Suddenly Noon

I wake up in Boston in the morning. The weather is exceptionally beautiful today as well (“totally unrepresentative”, Lokman’s friend says). Lokman kindly makes some breads and eggs for us, asking me where I am planning to visit day. “I’m probably going to ICA for Shepard Fairey’s exhibition,” I reply. His famous portrait of Barack Obama, the US president, is selected as cover of Time magazine Person of the Year.

Lokman reminds me: “Then you should be going soon. It’s noon already.”

“No way!” I look at the clock on the wall. “It’s just eleven o’clock.”

“Well, winter time is over. We enter the summer time today.” Lokman stands up, takes the clock and switches to the correct time. It’s noon.

I look up daylight saving time in Wikipedia later, showing it works from the second Sunday of March every year in the US (aka today) to the first Sunday of November. But I am not going to stay here until then. An hour of my life is lost/missed, therefore, in the twist of time.

Greeted by a Cat

I have left Miami for San Francisco. The whole experience overall is a pleasure in Miami. Meeting all these like-minded while opinionated GV people in the same place is a must experience in life. The more, the better. Everyone has different skills, and they all compensate well under one roof, even the housekeeping works.

My flight from Miami to San Francisco is not that smooth, though, as it is delayed, changes boarding gate to another concourse, and worst of all, my luggage doesn’t follow me on the same flight. I wait for three hours at SF airport and finally get it with the next flight.

After spending $60 sharing a van with four other people (no subway after midnight, sorry), I arrive at David’s lovely house at 2am. I get the key, open the door and walk in. In the dark, I see a pair of bright eyes staring at me. Oh, a cat. David has a cat. Now I am nervous.

It’s not that I am allergic to cats. In fact, I have no idea how to get along with cats, especially an unfamiliar one. I always keep a friendly distance from cats, trying not to invade their area. The black cat is beautiful and quiet, sitting in opposite of me, thinking what this stranger is doing in this cottage. She looks at me from up to down carefully, and walks away. After I put the luggage on the floor and take my things out, she quickly occupies it as her cushion, seeming to love it.

It’s been a long day, so I quickly lock the door, check my emails, change my clothes and sleep on the sofa. I fall into dreams immediately.

After several hours of sleeps, meow sounds wake me up. I stand up and look around. Where is the cat? Then I see a small, black shadow outside the front door. She’s there! I have no idea how she goes out (probably from an open window in the kitchen for an adventure, later found). I open the door and she gracefully walks in.

I sit back on the sofa, and she follows. She walks towards me, step by step. I am nervous, wondering what she would do next. She gets on to my thighs, sits, and lies down. I hesitantly touch and stroke her back, no resistant responses. After I lie down again, she still sleeps by my feet.

This in my first night in the rainy San Francisco, confronting, living and sleeping with the cat.