Those Sebastopol hippie crosswalks

I had several people with more "children stories" after the last blog entry:

"My five year-old nephew was holding a bottle of limeade at Whole Foods.  He said, 'I only want to get this if it's organic.'"

"My young daughter went to a daycare in Sebastopol for a while.  Now she says things like, 'I'd really rather have almond butter than peanut butter' and 'What kind of herbal teas am I allowed to have?"

"We had recently moved here from Santa Fe.  My daughter was in a play group and suddenly started talking about how she was born the year of the rat, and how different that is than other kids in her group who were born the year of the ox.  Apparently they discuss this quite a bit."

And my 2 1/2 year old niece always asks me if I'm going to get some Kombucha when we walk through Whole Foods.  (Interestingly enough, I don't even drink Kombucha.)


A friend had her cousin visiting from out of town.  I asked her how it was going.  Her reply:
"He thinks everything around here has to do with hippies.  'Is this because there are a lot of hippies around here?  Is that because of all the hippies?'  He even asked me about the flashing lights at the crosswalks.  I was like 'Dude, what in the world does that have to do with hippies?'"

Someone who has read this blog sent me the following email:
"I have enjoyed reading your blog.  I love living in this town although sometimes it can border a bit on the ridiculous.  But your blog endears me to this community.  I like Sebastopol with all its quirks.  There is a cast of characters here that makes it a fun place to live and people watch."
(It is for sure a community with a 'cast of characters.')

A computer on a small table at Starbucks with the note:  "Will be right back.  Do not take my laptop.  You are in the land of karma."

Favorite license plate:
BE STILL




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Beans, bubbles and bok choy

A visitor from up north told me, "I like Sebastopol.  It's a town in a bubble, but I like it.  My friend's think I am such a wild hippie to come down here every few months.  I come to get re-energized, but the funny thing is here I am considered very conservative."

A boy looking at the menu at Slice of Life.  "Look mom, carrot juice!  Organic black beans!  Yes!"
Very young girl at Community Market:  "How about some baby bok choy, mommy?"

Some shoppers at Community Market:
"Hold on a second, I like to read the fliers.  This is my entertainment."  After a moment:  "Look, here is a women's writing group."
Her friend:  "Is it a real one?  Or a writing group about birthstones and unicorns?"

Customer complaint: regarding a flier for Ecstatic Dance.  He has been to India, and the dancing event he went to here was not the ecstatic experience he had abroad.  According to him, Community Market should not be putting up such fliers.

Out of town visitor to me:  "I've noticed a lot of people here have superpowers."


Favorite license plate:
HAWK GAL

Favorite bumper sticker in a downtown store:
"I don't care if your child is an honor student, where you went to school or what you'd rather be doing."


On a local note, sad to see Box Office Video is closing.  It has been a constant between Whole Foods and Slice of Life for years.  I am sorry to see it go!




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What sixth chakras and iphones have in common

I was with some teenagers at a "teen lounge" recently and heard some choice comments.  (Some of the remarks, especially coming from teens, made what I overheard even more humorous.) 

"You know how there is spiritual fake and spiritual sincere?  She is very spiritual sincere."
"My yoga teacher's daughter is definitely spiritual fake."

"I do not like [animal] medicine cards.  My grandmother made me draw one to see what my spirit animal was and I got skunk.  Skunk!"
Her friend:  "You got skank?"
Third girl:  "No, she said skunk." 
First girl:  "Who wants their spirit animal to be a skunk?" 
Her friend (continuing to text on her phone):  "Well, maybe it's better than being a skank."

Adolescent boy:  "It would be really nice if I could open up my third eye, but I don't know how."
His friend:  "I don't think you open it.  I think you activate it."
After a moment.  "Kind of like a cell phone?"


Gentleman, standing outside Copperfield's on July fourth:  "For being a fairly anti-establishment town, Sebastopol sure does go all out with the flags every holiday it can."
(this is true)

I was walking toward Ragle Park close to dusk and heard some drumming coming from a backyard a few houses down.  A man, walking toward me, commented when he passed by:  "You gotta love Sebastopol.  You go for an evening stroll and get some nice sunset drumming."




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Separation of church and pendant

I was just thinking that I hadn't had any Sebastopol encounters for a while when I overheard a conversation by the deli counter at Community Market.  The special for the day was a grilled bacon/tomato/basil sandwich.
Guy to his friend:  "I think I might get the special...   That sounds good.  Oh, I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't be tempting you with a BLT."
Guy #2:  "Truthfully I'm not really a vegan.  I learned what I am.  I'm a negan."
Me stepping closer to them, "I'm sorry, what is a negan?"
Guy #2:  "Nearly vegan."
I nodded.  "Well, that makes sense."
First guy:  "You should put that on a t-shirt.  'NEGAN.'  With an asterisk, and in small letters 'vegan except for bacon.'"  Then to me, "And actually it's true, he really is a vegan.  With the exception of bacon."
Me:  "I have a few friends I could get that t-shirt for."
And as a good negan, I did see him order the BLT sandwich with vegan mayonnaise.

