d'oh

So last week i'm working, and rushing around downtown, being the human pinball that i tend to be. As i'm northbound on Kearny street, I get the word that our client at 603 Commercial is spitting out some work. Having just picked up the 663 Clay -> Grant daily job, i was right there to get the commercial. (Oh - and i'm also holding one for Oyster Point Blvd, south of Candlestick. We had 6 bikes n the board, so we were ready to go as far as Brisbane/So. SF, and Sausalito too.)

So, i'm turning right onto commercial, and this guy is pulling something out of the back of his pick-up. What ever it was it was long and cylindrical and was in the right place at the wrong time to snag my helmet as i'm banking 'round the corner. It glanced enough off my brain bucket to knock me down and leave a little mark on my helmet. Thankfully, no damage to rider, but i was foggy and at the time we were really starting to get busy. So for the next few stops i'm being almost tentative, and somehow let it out that i fell and was foggy, and i'm going to pop into walgreens for some ibuprofin. It was one those those "if i'm not thinking properly now, here's why:" moments.

So 54 proposes that he take the Oyster Point blvd and i keep bouncing around the Loop (dwntwn in Chicago-speak). I"m cool with that - as much as i would have loved to stretch my legs out, at that point i was in a zone downtown.

Long story short - the fall that i had (which got resolved quickly enough; i wasn't hurt, my bike was in relatively fine shape, and the guy felt horrible and threw me $20) led to me handing off the Oyster Point. If i hadn't handed off the Oyster Point, i wouldn't have been the guy to finish out the Clay -> Grant daily i had onboard. This is significant because:

As i'm breaking out on north bound Grant street, i'm riding by 101 Music (1414 Grant St., in North Beach). This guy is walking out of 101 Music, and has a male companion with him. in the few seconds it takes to ride past, something strikes me: That guy, from behind, looks like Carlos Santana. The hair, the hat, the shades. Then as i get past, i double-take and sure enough, it is Carlos.



I'm no fanboy - i don't seek autographs and would feel very awkward asking for one. But this guy is practically my guitar hero - i grew up with the tones of Santana, and i'm not talking about the Matchbox 30 collaborations. So i ride up, say "Mr. Santana i've been a huge fan and appreciating your music since i was a little kid - can i bother you for a quick picture?" And with that he was ultra-gracious, noticed i'm a messenger and told me to be careful out there. As quickly as i spotted him, i approached him and was gone just as quickly. He had no entourage, no limo waiting, just some dude who was nice enough to snap the pic.

So - if i didn't get hit and fall on my bike, i wouldn't have handed off the long board work i had, and i wouldn't have met my guitar hero.