Monochromatic Outlook

Today San Franciscans made their choices for Mayor, District Attorney, and Sheriff, as well as a number of City ballot initiatives, mostly about borrowing money (allegedly) for street repairs and changes to the contributions City employees make to their pensions.

The mayoral race was on schedule; Lt Governor Gavin Newsom left his post as Mayor when he was elected to Sacramento, but he would have termed out this year anyway so he wouldn't have been running anyway. Instead the «incumbent» is Ed Lee, the City Administrator who was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to replace Newsom as interim mayor. Lee was considered for the post only after he pledged not to run for office in 2011 in return for a guarantee that he could get his old job as City Administrator back once he was done serving as interim mayor.

I started out going just for some cat food. Being made of meat and living with carnivores I find it prudent to make sure there is always an alternative food supply for gato y gatita. I wanted to at least get some walking in. With a race coming up on Sunday, especially one that is beyond my current fitness levels, I want to be sure that my legs are as fresh as they can be. When Monday's run proved as difficult as it was, I knew that I had to get more rest than I'd planned. Sunday will be a big challenge.

Pawtrero is a local pet supply store just ten blocks away. The people there are exceedingly helpful. They have given me more sample bags of cat food than I can count. The last time I went in there I wasn't sure about the purchase so the salesperson gave me a sample bag of the same brand and flavor I was considering purchasing and told me to feed the cats from the sample bag and if they didn't like it to bring the bag I was buying back unopened to exchange it. She also sent me home with a second variety. When the cats turned their noses up at both I went back with the unopened bag, and she gave me three more sample bags—this time not manufacturer's samples but ziplock baggies they had put together and labeled there at the store—and gave me a refund for the bag I'd bought. They've pretty much fed my cats for free for two weeks while we tried to find a good food for them.