The things you'll see...

while sitting outside a Starbucks in Union City.

I have to start by saying that I am still practicing sitting in a cafe. It seems like the most natural thing...sitting in the cafe, reading your book, writing a letter, working on the computer, etc. But when I see people doing homework or whatever, I just want them to go home, so it is more than mildly hypocritical for me to sit there for no particular reason.

So, I practice sitting in the cafe, with my coffee, and some other not really important thing to do. I usually can't take it for longer than a half an hour. Yesterday, in Union City, since I had two hours to kill, I managed almost a whole hour.

Here's what I saw:

--four shimmery, silvery cadillac escalades... I wouldn't have paid attention ordinarily, but the three I saw all drove past in the first twenty minutes. I just couldn't believe there was such a need for so many HUGE cars. I was careful by the time I saw the second and third to make sure they weren't the same car... it wasn't that...and there were more, I stopped watching them after a while.

--leather jacket clad, cell phone talking guy... had to be late twenties, maybe older or just not well-preserved...waiting for his mom to pick him up from work. I was intrigued by his inability to sit still... he made five or six calls in succession... most short calls, some were just messages... maybe he was just anxious to get to wherever he was going next. All I know for sure is that when he wasn't on the phone, he was constantly moving, jerking as though about to jump up. Finally, his mother arrived in a shiny blue pt cruiser. I don't know what I expected her to drive; it all just seemed unlikely.

--so many twelve to fifteen year old asian boys wandering aimlessly between the movie theater and the restaurants. I was especially intrigued by the very young boy wearing a shirt about beer. A friend recently wondered aloud where all the teenage kids were hanging out in Oakland... we mused about it... no mall here to hang out in; but in Union City, even outside strip malls are the perfect place to drop off your kids for the day. Ahhh, suburbia.

--No rice, no beans burrito. Finally, I had to notice when the third or fourth person said these words as they rounded the corner. Then I realized that the Starbucks was right next to La Salsa... it must be the most popular burrito.

--finally, MOTORCYCLES. I don't know about you, but if I had a motorcycle and lived in NoCal, I would not spend my weekend riding loudly around the mall. I cannot even begin to count the number of motorcycles that drove past me... they were literally non-stop.