It’s been almost two months. I’ve been walking to work almost every day. It’s nice to integrate a little exercise into my daily routine. It’s actually a remarkably direct route. I walk all the way down Pine Street to Market, then I walk two blocks up Market to Spear, and then I walk three and a half super blocks to our building.

Google Maps says it’s 1.6 miles, which takes me just under 30 minutes. So that’s good: like an hour of exercise a day. Interesting to know I’m walking 18 minute miles. And there are really only two blocks of steep hills on Pine, between Kearny and Stockton. Otherwise it’s gradual if not flat.

I walk past all manner of useful things now. Mailboxes for instance. Helpful for mailing stuff. The other week I ran out of tea, and I didn’t have to make a special trip to pick some up. I just stopped in at one of the many markets on the way. Last week I totally got a HAIRCUT on the way into work. All old school, the way I like (but $26 more than a Stephanie-cut).

I ride an elevator all the time now. It’s the only way to get to the seventh floor of our building. Up to work. Down to lunch. Up to work. Sometimes down for snack break. Up to work. Down to head home. That’s a lot of elevator riding. And there’s a friggin’ LCD TV in the elevator, playing some infotainment channel called “Captivate.” Get it?

In the central courtyard of our building/block there are three different places to get food, a cafe that makes a tasty egg and cheese bagel, a place called “Bur-Eat-Os” that makes a decent quesadilla, and a newsstand with drinks and snacks to take away. (Oh yeah, and a Starbucks.) After two years in Sausalito without access to any Mexican food, now we’ve got a burrito place in our building. It blows my mind. And the prices! You’d think we’d be paying a king’s ransom to eat lunch in San Francisco, but it’s just the opposite. In Sausalito we were paying the tourist tax, but in downtown San Francisco, it’s amazing how much you can find for five bucks. And you can have the moon for seven.

I work more now, which is an unexpected change. Since I no longer have an eight mile scooter ride back home, since I no longer have to make the bridge before 6 (to cross for free), I end up staying at the office later more often than not. I’m glad that I’m liking what I’m working on, but it’s good to have a healthy life-work balance. So I’m trying to be more disciplined about closing up shop around 6.