Tag: walking

Walking in San Francisco

Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, regarding my previous post. Walking in this city? Where it really is uphill both ways? Well, that depends on which streets you take. The trick is not just to know multiple ways to get to your destination, but to find the path of least resistance (or least pain, depending on how you look at it). My trip down to Geary Boulevard wasn’t all that bad at all, with only one block of any noticeable incline. If I took the next street over, the hill would be slightly steeper. I had more issues navigating all the construction work they’ve been doing on that street lately.

Yes, this city does have its painful hills that only the strongest, determined or just plain stubbornest would walk at any given time. Nob Hill, for instance. Great views, but definitely not one I’d be walking on the regular. But once you get used to them, they’re actually really great workouts! And that’s what I’m aiming for.

Walking

Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

I’m doing a little bit better with the walking to and from work instead of taking the car, but I could probably stand to be less lazy about it. There are days where I’ll take the bus in (after all, my commute might be only eight blocks but it’s literally all uphill) and walk back, even when I’ve had a ridiculously busy day at work, and I think I need to do that more.

It’s not as if my Day Job is sedentary…I can do up to four or five miles a shift with all the walking and moving around I do within the span of eight hours. Perhaps that’s partly why I don’t always have the moments to step aside and write out story ideas or work through something. It really depends on the day.

Still, I’m glad that I’m moving around a lot more than I was during the Previous Day Job, which had me sitting on my behind and snacking more often than I really should. All this moving around keeps me healthy and my blood pressure at normal levels. And when I’m walking home after a shift, it’s a stretch of time where I don’t have to think about anything else. I don’t use earbuds, so I only listen to the world around me. Some of those walks have been spent thinking about what needs to be done with my WIP, or working out how I want a certain scene to go. And most importantly, I get to unwind for a little bit before I start the writing work again!

I should be walking

Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

For a while I was walking to and from work, but due to the winter weather here in SF, it gets super cold and sometimes rainy and I’d rather either drive in or take the bus. I always feel like I’m being lazy and wasteful because it’s only eight blocks. It’s not even worth turning on the radio as it’s only a three minute drive. But it’s spring now, it’s warming up, and the days are getting longer so I won’t always be walking there or home in the dark, depending on the shift. And the walk is only ten minutes. [I timed it when I first went for my initial interview.]

What do I do in that ten minutes? It’s not as if I really do all that much deep thinking about things. Sometimes I’ll think about what I’ll be doing for the rest of the day when I have a morning shift, and after midday shifts I’ll wonder what’s going on in the neighborhood now that everyone’s come home and had their dinner already. I might even stop into one of the three coffee shops I pass and grab a cup to go.

I do think about my writing. Not always, but sometimes. Just as in the past, if I’ll use the time to work out something that’s bothering me, or plan out something I’d like to try. Going for a walk these days is more about me not having to think, taking a mental break from what I’ve been doing all day, but if I’m in that creative mood, this is a perfect and peaceful time to let my mind wander a bit.

Either way, I need to start walking again. I definitely need the exercise!