LEPER MESSIAH SPEAKS

So my college buddy, Sang, was in town last weekend. Now we went to UC Berkeley, which is just across the bay, from San Francisco. After college, left the Bay Area and now lives in Atlanta.

Anyway, since it was over 5 years since Sang has stepped back in San Francisco, I decided to give him a quick re-tour of the city. Among some of the comments:

[After I told him we were going to go check out Union Square] "Oh, you mean that grassy area where we celebrated the New Year's countdown a long time ago?" [side note: I am currently hammering out this blog, on one of the seating areas at Union Square, using the free Googe Wifi]

[After showing him the Ferry Building] "You know, the entire time I was at Berkeley, I don't think I ever stepped inside the Ferry Building." Yes, Sang, that's because before it got renovated a couple years ago, it was more or less a homeless shelter.

"I don't see why you keep saying the Tenderloin is so bad - the places you showed me were really cool." This was after we stopped by Eura Cafe for coffee, Swig for beers, and peered inside Rye Bar, which was closed. [Side note: I live on the boundary, and not tbe heart of the Tenderlon].

[After showing him the buildup of South of Market] "When I was in school, the only place here was Club Cairo".

My point being, its the natural and popular thought, to bash politicians, and their inability to solve society's problems, and to assign corruption and dishonesty to anyone carrying the political label. But before you start complaining about the political process, look around you and try to appreciate the progress that takes place in our society every day.