My Date With The Unibomber

"One never needs humor as much as when they argue with a fool."

-Chinese Proverb

My Date With The Unibomber...

On the 4th of July, Alan and I had plans to photograph the fireworks from up on top Twin Peaks, in San Francisco. That is one of my favorite places to go in the city, because of the gorgeous panoramic view. From up there you can see across the bay to Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, and Hayward to the right, and to the left you can see, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Richardson Bay, in Sausalito, and, of course, the whole of San Francisco sits at your feet. It is an awesome feeling to be sitting up at Twin Peaks, looking down upon what I believe is the prettiest city on earth. :) But when you are in a less then happy mood...sometimes that beauty can be seen as dull or maybe even ugly. The downside of frustration and anger is that it can take an object, that would ordinarily appear to us as beautiful, and distort it seem...well...less then wonderful.

Alan has learned how to bring out my sense of humor when I am in a bad mood. He knows all the right words to say to completely drop me head first into humor. LOL. Talk about a mood swing. LOL. When he came home from work that day, I was in a MOOD! LOL. Not mad at him mind you...mad because of world events. Hey, even I get frustrated every once in a while. LOL. I can get a hefty pout on, trust me, but in my own defense...it is a rare thing, and humor, both at myself and the object of my ire, will usually have me feeling all back to normal. I learned a long time ago, holding onto anger or resentment or even frustration will harm only myself. Ok, lesson learned. So, it has never bothered me when he pushes all the right buttons in my soul to bring me back to a content existence. :) My Alan invented a new game, in the car on our way up to Twin Peaks to defuse my mood...it's called "The adjective Game."

Do you know that game called, "The Preacher's Cat?" It is played to a beat, and each player in turn comes up with a new adjective to describe the preacher's cat. "The preacher's cat is a HAPPY cat," "The preacher's cat is a SILLY cat," "The preachers cat is a BLACK cat." Well, in Alan's version, the game isn't about the preacher's cat, no his version is about President Bush. LOL. See, it is his theory that if I am forced to come up with all negative adjectives to a beat, like the preacher's cat game, that eventually I will begin to laugh. But it didn't stop there...I then have to repeat them back...in order! YIKES! LOL. He is a smart man. Alan knows I trust him, and I would feel guilty if I didn't at least try to stop feeling so negative, so I always at least try to go along with his diffusers. Because if the truth be told, I don't like dwelling on things, I would rather be laughing then crying, and I do like the world around me, especially when it has such a stunning view. :)

Well, it only took up until the "G's" to have me roaring with laughter. LOL. And per our agreement, I HAD to finish the game. And finish I did. It's important to me to keep my word to Alan. That means, being true to myself, feeling the emotion I need to feel, and then GET OVER IT! LOL. Besides being an excellent diffuser, it kept my mind off the fact that I couldn't find one single public bathroom open in the entire of San Francisco on the 4th of July. I simply HAD to hold it. LOL. Even the lovely paid bathroom available at Twin Peaks was out of order. LOL. Did I mention that the temperature up there that night was about 40 degrees with winds at 35 mph? LOL. IT WAS COLD! I was convinced that the lack of available bathrooms was because I had let the world get to me that day. Nah...not really. But just in case, I think I will remember "The Preacher's Cat" game, and keep it handy...and maybe make it my mantra.

By the way...the guy in the above photo is the most recent picture of Alan. Yes, once he got me seated, on the side of the cliff in my lawn chair, he decided to do his Unibomber impression. LOL. While I was setting up my camera, he quietly put on his disguise. (Insert eye rolling here). You should have seen the looks we got from my cackling. You see, I don't laugh little...I have been known to set my laughter free, complete with snorting and the occasional pitch that can neuter cats four counties over. LOL. Thanks a lot Alan! No really...thanks. :)

July 4th, 2006 Twin Peaks, San Francisco, Ca.

-OndineMonet