is there a code of conduct for panhandling? i was accosted this morning by a man who was insistent upon receiving some change. i apologized politely and tried to move past him. he continued to ask me, and then when i wouldn't oblige, he stayed in my face and started grumbling about how terrible humanity was and how he was in between jobs and didn't want to be doing this. i mumbled something about how little i make, and he says, i'm just trying to get a cup of coffee here! i say "here" because he approached me at the bakery where i make my daily morning bagel stop.

now, i'm used to panhandlers on the streets and sidewalks. i'm used to them being persistent and sometimes even rude. but inside an establishment where i'm trying to be a normal paying customer without being harassed? there must be some kind of distinction about where it's okay and not okay to panhandle. the truth is, i really do feel bad about people who are so destitute that they need to panhandle. but in reality, i make very little money and can't afford to be giving hand-outs. besides, there are so many people begging for hand-outs that i can't possibly appease all of them. while it's true that helping one panhandler might make a difference for that specific person, i also feel that there are things that those people can do to change their situations. get thee to a shelter! take a shower, get free meals, look into career counseling... unfortunately it's not the easiest thing to do, but there *are* options out there. some people just choose not to take them.

more and more do i find it frustrating that we (in the san francisco office of my foundation) get short-shrift because we're actually doing what we're supposed to be doing. all the while, people in the other offices are going along doing whatever they please. if they don't get caught (or stopped in time), then they are able to do what they want. at the same time, the sf office is busting our asses to do what is in the best interest of the foundation programmatically and in terms of partnerships, while still pursuing the notion of functionality. elsewhere in the ether of the other offices, no one seems to care. *sigh* how does one go about beating the system when the system is beating us to a bloody pulp and then coming back for seconds?

in csilla sports news:
--ucla football is only receiving one top-150 high school recruit, plus three hot prospects (who evidently don't fall into the top 150). usc is looking to have the #2 recruiting class this season. hopefully the unbeaten late-november streak will end under new ucla coach karl dorrell, though.
--evidently ex-earthquakes goalkeeper joe cannon is bitter. or drunk. or both. this remains unconfirmed, but is highly suspected and hotly debated among fans.
--only three more months until soccer season. but there are still three more months until soccer season!! *sigh*
--san jose sharks sit near the bottom of the nhl yet again. when will it end?
--the 9ers still have no head coach, while mariucci signs with the detroit lions (poor marty mornhinweg) and promises to bring them a championship. good luck, steve-o.

and with that, i am spent.