More music please:

This is a top-40 hit at the moment, and in heavy rotation (obviously) back out there in Nueva Jol. The video is a little ridiculous, but I challenge you not to let that chorus stick somewhere in your brain. You just gotta give it up for Jay-Z. He's been cranking out anthems for the better part of twenty years now. I remember when I first landed at NYU you couldn't walk fifteen feet without his hard knock life chorus ringing out from a car passing by. It wouldn't be the city without him.

I arrived back in San Francisco Tuesday morning having caught up on a little rest (better sleeping through chemistry) and in time for a pretty big pitch meeting followed by a couple long days in the office. Drove up the 101 Wednesday night, fueled by mate and hope and glimpses of stars, really dropping the hammer north of Willits and making the whole run in just about five hours.

Best moment was that stretch between Laytonville and Legget where the road opens up to three lanes to accommodate slow truckers and you get that huge vista of the eel river canyon just packed with great old trees; moon was just starting to rise up behind me and at that point I was up above the fog level, nobody else on the road. Rolled down the window and let the world in; pure north coast magic.

I've been starting to notice all the things I'm going to miss about this place. Not just all the wonderful people, but the little things like the view out the kitchen window, the bustle of the old lady bartenders at Everett's.

But it's back out into the world for me. If I'm good and lucky, I'll always have a place here, a toe on some of the best the ground in America, but it's completely undeniable that my destiny is in some more densely populated space. The future is still uncertain there, but my latest trip back east made a very strong case for stepping up to the eternal challenge that city represents.

And so I'll take these last months as a blessing. Most beautiful things are at least in some ways ephemeral. Knowing I'll fly away increases the appreciation, and maybe that means my late days here will be the best yet. Sure hope so.