Ocupado

Today, I had my own little personal episode of What Not to Wear.

You see, I had some appointments in San Francisco, so I took the ferry down from Larkspur. Tough duty, I know. I walk out of the Ferry Building and between me and the Financial District, where my meetings are, is Occupy San Francisco. It's a tent city that appears to be growing from what I've seen in the newspaper. (It's now much bigger than the picture you see with this blog posting.)

Now, I had a choice. I could go around and avoid the protest or I could go right through the middle. Curiousity got the better of me and I decided to go right threw it. I stopped in the middle to read some signs they had out to try and figure out their main focus. Why are they here? What exactly are they protesting? The signs didn't really help as they were about every topic under the sun from war to greed to the environment. When I looked up from the signs, I realized I had about four people around me and not looking real friendly.

It turns out that a navy pinstriped suit and a yellow "power tie" are not really the appropriate attire for a visit to Occupy San Francisco. I had unknowingly become "The Man." I was the embodiment of what they were there to protest. So, we had a little discussion and I explained to them that I'm more of a "Vendor to The Man" than actually "The Man" myself. They got a little more friendly at that point, so I got to ask them some questions about how things are going at the protest.

Who are they? Are they unemployed San Franciscans? Actually, no. The ones I spoke with were from Humboldt State and told me that others were also "occupying" that campus. Does the city provide bathrooms, showers any type of sanitation? No. They say they find other ways to deal with those needs. (I didn't ask them to elaborate because I was afraid the answer would ruin me for lunch later in the day.)

How do they pass the time? Well, this question I didn't need to ask, because my nose already had the answer. Occupy San Francisco smells a lot like pot...like a lot of pot, actually. I guess that explains why they are all just sitting around. Actually, it's a combination of pot and people who have been without a shower for a while. The combined scent is a lot like mulch. It's not really bad, it's just earthy.

That didn't end my experience as "The Man" today. Later, I was eating a salad with a coworker at a table outside of Mona Lisa on Columbus. We're sitting there crunching and chatting and the next thing I know I've got a guy yelling at me that I should "Go back to check my stocks and raping workers accounts!" I"m not sure I've got that completely right, but the words "stocks, workers" and "raping" were all definitely part of that.

Thankfully, my return trip back through Occupy San Francisco was relatively boring and this time I decided maybe stopping in the middle to read the signs and try and figure out just what they are protesting wouldn't be a smart move.

So, the next time you hear them protesting "The Man," just remember this. Who Da Man? I'm Da Man!