The fog switch has been flipping on and off again – after the previous weekend, we went back to a week of greyness before the clear skies rolled in again for the weekend. Having chosen Saturday for my weekly long ride, I was glad to get through Daly City and Colma without getting soaked by condensation; there was another benefit in having no headwind on the way back, which usually makes the last hour or so more energy-sapping.
For the roam on Sunday, we had warm sun and a bit of a fresh breeze; we headed for shade a few times when it was available, and when I got home afterwards, I definitely felt like I had had my dose of sunshine for the day.
It suddenly seems like I have more time available to me in the coming weeks, for three reasons: after the Euros, the football is over for the summer, and so is the Tour de France – with disappointments for the English on the final day of each. I hadn’t intended to watch the Tour at all, but since it was being shown in its entirety on the channel I subscribe to for the football, I got caught up in the stories and emotions (and of course the landscapes and the chateaux). The third opening up of time is around housing: I have found my next place to live, and the relief of signing a new lease was reflected in my sleeping much more soundly this week than I have for a while.
Despite the rigours and disappointments of the weeks of looking, I trusted that something good would show up – as it has done for my previous two housing searches. On Friday, ten days ago, scouring Craigslist afresh, as I had been doing every day, I saw a new listing that looked ideal, was able to see it an hour later, and put in an application at the end of the day. The people I am dealing with, unlike plenty of others I have come across, have been very clear and prompt in all their communications, which is in itself a relief, and the place is lovely – not so far from Zen Center as well. The only stress I had was on Monday a week ago, when, having signed the lease, I was asked to send the deposit and first month’s rent over (which I am grateful to have enough money in the bank to be able to do), and Venmo flagged the transaction. I started my sit with Zachary tense, and wondering how I was going to deal with it. I managed to get half the amount sent over, but despite assurances from Venmo customer support, the other half kept getting flagged, so after my later meditation session, I rushed over to the bank to collect a banker’s cheque, and rode over to deliver it to the building manager. The next morning, everything was confirmed. Now I just have all the rest of the burocracy to deal with, plus the packing…
Shundo David Haye 