Monday, May 17, 2010

Self portrait of Geekymummy as an urban hipster

Or hipstamatic, at least


It is gallery time again. I love Tara's prompts, they give me little seed ideas that occasionally crystallize into multifaceted blog posts.





















My dear friend Stan took this picture of me last week, up on the roof deck of Medjool, a bar in San Francisco's Mission district. This neighbourhood is  "La Mission" of Benjamin Brat's enticing new film. A film that in my younger days I would have already seen, I'm sure, but now that I am no longer an urban hipster I will have to wait to see on DVD.  It is also a neighbourhood full of constant, yet constantly evolving ever hipper, cooler and tastier bars and restaurants. A place full of great memories.

Although it was taken recently this is a picture of who I used to be. Girl about town, frequenting those bars and restaurants. I love my life today, a life of work, kids and responsibilities, but I'm glad that I came to it a little late. Happy that I had those halcyon days between student hood and true adulthood when I was answerable to no one but myself, and there was time to form friendships and opinions over cocktails and long meandering conversations.  When I could while away a weekend browsing through the Mission thrift stores, take a nap, then head out in a newly acquired outlandish outfit to a bar we had just read about about in the SF Bay Guardian.

I feel old and frumpy when I go out in the Mission now. I look with fondness at the twenty somethings laughing away, so carefree in their achingly cool denim, one of a kind T shirts, fancy facial piercings and tattoos, safe in the knowledge that some day sooner than they think they too will be trying to negotiate a stroller up and down the hills.

Of course shortly after that photo was snapped, giddy at being out and about unencumbered by children, I tried to recapture my misspent youth with red wine and vodka cocktails. Lets just say I felt even older the next day!

Comments (10)

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You dont look like a 'geekymummy' at all :D Jen.
that was a great night! Thanks for letting me relive some of my youth.
I love that! I miss SF so much!
"achingly cool" - oh yes.

I'm glad I had my single, unchildrened, self-indulgent days in London. But when I look back, I think I forget how much I longed to be married, have kids, and be going to school concerts in the evening instead of a bar.

I agree with Jen. You look pretty cool yourself.
Agree with Jen, very cool and lovely. I agree with you about having those moments occasionally where you go back to the person you were before kids and responsibilities. Sometimes it really is just so wonderful to be that person again. Great picture, you look very happy.
" giddy at being out and about unencumbered by children"

- oh I love that feeling - the short period after leaving the children and before becoming embarrassing...
I love this post as I can relate to so much you've written! I think you definitely look the part of the urban hipster. Lovely photo -- very pleased to meet you!
Oh it's a great photo, you look lovely....and what a location too. :0)
You look like you are having a fab time. I can relate to the whole "I feel so old" thing, but you definitely don't look out of place!
Oh so unfair that when we now try to capture that excess of youth we pay for it in such a hard way. You look like you were having a great time, hope you didn't suffer too much the next day!

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