I'm going to have to adjust my food budget to account for panhandlers along the way. Or devise an effective defense plan.

The ironic thing is, I was on my way to the rock-bottom, el cheapo shopping district when I was almost immediately waylaid by a petite 50-something Irish-accented woman. She was $1.70 shy of the BART-fare back to wherever she was going. At least, that's the gist of her longer (but not too long) rendition of the story, delivered in those lilting Irish tones I can't seem to resist. So I pulled out my wallet, gave her two bucks, accepted her Thanks and God Bless You and went on my way, thinking maybe I'd been had, but I have to give her an A for effort and an A+ for delivery. So that's worth something.

Approximately 2 minutes later, I'm waylaid again by a stocky, 50-something black woman. I feel like I've already done my good deed for the day, but at the same time I don't want to discriminate so I let myself get pulled over. She asks if I can give her $5. I'm thinking "five bucks! Yeah right. That's more than I was going to spend on Ramen Noodles at the $1 store!" But something in me is thinking just give her $2, otherwise it's gonna bother you. So I give her $2 and she immediately starts ranting that she needs $5 so she can buy a chopped beef steak. I'm thinking, chopped beef steak! Do you know how many packs of Ramen noodles you could get for $5? So I go to plan B, which I've been carrying with me ever since I brushed off this elderly gentleman in my neighborhood who I'm almost certain would have used any cash I gave him to purchase his choice of nips. That bothered me, so when I got the "buy one get one free" coupon for Burger King - I knew exactly who I could treat to that second Whopper. I'd been carrying the coupon with me ever since. So I told her, I'm not giving you more money for chopped beefsteak. But I'd be happy to treat you to your burger of choice at Burger King. (If you ever read my journal on a:link you know about my weakness for BK. I'm not proud of it.)

She would have none of it. We argued in the street for several minutes before I walked on. I would have taken my $2 back, but having already given it to her, I wasn't really entitled to take it back.

Needless to say, I dodged panhandlers of other nationalities until I'd finished my shopping.

I did have one good spontaneous giving experience shortly after that. I was refilling my gallon water bottles at the Safeway near my gym when a guy came up with a grocery cart full odd, empty containers and asked me how much it cost to get a water refill. I answered, 35 cents a gallon. I finished my second refill, and took some extra time getting everything together before leaving because I thought I knew what was coming. Sure enough, he dug through his pockets - twice - then asked if I had 35cents I could give him. I probably should have given him two bucks, but there's something to be said for exact change.

Speaking of bargains, the store next to my gym has 8.5 oz cans of cashews for only $2. That's less than $4/pound! I'm now eating approximately 1.5 pounds of cashews a week though. That's gotta stop. I was hooked on almonds before, which I think are better for you, if only because they're only addictive enough for me to go through about 3/4 pound a week. But now for some bizarre reason, almonds are $6/pound. What am I supposed to do in a case like that?

Not as interesting as the medical advisories for [inlink]jenks,71[/inlink] Prescription Cocaine (who knew?), but check out the languages this notice to residents of my neighborhood had to be printed in - English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Arabic. Seems like a weird choice, although I'm not sure what I would have expected instead. I'm guessing it wasn't arbitrary. I keep looking at it like I'm going to learn something, but so far only that apparently Arabic is read from right to left.



Anyway, Modern Art of Tea is applying for a liquor license. Long Island Ice Tea anyone?

p.s. - anybody want to catch "24 Hours on Craigslist" this weekend? It didn't get great reviews, but the Red Vic is fun, and there's an Ethiopian restaurant on Haight too. Oh wait, you're all 3000 miles away. Damn! Nevermind.

Hey (e:Paul), thanks for the [inlink]paul,4175[/inlink] instant website. I know it only took you 2 minutes to code it, but next time, could you give me 10 minutes to populate before linking to it? Who am I kidding, that'll never happen, lol. Anyway, I put some pix of my new 'hood up there - including one of City Hall lit up at night. That's all I have time for right now. Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life to live here. So I'd better get back to it.

p.s. - I did not pick the site name.

Not only is IdealCopy.com having a 10% OFF SALE on non-PREORDER items until Tuesday February 21st (5pm US Eastern Time) when you enter the coupon code PREZ2006 during checkout, but if your post-discount subtotal is over $100.00, you will receive a FREE CD. And not just any CD, but your choice from 5 Top Import CDs valued between $26-30. While supplies last. Share this coupon!

There you go.

And here's a link to their "super sale items." 10% off does not apply to these since they are already heavily discounted.

(Ok, maybe not that general, but just give me a grain of salt.)

I think everybody has been angry, bitter or disappointed at some point in time. I know I certainly have been. Sometimes you need to vent or grieve or recoup. And I don't begrudge anyone however much time they need to do that. At some point though - and I'm not saying today, or tomorrow, or even before next February 14th (although these freakin' holidays do serve to remind us that time marches on whether we're having fun or not - kind of like being accountable to a therapist each week x 52) - at some point, you may be ready to move on.

Until then, probably the best thing anybody can do is listen. But am I going to do that? Hell no!! So if you're not ready yet (or not ready enough to think about being ready), you should probably click on somebody else's journal now.

