Back in Beantown EditionFinal Travelblogue: Weeks 12-13 of 13

So the last few weeks of my "adventures" in California happened too fast for me to blog about in a timely manner. But a few incidents stand out:

The Horror!
Went shopping with Tammy and found the most hideous couture ever.


It's like the bastard child of Cookie Monster and Sgt. Pepper. It's double-double-breasted for crying out loud! Oh yeah, and it's $4,195. Ridic!

Sing It Again Vusi
Heard Vusi Mahlasela perform at Yoshi's in Jack London Square. The intimate venue was the perfect setting to soak in the sounds of Africa sung by this poet-activist who has performed for Nelson Mandela.


Loved the music so much I got the CD. I never buy CDs. Well worth it. It's like a cross between Dave Matthews, folk, and well, African music. Mellow, hopeful, melodious.


A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Went to the beautiful coastal town of Half Moon Bay with Mother and Brother.


A wave of nostalgia flooded over me as we walked along the beach, picking up iridiscent shells and sand-smoothed rocks.


The California coastline never disappoints.


Meet Me in St. Louis, St. Louis!
Had an amazing 4-day fun-PACKED visit to see Mandi in St. Louis. Ever since we moved away 2 years ago I have missed her so much!


Mandi was the consummate hostess with the most-est. She drove me all around the city, she braved the 99 degree weather with me, and she even indulged my knitting bug and love of puppies.


She's one of few people in the world that make me feel more like myself when I'm with her than when I'm not. I have to figure out how to move her to NorCal!

Travelblogue: Weeks 9-11 of 13: Countdown to Freedom

A lot has happened since I last posted. Here are the highlights:

Tuesday, July 17: Moving Day

Today my brother and I moved into a new abode. It's a very nice duplex in a very shady part of town. I sleep with a knife next to my bed and when my brother's not home I block all the doors with chairs.

The walk from the new house to BART takes twenty minutes. I frequently take a taxi back to avoid leering advances and the taunts of little children shouting, "I hate Chinese!"

I swear I saw gun fire one night followed by 7 more shots. I called my brother to come home in a hurry and told him what I heard. He was not happy to be inconvenienced by, what he claims, were just firecrackers.

Lately I feel better because I've seen a few nerdy looking white people walking around. I no longer feel like I stick out like a sore, light-skinned, and business-attired thumb.

Wednesday, July 18: Baby on Board!

No, not me.

I found out today that my friends Stephen and Emily are pregnant! It was an accident but still very welcomed and exciting nevertheless.


I ran out and bought them Baby Birkenstocks. Thoroughly appropriate because (1) they live in Berkeley and (2) the shoes are unisex!


I love when my friends have babies. I have an excuse to buy adorable outfits and shoes, and can playfully poke their cherubic chub to my heart's content without any responsibility, bone-tired fatigue, or parental guilt. Ah the joys of other people's kids.

Friday, July 20: Two Magicians and 900 Pages of Delight

Forget Harry Potter. I'm talking about Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

If you're looking for a "ravishing...superb" novel that "combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genere that rivals Tolkien"--and frankly, aren't we all--then look no farther than this tome about two magicians and the history of English magic by Susanna Clarke.


I never read novels because so many are crappy, but I am eating this one up!
(Shout out to Stephen George for recommending it! You rock. I owe you big time man.)

Friday, July 27: A Civilized Goodbye

Today Erin, my next-door officemate, and fellow summer associate finished off her last day. We celebrated with a Summer Associate lunch (there's only 3 of us left now!):




And then had high-tea at the Nordstrom Rotunda whilst discussing Jane Austen and sticking out our pinkies when raising our teacups (just kidding about the pinkies.)


Saturday, July 28: The Kayakers

Tammy and I went kayaking with my firm today in the beautiful California Bay.


I don't know if I'm more impressed with the fact that she roused herself at the crack of dawn to go kayaking with me at 7:45am on a Saturday, or that she came completely prepared with snack bars, bananas, water shoes, windbreaker, and everything else recommended on the kayaking website. That woman is thorough, prepared, and quite the trooper. I should call her The Girlscout from now on.


Tammy and I shared a two-person kayak and our lagging position in the group said a lot about the state of our upper-body strength. But towards the end, Tammy realized that the sooner we reached shore, the sooner we could partake of a gourmet brunch (on the company dime of course). Suddenly, having voiced that logic, Tammy began to row like a maniac and I was surprised at how quickly a kayak could glide through the water! That girl loves her brunch.

Wednesday, August 1: Gadfly Reprise

Today the Gadfly called to ask me to lunch.

I had thought good and long about what I would say when this moment came and I told him my carefully rehearsed excuse:

"Well, I've been really busy lately so I don't think we could have lunch. I could probably get coffee with you sometime though..."

To which he replied that he's too busy to do coffee. And that was that. I was beyond relieved that I should probably never have to talk to him again.

Postcript: So close and yet so far away...

I have only 1.5 more weeks of work left. (Yay!!!!)

I have only 2 more weeks until I return home to Boston. (Waiting for this is the hardest).

Then I have only 2 weeks before school starts. (Boo!!!!)

And then I have 9 months until I move back to the Bay Area. (yay)