The first day on a new job is usually fraught with both excitement and anxiety. I'm sure that it was no different for Sumie this morning as she began her new career as a full-fledged nephrologist (that's kidney-doctor to you and me) here in San Francisco.
To be honest, I was a little jealous of her this morning. She was taking the first step in a life-long career while I stayed at home watching Mimi and the random episode of Top Gear. Well, given that I've seen all the Top Gear episodes available, I decided to make today a series of "firsts" with Mimi in San Francisco.
I began with the mundane, but necessary: laundry. Grandma and Grandpa arrived in their truck around 10am to help me load up the "gently used" washer and dryer Sumie and I had purchased the night before. Within an hour I had the washer installed and ready to go. Hooray! The dryer? Well, that's gas and while I'm fond of explosions, I prefer them on TV.
This new washing machine marks a turning point in our laundry life. Though we've had a washer for the past 5 years, we always had to keep it a secret. Technically we weren't allowed to have a machine in our apartment, so we bought a portable unit and rigged it to run off the kitchen or bathroom sink. To be frank, I always enjoyed the slightly illicit nature of our home laundry. I suppose I'll just have to find some new means of gentle domestic rebellion.
After Mimi's afternoon nap we headed over to Golden Gate Park. Our new place is about half a block from the park. This seems to be a habit for us. Our first place in NYC was roughly half a block east of Riverside Park and our co-op was steps from John Jay, with its swings, slides, and pool. To be honest, I didn't think much of our park location here in SF when we first moved in. The car bypass blocks off any direct access, making the closest entrance a full three blocks. A stupid assessment, I know, but I had been quite spoiled park-wise in Manhattan. Mimi and I were in for a shock.
We entered Golden Gate Park through the Rose Garden. It's a quiet and beautiful little walk, somewhat like the gardens south of the Harlem Meer in Central Park. The roses were pretty but, at least for me, played a distant second to the towering trees and dark hollows just off the path. I loved the rambles in Central Park - strolling them made you feel that the city was miles away - but these pockets of old growth in Golden Gate made me feel that I had left the bay area entirely. Here's a glimpse. I would've liked to explore further, but our stroller really wasn't designed with such excursions in mind.
From the Rose Garden Mimi and I decided to take a short detour to Japan. Though the entrance fee is a bit pricey, even for San Franciscans, the Japanese Tea Gardens really are a sight to behold. The scale is much smaller than what one would see in Japan proper, but it was still very "natsukashii" (reminds you of home). The grounds made me think of all the places I wanted to take Mimi in Japan. As I dreamed of our first family trip to Nikko, Mimi was more stoic, as usual. Here she is reflectively sipping water as she took in the zen garden. Though I have no means of proving it, I think she was contemplating milk. Anyway, that's what she screamed for immediately after the photo.
At peace with the world, we strolled over to the arch bridge, where we watched tourists stumble precariously up and down the span (no one fell, unfortunately). Though she's only 14 months old and has been in San Francisco a mere four days, Mimi made sure no one mistook her for a tourist. She's too cool for that. Notice her expression of measured disinterest. That's a native New Yorker for you.
From the tea garden we walked over to take a look at the de Young museum and the California Academy of Sciences. I was blown away. Our brief stroll through Golden Gate Park was a remarkable first for me: it was the first time I felt that San Francisco had just as much to offer as Manhattan. In NYC, Sumie and I used to say that the parks and museums near us were our "backyard." Though we have a beautiful backyard as part of our house here in San Francisco, I was worried that the community "backyard" would be seriously lacking. Today the city by the bay proved me wrong, and I couldn't be happier for it.
Today was also the first day since our arrival that the sun broke through. Blue skies greeted us at the end of our walk, finally opening up the partial view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the top of our street. Can you make it out?
With a day so packed with firsts, they can't all be positive. Upon our return from the park I sat down at the kitchen table to check up on some e-mail. Mimi decided to go into the bathroom to accomplish her own first. No, she didn't use the potty. She decided it was time for a toga party.
Normally I would've laughed - this was the first time Mimi had ever really torn through our toilet paper - but having just moved in, that was our only roll of TP!
Today, I realized that part of my job with being a stay-at-home dad will be keeping the "firsts" coming, both for me and for Mimi. I rather like that. It's not as glamorous as starting a new career in medicine, but, if I make an effort for Mimi and I to discover something new each day, I hope it will be just as rewarding.
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