energy.  Everything seems so tired.  Even the cable car bell-ringing does not even sound perky.

I just hope this is not the new San Francisco.

2020: I Came. I Fed. I Conquered.

 
I am a volunteer feral cat feeder. My assignment is feeding a feral colony in a cemetery once a month. This is my second year volunteering. Visiting a place of eternal rest takes a different meaning for me this year because I myself, faced the possibility of death.

In January, when I came here the day after being discharged from a one-week hospital stay and being tagged stage 4, I was not sure if that was my last...

In February, I came here during my most miserable time with ascites causing swelling in my abdomen and legs. It was two days after getting my port and two days before my first chemo. I had difficulty breathing yet I pushed on because I did not know if that was my last...

When I came in March, I knew it was not my last...

From April through July, I came here and saw season change. I was hopeful that I will be here for all seasons.

In August, I came four days after my surgery, and I was happy to share good news with the kitties.

In September, I came here knowing that I have kicked cancer butts and I got a new lease on life.

Life has been back to normal since October.

Today, I just want to say: I came. I fed. I conquered.

The Day When the Sky Turns Orange

September 9, 2020 is an unforgettable day in the history book of year 2020.

People in the SF Bay Area woke up to a dark morning.  No sun. No light,  No usual bird chirping.

I thought I woke up too early. It could not be so dark at 6:30am in the morning!! I went back to sleep.  Woke up at 7:45am and the sky was still dark.

I went outside to check things out.  Our street was eerily silent.  Everything stayed still.  My street cats were waiting for me outside.  Their biological clock told them it was breakfast time but I was sure they thought it was supper time.  They ran away after finishing their meal.  I think they went back to sleep.

The smoke and ash from all the wildfires in Northern California drifted above the clouds instead of hanging below.   It is so immense that it is actually blocking out sunlight and turning the sky a shade of ominous orange.

My photo was taking at 10:49am this morning but it could have been mistaken for 10:49pm.   It is about 12:30pm now and it is still unbelievably dark outside.

I cannot image what is like to be close to the fires,  My heart is with all those who are stuck in the fire zones.  I hope you are safe.

Folks are posting incredible shots of this strange orange day.  As scary as it is, it is an incredible once in a life time phenomena that we are experiencing today.

As we go about our daily routine in darkness, we should also think how we can help to protect our environment.  Wildfire may be a natural occurrence but the cause often is manmade.  Today is a preview of what the end of the world would look like.  If we do not do our part and effect change, this day can become permanent.   What will happen if we wake up to a dark morning everyday?  No sun.  No heat.  No life.

It is Fall! Summer is Here!

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Every time I see or hear this phrase, I see gray sky, chilly wind, cold damp air, buildings and hilltops and bridges hiding in thick fog.

Who made that famous quote anyway?  Nope.  Not Mark Twain.  As a matter of fact, this quote wasn’t even directed at San Francisco originally.

According to Quote Investigator, James Quin, an actor in London, made this remark when he was asked whether he ever had a bad winter in the 1700s.  Mark Twain used the Quin quote in an 1880 letter while complaining about the weather in Paris.*

 

The modern phrasing of this saying was initially directed at Duluth, MN in the early 1900s.  Over a span of 100+ years, many cities were attached to this quote. This includes Milwaukee, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, Puget Sound, Buffalo, Minneapolis and, of course, SAN FRANCISCO!*

So what does this all mean?  It means that we get to enjoy two summers in a year.  One cold.  One hot.  And that is beautiful.

Happy Fall Equinox!

* Source from: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/11/30/coldest-winter/