Today's walk

November 2nd, 2014, 1pm

It was 21.1°C with few clouds. There was moderate breeze.

Since I spent my entire Saturday cooped up in a coworking space getting stuff done (tweets, check, logos, check, lettering, check), I decided Sunday was going to be Neighborhood Explorers Day — well, at least, on my way to a spot where I can camp out and finish all the work I didn’t finish the day before (tweets, logos, and lettering, sadly.)

So, today’s Aimlessly Walking Around the Castro Adventure / Artist Date, by the numbers:

3 – cups of coffee consumed. Oh, and LOL, an Oprah Chai Tea Latte, just because I was curious. (Note: It was good. Thanks, Oprah!)

9,594 – steps walked, according to Moves, from my apartment in the TenderNob to the point wherein I give up and go in for a mani-pedi (heehee) in Noe Valley. At least I walked all the way to Noe Valley!

3 – bookstore stops along the way. Aardvark, Books Inc., and Folio.

1 – magazine purchased. The latest issue of Afar has so much handlettering and ermgh Lotta Jandsotter. I need to explore the Scandinavian Islands. (adding it to The Great 30th Birthday Iceland Adventure of 2015.)

1 – dude along Van Ness who stopped me just to say that he saw me walking and that I was so cute. Yipes. (At least I’ve moved on from my previous target market, aka Hobos!) Still — awkward. “My name’s David, what’s yours?” Oh dear, no more Daves. “Say, do you know if there’s a skateboard shop around here?” “I think they’re all down theeeeere,” I point, far, far, away. Smile, accept the handshake, say thank you, politely walk away, pretend to be in a hurry to meet a friend. Make a wrong turn, end up in South Van Ness, stop in a quiet corner to reroute.

6 – colors on a Castro crosswalk. Love, love, love the Castro. Such a fun neighborhood to explore. (Dani! Cole Valley next!)

$6 – amount by which a mani-pedi is cheaper in Noe Valley than in the downtown, Union Square area. What a deal.

$9 – cost of an additional 10 minutes of foot massage. Seriously, these ladies are the best marketers — ask for a spa mani-pedi, get comfortable, one minute into the best foot massage ever (See: 9,954 steps), Vietnamese lady asks if you want to add 10 more minutes. Of course I want ten more minutes. My achy feet agree.

3 – number of minutes it takes me to get off the chair, put my shoes back on, and completely ruin the nail polish on my fingers. I smile politely and try to hide the fact that I practically wiped off all the polish on my thumbs. Sigh.

6 – hours spent in Starbucks Noe Valley finishing work. Tweets, check, logos, check, portfolio / personal website polishing, check.

2 – boxes of tea I ended up buying at Whole Foods — slowly turning into a tea person, what with this old man wheezy cough1 that I’ve had for three weeks and counting (!!!) (Bronchitis?)

2 – bus rides eventually taken.

11,175 – steps taken, in total. ’Twas a good day for walking.


  1. It’s getting so bad. In fact, the only way I’m writing this moment in the middle of the day is the fact that my boss sent me home after lunch to get some rest. Wheeze


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Christine Herrin

Designer. History major. Memory keeper, paper hoarder, frequent flyer.

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