And the weather, hot, the car overheating, overheating in the car. Maybe five miles to work, head down 14th Street, then down 20th Avenue, but it takes 20 minutes, half an hour, the lights on 14th aren't synchronized, traffic backs up, you wait in your car, sweating, simmering...
At every intersection - 17th, 12th, 11th, and then again in Kensington there are the bums, the career homeless, staggering into traffic with an old coffee cup, or walking in abject humility between the cars, eyes downcast, cap in hand, every car has it's window down, some are old hands at this, some are new, this panhandling from cars is a new thing, new as in the past 5 years, before then it wasn't a thing at all, now, on 14th at least, they've cornered every intersection.
Sitting in the car as they walk past, avoiding or catching your eye, everyone has their own trick, the thermometer rising, the temperature, early 30's, a menacing haze that promises thundershowers and hail if you can just survive until you get to work ...