I nearly knocked a man off his bike in Union Square in downtown San Francisco, but that was nearly ten years ago now. To-day thankfully I was navigating not driving.

This afternoon a novice monk and I went on an expedition to Britex one of the worlds wonders, if you are at all interested in fabrics and buttons. I’d gone for a specific fabric in a specific colour and they didn’t have it. But we left the shop wiser knowing I’m looking for ‘poplin’ in teal, a blue/green colour. The people there are experts, the woman who attended on us was very certain about her fabrics too. Handling the sample I had she knew right away it was pure cotton, and ‘too green if you are matching to this thread’. And I thought I had a good eye for colour matching. We left the shop wiser and thirsty.

By the time I was at the top of the line at the coffee shop in Union Square the young novice had already booted up and found sites selling teal poplin! Such is the wonder of the free wireless service covering most of San Francisco. And the wonder of my new laptop that can be carried and connected with ease, anywhere there’s wireless. Or rather replacement laptop for the one lost on its way for repairs a year ago in England, and now carried to the US by a returning monk.

On leaving Union Square underground car park I felt sure we would be delayed since it was 5.00 p.m. Indeed I kinda hoped we would get stuck in traffic. I wanted to try and write a post using the wireless connection in the city. However in no time we were flying across the Bay Bridge catching sight of all sorts of wireless connections as we drove. The Bay Bridge has two, BB1 and BB2, both secured and presumably in place for the bridge workers.

But really the thing that got my attention on our way home were the two pairs of legs stuck out of the roof of a passing car…not real ones but real enough! There is the bizarre to be found where ever one is in this big wide world.

And PS: Mountain View near San Francisco which is Google’s home town went free and wireless, yesterday.