46.2 F
Davis

Davis, California

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Walking around

All quarter long I’ve been without a vehicle, and surprisingly, life’s not so bad.

Unitrans gets me to class, the Yolobus gets me to work, and, since I don’t have a bike, I just walk everywhere else.

Davis is pretty pedestrian-friendly, with plenty of bridges and bike paths and midnight joggers, but really it’s just flat.

Walking everywhere can get pretty dull. Luckily, the weed helps.

I notice all the nature that my sober self doesn’t usually find significant enough for some reason. Is the world always so peculiar?

This is a town full of trees (especially, fortunately, around my place in west Davis), and there is something so impressive and reassuring about their size and age. Trees know a lot about survival and stability. As a fellow living being who wants nothing other than a little peace and sanity, I can’t ignore the opportunity to learn from them.

Davis is also full of bugs, especially at night, especially in the summer. Admittedly, they’re pretty cute.

I imagine the world is a different place for something so small. There’s probably not much one can desire at that size. Except for some food and water and a little romantic humping every now and then, what else could bugs want? What else could anyone want?

I’m sure there’s also a lot I can learn from them, which is why I feel so guilty when I invariably arrive home with spider guts and and bits of beetle skull all over the bottom of my shoe. Though bugs probably don’t have skulls. But then what makes them so crunchy?

Walk anywhere around town and it won’t be long before some squirrels get in your business. Davis squirrels are definitely not shy, and they even seem to get a thrill out of fucking with people. Who wouldn’t?

There are snakes, too, and they also like to fuck with people. While they’re probably harmless, they always scare the shit out of me. One always crosses my path when I cross the bridge by the Domes. I’m sure it’s some sort of ongoing prank they’re all a part of.

The rabbits are my favorite. I’ve always had this childlike excitement around them, probably because I grew up with Bugs Bunny on the TV. They’re quick and curious, and their nervous demeanor reminds me of my roommates on Adderall. But why would rabbits need Adderall?

I can’t help but get a little jealous about how these animals don’t have bills or finals to worry about. They just sit in their holes and play all day.

I’m not at all judging. In fact, that’s probably all that my life will consist of after I graduate this year. I should probably start digging up a hole of my own, but I guess I’m a little too high to worry about the future.

Am I always so peculiar?

Walk around town, but try not to get run over by the packs of bicyclists that wear bright matching spandex and pedal in unison.

Walk around town and I’m sure that eventually a Unitrans bus will pass by, saying it’s headed “Nowhere in Particular.” It’s always disappointing that it doesn’t stop to let people on. I’m sure there’d be plenty of us who’d be willing to get a little lost.

That’s the good thing about this town. Davis is pretty flat, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means everything is even and stable and in plain sight. It just means it’s pretty easy to get from one side of town to the other, and that it’s never too hard to find your way back home.

LEO OCAMPO can be reached at gocampo@ucdavis.edu.

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