At 9:37am on Saturday, a Google Chat message revealed that my ride to the 12pm Google Orchestra rehearsal had been cancelled. On Friday, my driver Edwin had gotten a minor surgery and was still under the strong effects of the anaesthetics. Out of courtesy, I didn’t inquire further. I wished the lad best of luck with his recovery and started my last minute search for a new carpool.
Luckily, my request for help was seen by a Google engineer named Derek, who graciously agreed to make a detour and pick me up on the way. This week’s rehearsal was also held in a Sports Basement community room. However, it was the one in San Francisco’s Presidio district (aka the one with a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge). The reason for choosing this particular Sports Basement was because it was bigger than the one in Sunnyvale and could serve as our performance venue.
The drive to SF took about 80 minutes. The time passed quickly because Derek and I had many common interests and lots to talk about (piano music by Chopin, dim sum places in the South Bay, Super Mario Odyssey, etc.). We arrived at the rehearsal 35 minutes late, but we didn’t actually miss much.
On the way back, I hitched a ride from a German violist named Neblina. (Derek had plans to go apartment shopping, so his time was rushed.) Neblina was also nice and easy to talk to; driving back while enjoying the nice views of the 280 was a great way to spend the afternoon. After getting home, I felt tired so I didn’t do much. I took a 30-minute nap on the living room sofa, watched Trollhunter: Rise of the Titans with my dad, and took a walk around Calabazas with my mom before calling it a day.
PS: Edwin, hope you get better soon! Derek & Neblina, thanks for giving me a ride to SF on such short notice!