Consider yourself forewarned.

First off, I don't claim to understand what anyone else is going through. I may be in a better situation than you are, and I may never have been in as bad a situation as you have been. I can't change that any more than you can. All I can do is take it into consideration and try to relate anyway.

We all do certain things in hopes of getting a response - to be loved, to get laid, to merit a comment. I wouldn't change that even if I could. The thing I keep noticing is how that can take on a life of its own, become the end rather than the means, actually sabotage your intention rather than further it.

The thing I think is interesting is how men and women do exactly the same thing - but because they tend to barter in different currency, they completely miss or misinterpret each other's meaning.

I'm certainly not pioneering new ground by saying women tend to give emotional support (manifested in many different concrete forms), and may sacrifice their own time/comfort/needs to anticipate what a guy wants. If she is hoping for something in return, she can't tell him because that would invalidate her selfless act. And maybe she's hoping he'll also anticipate her needs without having to be told what they are.

He may totally appreciate what she's done for him, (or more likely - appreciate it, but not understand how or why she made sacrifices to do it), but still not get that she's hoping for something in return: thanks, a compliment, recognition.

If she doesn't get it from him (or the next guy) she may ramp up the self-sacrifice. Then feel even more hurt/used if she doesn't get it. The bigger her sacrifice, the more taken for granted she may feel, even if she does get some response.

This is an EXTREME example, and I'm not saying every woman has this tendency. Same thing goes for the guys - up next.

Guys, on the other hand, tend to be much more straightforward. Which may be why they're so mystified when some women don't see things the same way. I mean, everybody knows five dozen roses costs a lot more than a bouquet of daffodils or hydrangeas. But if you happened to be paying attention when she said she hates roses, and again later when she said how much she loves daffodils and hydrangeas - guess what. That's worth a whole freakin' lot more than 100 dozen flowers she hates.

Does that mean you have to pay attention to everything she says? DAMN STRAIGHT! Don't like them apples? Might I suggest you go see "Brokeback Mountain?" (j/k. maybe.)

If you're thinking you already listen to what she says, maybe that's true. BUT, if you start to feel like a pimp when you're trying to make her feel like a princess, chances are you're actually making her feel like a whore.

Oh, I can see how it happens. When you're not sure about somebody - or how she might feel about you - the most direct, universal, unambiguous way to let her know you think she's special is to gamble a wad. The bigger the wad, the more you might think you're telling her what you think of her. You may have put a lot of thought into it too. But if what comes across is the $$ and not the thought - she could totally miss it. The same way you may have missed her hidden sacrifice.

Hear me now and believe me later, but I'm telling you: sure, women may want the ginormous diamond and the luxury vacation and the 5 dozen roses - but mostly because it shows you love them. Otherwise it's completely meaningless. (Yes, there are some exceptions, but I'm speaking for the majority of women I've known. I should also go on the record right now and admit I am, indeed a woman myself. So I can't really be totally impartial here. Nobody can. And sadly I've never had a guy blow a wad of cash on me. So obviously I'm doing something wrong. Anyways, I should be saving my ammunition - I mean, advice - for the type of guy I'm way more familiar with who always wants to fix the girl he's with. Which may seem well-intentioned but is equally subversive. Just in case you were wondering, Ajay.)

From a woman's point of view, it's much easier to put your money on the line than your heart on the line. Some of you guys have been putting your money on the line. And in the process, your heart has been trounced anyway. You may have thought you could spare your heart by sacrificing your wallet - and your princess may have thought that's what you were doing too - but the casualty count is obvious to me.

Put these two together in large enough doses and you've got a recipe for disaster. Here's what I'm suggesting.

Ladies: As much as we might wish he could read our subtle clues, most guys are not mind readers (with the obvious exception of Steve Jobs, of course). There is probably way the hell more going on in your head than he could possibly fathom without at least a few directions. And you know most guys hate to ask for directions, so he may try to bluff his way through it. And if he continues to feel utterly lost, he may take the next exit and try another onramp.

Guys: Next time - when you're ready - just put your heart on the line and keep your wallet in your pocket. It might seem more risky at first, but if you review history, you'll see you haven't had much success with your method. And with my method, you'll be no worse off, but you will at least have that down payment for a new car. (Am I right or am I right?) A nice home cooked meal, a tender massage, listening and caring about what the hell is going on with her (without always telling her how to fix it) - that will get you a whole lot farther. At least make sure you know where you're both going before you pull out your wallet. And if you're not sure, just ask for directions.

That's my point of view anyway. Would I have spent my whole freakin' afternoon writing this post if I was after money? Which reminds me - WHY can't I make a living doing this? Ok, forget that. Bad timing.

Oh, and I know what you're all thinking right now, so I'll just go ahead and say it for you: "OMG Twisted! How did you ever get to be so insightful? We so cherish these words of wisdom you deem fit to bestow upon us!!"

I'm 97% sure you're being sarcastic. So I'm just going to ignore that.

p.s. - if you see yourself in any of this, you are not alone. It's always easier to see your own blind spots in someone else. If you've never seen this in anybody anywhere, well, maybe you're lucky. Or maybe you see it differently. I don't know. This is just one woman's point of view.