It sounded better in the movie.

Every few weeks I have a really big day. These big days make me feel happy and excited and optimistic. This might mean that I need more inputs – I’m not self-driven enough for the system I have set up for myself. Living alone, working alone, being alone all the time… I’m just not that much of an introvert.

So, yesterday, I gave my talk at SPUR on London’s Congestion Charging program. It went remarkable well. I didn’t feel boring even once, and people laughed several times. I made eye contact with my audience and sometimes got them to nod. They also seemed to appreciate my ppt, which was comprised primarily of imagines. Dave Snyder thought I had made a mistake when the slide for poor people was that one from Picasso’s blue period.

I finished earlier than I had planned, but that turned out to be good bc the audience had lots of questions about what San Francisco was doing, and Tilly Chang from the SFCTA was there to answer them. About 35 people attended, less than my other 2 big talks where there was closer to 50 people, but likely my best. They provided a huge salad for lunch, and I ate it in Union Square next to a woman and her toddler and a man who kept trying to shoot pictures of me.

In high spirits, I went from there to return Eric’s xmas gifts to Macy’s. That went well too, although I felt a moment of sadness afterwards. I have to remind myself that we may assign things heavy emotional content, but they are just the ghost of that content. They aren’t the actual emotion – if it’s real, it can’t be returned for store credit.

Then I returned to the same building but a different floor and looked thru the databases at the Foundation Center to fund a project I’m doing with Creative Growth. It was incredibly time consuming, but I guess that’s the name of the game. I got thru the “M”s, picking about 13 funding sources that may be interested in my project, and then I had to get out. Of course, after I left, I realized that there would have been a much more efficient way for me to do it. But I guess all of life is waste and learning…. And it’s particularly wonderful when the lesson is clear.

I LOVE the mochas at Madeline’s; so, I went there next. Then I planned to window shop for a bit, except that my mother called to say she was on her way over to my house. So, I took my fancy coffee drink and got on the BART for home.

Mom brought me one of Judy’s sculptures. I haven’t figured out where it’s going to go yet in my house. I chose this one bc it has colors I seem to be irrationally attracted to. These colors are bright and seem like they should clash, but they don’t. It has red and dark green and light green and orange and pink and purple. The fibers include the usual yarn but also gauze and strips of fabric with floral patterns. She wrapped in a bicycle tire around several poster tubes. I can’t tell if it’s figurative.

I wanted to put it upright, but I’m not sure I have the space. It might end up horizontal above my bed. (I’m still seriously considering putting my bed in the walk-in closet, and that would still work.) Wow! I just realized that I’m getting to have a pretty good art collection between Judy, my grandmother, my aunt Wendy, my sister’s ex-boyfriend Marc, and, well, myself. …All world-class artists, though some more recognized than others…. :-)

Anyway, mom and I went for papusas, and then she decided she was so tired she had to go to her friend’s house and to bed. Not sure if that’s what happened. I stayed up and watched “The Hot Chick” on TV, which I totally loved. Of course, I cried all the way thru it, and it inspired me too. Yeah, true love is based on deep friendship and everyone should be accepted for who they are…. OK, fine, it sounded better in the movie.