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Thoughts, musings, and Italian food
Jun. 27th, 2004 12:16 amVery eventful day today. Went to San Francisco for the day. I love San Francisco - it has to be one of the most eclectic cities in the United States. So many cultures are represented there, and each is fiercely proud of their own identity. It's a wonderful place to go.
First stop was the Farmer's Market. I ate entirely too much fruit by the way of the samples the farmers give of their wares - I love summer fruit. It was all so sweet and juicy... And there were stalls full of fresh-baked bread, and roasted chickens, and cheeses, and oysters... it's a miracle I escaped with my waistline intact. *grin* We bought tons of peaches and plums, plus a few strawberries that looked particularly scrumptious. I wish I had brought my camera. The city was so beautiful today. Not a cloud in the sky.
Next stop was North Beach, where the Italian part of SF is situated. There was this cool little park, Washington Square, where there was a band, and a whole bunch of would-be apostles trading jokes with passers-by, and a simply stunning church in the background. And all around were these Italian shops stuffed full of really, really good food. I love San Francisco. Obviously, it was Italian for a late lunch, and it was wonderful.
After all that I was pretty whacked, so on the ride home I crashed in the back seat. Amazing how sleeping makes car-rides seem shorter.
Tonight I saw 'The Last Samurai'. It got me to thinking (beyond the obvious "When will movie directors stop slaughtering history?"). There was one part that struck me - when the American captain and Katsumoso were talking about how life should be lived to the very utmost, and about striving for perfection. I thought about life at college - how a C is okay, it's still passing or how it is accepted to lower standards when it 'Doesn't Really Matter', or if no one is watching. While that is easier in the short run, what does it do to us in the long run? Life becomes this game of 'how little must I do to survive', instead of an effort to do as much as possible. That doesn't seem to me to be a very great way to live.
I think I am going to try to live in a way that is more... thoughtful. Less reactionary. Lord knows it won't be easy - I am the most lazy person I know. But I don't want to get to the end of my life, and only remember the things I tried to get out of, or the half-efforts I gave. That doesn't seem like a life worth remembering.
First stop was the Farmer's Market. I ate entirely too much fruit by the way of the samples the farmers give of their wares - I love summer fruit. It was all so sweet and juicy... And there were stalls full of fresh-baked bread, and roasted chickens, and cheeses, and oysters... it's a miracle I escaped with my waistline intact. *grin* We bought tons of peaches and plums, plus a few strawberries that looked particularly scrumptious. I wish I had brought my camera. The city was so beautiful today. Not a cloud in the sky.
Next stop was North Beach, where the Italian part of SF is situated. There was this cool little park, Washington Square, where there was a band, and a whole bunch of would-be apostles trading jokes with passers-by, and a simply stunning church in the background. And all around were these Italian shops stuffed full of really, really good food. I love San Francisco. Obviously, it was Italian for a late lunch, and it was wonderful.
After all that I was pretty whacked, so on the ride home I crashed in the back seat. Amazing how sleeping makes car-rides seem shorter.
Tonight I saw 'The Last Samurai'. It got me to thinking (beyond the obvious "When will movie directors stop slaughtering history?"). There was one part that struck me - when the American captain and Katsumoso were talking about how life should be lived to the very utmost, and about striving for perfection. I thought about life at college - how a C is okay, it's still passing or how it is accepted to lower standards when it 'Doesn't Really Matter', or if no one is watching. While that is easier in the short run, what does it do to us in the long run? Life becomes this game of 'how little must I do to survive', instead of an effort to do as much as possible. That doesn't seem to me to be a very great way to live.
I think I am going to try to live in a way that is more... thoughtful. Less reactionary. Lord knows it won't be easy - I am the most lazy person I know. But I don't want to get to the end of my life, and only remember the things I tried to get out of, or the half-efforts I gave. That doesn't seem like a life worth remembering.