Shopper:
"There is a lot of nice jewelry here.  But I really want something that doesn't... you know, have an Om sign or the tree of life.  I like my jewelry and I like my spiritual life, but I'd just prefer to keep them separate."


Man gazing at flier:  "Well, look at that.  In Sebastopol there is not just a class on conscious parenting.  There is an entire festival."


License plate of the week:
CHAKRA3
(The question being, is this in reference to the third chakra?  Or were CHAKRA1 and 2 just already taken?)




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When felines and tarot cards collide

"I'm not going to yoga to be happy!  If I wanted to be happy, I would go somewhere and order a glass of wine."

At Global Village:
"We could get them these religious prayer flags, yes.  They could go with the three thousand other prayer flags they already have all over their property."

"It's not hard to find yerba mate in Sebastopol.  You can get it at the gas station."
(I did not know this, but it is in fact true.)

"Where are you from initially?"
"Born and raised in Grass Valley.  But I have spent a lot of time in Sebastopol."
"So you are one of those Sebastopol/Grass Valley dual citizenship folks."

Woman shopper, to a store owner:  "The feng shui in this space isn't promoting flow."
Her friend:  "Not everyone knows about feng shui."
Same woman, to a small group standing next to them:  "Do you know what feng shui is?"
Several of them nod.  To her friend, "I think the types of people who live around here know about feng shui."  After a moment.  "And the feng shui in here is kind of atrocious."

"I know what I am going to do this summer!  I am going to create a cat tarot deck!"


Favorite business card of the week:
Chocolate Troubadour

Favorite license plate:
DEJA VU

Renting and lamenting in west county

Sometimes when I am talking to people it will come up that I write a blog about Sebastopol and its quirkiness, which of course leads to stories about quirky moments in Sebastopol. It is kind of a chicken or the egg thing.... then I end up with anecdotes for the blog.
Such was the case recently when the topic of this blog surfaced and it lead to a discussion of the most overused words in Sebastopol.  Some gems from this exchange:

"The most overused word would have to be 'blessings.'  Lots of blessing going on in Sebastopol.  It's like a town full of Catholic priests minus the Christianity."
(As an aside, I was slowing down for someone to cross the street this week and he held out his hand and said, "Blessings."  It was one of those how Sebastopol was that? moments.)

"I think the most overused phrase is: 'Let's meet at Whole Foods.'" 
"Maybe seconded by 'I've been trying to manifest....'  Sometimes I want to say, set a goal!  Setting goals is okay, too."

"I think one of the most overused words is 'goddess.'  Really, I had a very different relationship with that word before I moved here."

"I'd have to say the most overused excuse around here is 'I can't because I'm a virgo/pisces/leo....'  Or, 'I don't do well with him because he is an aries/tauras/has a scorpio moon...'"


Favorite local post of the week:
"I am looking for a rental in Sebastopol or Forestville.  My hope is it can be walking distance from downtown Sebastopol with an area I can garden.  I would also like to put up an outdoor kiln.  Quiet, mellow woman in her 50s.  If you have a reasonably priced room in a house or granny unit that is clean, scent-free, preferably vegetarian household, free of smokers, quiet (no young children), open to a renter who meditates, is vegetarian/sometimes vegan, does not like television and burns incense regularly and is respectful of boundaries in a shared living area then please contact me.  Would like to find a place where there is little to no noise after 9 p.m. (including laundry being done).  I am also allergic to pets.
References available.  I really am low maintenance, despite how the above paragraph makes it seem."


Co-worker:  "Do you know where we could get some sage [for smudging] around here?"
Me:  "Um, I could walk out to my car."

Favorite license plate of the week:
BRN OWL



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Tribal Fest and gluten zest

"Tribal Fest is going on?  Oh, I thought that's just how Sebastopol women dress."

Customer, standing in front of a large shelf of seventeen kinds of chocolate bars.  "What is it with Whole Foods and their shrines to chocolate?"

Mother, to five year old daughter running around in the store:  "Honey, you are spazzing out!  Did you not take your GABA this morning?"

Two people chatting in the plaza:  "You miss Health and Harmony [fair]?  Uh, just go hang out in front of Whole Foods most any weekend.  It's Health and Harmony all year 'round."

A woman sitting next to my friend, to no one in particular:  "I don't like this gluten-free pizza.  It lacks a certain zest.  The crust tastes like the cardboard in the back of a yellow pad.  I would like to get some pizza that is gluten-full."  (soft sigh)  "And then this imitation pepperoni...."


Favorite text of recent weeks:
"Yes, we can meet at Community Market.  But beware, tribal fest divas abound."

Favorite blog comment of the week:
"The blog about Sebastopol, where the streets are paved with yoga mats."



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