Instant karma

In the ever-renewing cycle of San Francisco's summer weather -- in which days of warmth are replaced by howling fog, a few days of cold overcast, and then growing warmth again -- it's been cold all week. Yesterday I doubt it got over 60 degrees downtown, and it was plenty brisk this morning, too. I love it.

Yesterday I was rude to a beggar as I walked to the Sutter-Stockton Garage, where I had stored my car. As soon as I got to the car, I saw the battery was dead -- I'd left the parking lights on all day. I felt properly humbled, especially when I realized I didn't have an up-to-date insurance card with me, so I couldn't even call a tow truck. I ended up going all the way home and back by taxi, paying about $25. While in the taxi I realized that I could push the car myself to the down-ramp of the garage and, if I was agile enough, pop the clutch and start the engine. So I did it, and drove on to my next appointment, feeling very pleased with myself. When I related this story to Cris, she said, "That's a young man's action. I might have done something like that once, but I would never trust myself to be agile enough now to keep the car from smashing into the wall of the garage, or that there wouldn't be a car at the bottom of the ramp I'd run into before I had a chance to get all the way into the car."

When I checked my email late that night, I found one of the nicest fan letters I've ever received. I should say one of the only ones I've ever received. The writer really liked my story "Lessons in Submission" in this anthology. (It's also the first story in my book How I Adore You.) It was such a treat to get a nice letter.