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| scary self pic |
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| Morning Fog - TA Pyramid |
Got up early today to catch the train to The City. Arrived by 9AM, Walked around China town for awhile while I waited for things to open at the Brazilian Consulate on Montgomery street to open. My visa appointment was for 11, but I thought I might take up the invitation of a friend who works there to look him up. I entered and asked the guard if E was there (he is a fellow member of the
Parceria Brasil Califórnia and kind of a
importante, so I will not divulge my source here). He said he hadn't come in yet, but about 10 minutes passed and his secretary came out, we talked, and she took my card. About 5 more came, and he came out, sat with me for a few minutes and we talked in the waiting room, then he told me to go sit in the row in front of the 3a Janela so I did. He went in side, and I noticed that he was talking to the young lady. Who called me up next, and I showed her my stuff... and she said I was getting a multiple entry visa for 10 yrs! Woo hoo! I was out... bam! by 1015... so I called Dusty and old friend I haven't seen in maybe 13 or 14 years, and let him know I was done early, so went over to his office on Columbus by the TA Pyramid, checked my email while he worked a bit, then we went to lunch. It was a great little (por kilo) over by the Consulate. After bidding adios (Dusty is originally from Panamá, a great palce that names its children Dusty and has famous singer wit the last name of Blades) I headed back to the AMTRAK bus connector place by the Ferry Building and ran thru the lobby of the Hyatt (looking a bit dreary and dated I must say), used the loo and then headed out the back door and was instantly met with loud music, a festive atmosphere and a giant crowd of people (not a crowd of giant people, which of course is completely possible in the City by the Bay). I ran into a "walk for the heart" health walk and there were hundreds and hundreds of festive office workers walking for charity... it was like a silly Hollywood film... hundreds of folks, with me swimming up stream to the bus I could see ready to leave at any minute... I made it, was lucky to have the nice bus driver. There is one who is a notorious asshole aka the soup Nazi, but my luck held, and I got the funny one...who bid me welcome even tho my ticket said the later bus @ 2pm... made it across the Bay Bridge with a magnificent view of the new Bay Bridge nearing completion, made it to the Emoryville station and yay! My ticket was most welcome on an earlier ride. Got to SMF in time to meet with the Doc students at the Sac State Union... Damn I'm good!
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