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After grabbing some ice cream, I decided to venture over to Potrero and wander around for an hour or two this evening. It's a nice neighborhood. I picked up a flyer for a gorgeous rehabbed duplex on top of a hill with a perfect view. It's on sale for only $879,000! This recession is a blessing for first-time buyers. I wish I had more money in my savings so I could buy a place.

I stumbled across this cat. He took a liking to me right away, and he started to follow me around. Per his tag, his name was Clarence, like the angel from It's a Wonderful Life, and he lived a couple blocks over. So I let him follow me to his house and I rang the doorbell. A nice girl answered and told me that he was her neighbor's cat. She tried to beckon him inside, but Clarence had to stay beside me. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel extra special! When I walked away, he followed me. The girl had to grab him and bring him inside.

I miss Kikeli and Einstein, even though I know they're safe with Nate.

San Francisco is a wonderful city with amazing people and breathtaking views, but something is missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. Besides my family and friends, there's something Chicago has that San Francisco doesn't, and it's imperfection. It would make more sense to say that San Francisco has a lot more to offer than Chicago does, but, for some reason, I find a lot of comfort in the grittiness of Chicago. I grew up in the midst of intolerable weather and insufferable traffic. I didn't bat an eye every time I read about corrupt local politics in the paper. I expected poor treatment from government workers and fellow pedestrians. I constantly watched my back when I lived in the ghetto. I spent 23 years in Chicago and, to me, bad weather, awful traffic, corrupt politics, fatal shootings, dog fights, rude people, and robberies are normal. It's home.

Compared to Chicago, San Francisco is perfect. Ever since I came here two weeks ago, we've been getting nothing but sunny weather. The entire city is environmentally conscious, as there are recycling bins everywhere and the buses run on biodiesel. The traffic is unbelievably light. All the government workers I've encountered so far have been utterly delightful. People smile at me on a regular basis. The ghetto here is what you would consider a normal neighborhood in Chicago (such as Bucktown). Even the only problem I've found so far isn't really a problem. The city is riddled with homeless people, but they're not the usual dangerous coked-out meth addicts you'd find drooling half-naked while holding a large kitchen knife on the streets of Chicago. Rather, they seem fairly normal and friendly. From what I've seen, all the druggies stay on only one street in SF. In Chicago, they're everywhere.

I'll have to get used to the wonderful traits of San Francisco, and I think I'd love to live here. However, gritty ol' Chicago will always be my home.