In a Western Place

A few co-workers stopped by my workspace yesterday to say hello and ask how my vacation went. Vacation? I went on vacation? Call me crazy, but a vacation, to me, usually involves traveling to a far off exotic place where nobody knows your name. 5 days off from work (2 of which were spent in either a plane or car) on the East Coast in Philadelphia, PA and Rochester, NY were far from a vacation in my eyes. But hey, at least it was warm. Very warm. I had forgotten what real warm weather was like.

The purpose of my visit? My Cousin (on my Mom's side) Andrew's wedding in Bensalem, PA. Because flying across the country for a weekend seemed totally absurd to me, I decided to extend my stay and hitch a ride up to Rochester with my Sister and fly back to San Francisco on Tuesday — which, surprisingly, resulted in a cheaper plane ticket. Highlights? I saw a LOT of family, (including both sets of parents). I sold my car (well, super Dad did — but I cleaned it out!) I drank too much wine. I woke up to a thunderstorm (we don't get those here, I miss them!) I stuffed my suitcase with more possessions for the return. Good trip, but exhausting. Therefore, not a vacation.

I'll have some pics up on my Flickr soon.

This past weekend was super low-key and full of sleep, TV, boyfriend time, and lots of walking toward nowhere in particular. After experiencing two eventful and expensive months, It's nice to have the time to unwind. However I'm also basking in the afterglow of "well, gee... now what?" It's strange, but I always feel like I need an event, a trip, something immediate to look forward to. And while July and August are already starting to swell with activity, the remainder of June is fairly open. Ah, poor me. So I thought, to fill in these gaps of time and to keep myself from going stir crazy, here's a list of things that I'd like to accomplish during the remainder of June:

• get a desperately needed pedicure
  
• upload the hundreds of images that I've shot in the past 4 months to my flickr
  
• redesign the Vitamin Party website
  
• update this here blog, every other day with interesting photographs/stories from the area
  
• go to a wine bar and enjoy a flight of new wines
  
• complete one of the three "off the beaten path" hikes on a list that a former san franciscian, now rochesterian, gave me before I moved out here
  
• start attending that dang yoga class down the street
  
• cook at home, more
  
• try to get to work before 9:00am Pacific time (ha, we'll see about that...)
  

Not too exciting, but hey, it's a start. Any other ideas?

Before passing the title of my car to its new owner, I took my vehicle of 8 years for one final spin along Canandaigua Lake. There's a vista point in South Bristol that I love, offering a breathtaking view of the lake and the surprisingly large hills surrounding the southern tip. Oh, this is in New York state, which is very blue and green this time of year.

Pictured: the Cable Car barn at Mason and Jackson Street, also known as the Cable Car Museum. Four, really long cables feed throughout the underbelly of downtown, thus forming the Powell-Hyde, California, and Powell-Mason lines. Moving at a constant speed of 9.5 mph, the entire system and operation... fascinate me.

Per my landlord's request, I wrote a letter to our next-door neighbor explaining why it is wrong to play the drums at 3:00 in the morning — including specific pieces of evidence that support the theory that being a drummer is, in fact, no longer cool after the age of 19 (unless you're really, really good at it*). Seriously, the drums? In an apartment? In a city with several people living in close proximity? This guy is mad, mad and really bad!

Sadly, no matter where I live it's always next to someone crazy, rude and/or loud. Let's hope this issue will be resolved soon, and quietly.

* OK, I stole that line from one of my roommates

I love this song
I love this video
I love this band

I've waited 10 years for an opportunity to see Mogwai live, again. 10 Years!!! So what's another 3 months?

It's a proud time to be a Californian.

While spending a beautiful afternoon exploring Lake Merritt waaay back in March, Matty and I stumbled upon a large patch of California Poppies displayed deep within downtown Oakland. These suckers grow wild, anywhere and everywhere. No wonder it's the state flower.

Get a load of the color!

Both images were shot on the same camera (mine) — with different composition and execution styles, obviously. Do I dare ask which of the two you prefer? It's all about how you work with the light (and subject), baby!

This past Thursday, Friday and Saturday were hot, hot, hot in the Bay area. Now that Matty is officially on summer break, we were able enjoy the weather, together, on my day off (which is Thursday, for you lurkers not in the know). After a lovely morning of sleeping in, we took the bus (which is free free free on hot days) over to Baker Beach, located near the Golden Gate bridge in Presidio, where we picnicked on Whole Foods grub and witnessed several "nudie" folk sunbathing and, ahem, playing volleyball. Please note that I refrained from photographing that, but it was tough. It's been years since I've relaxed on a beach, and having a boyfriend with the same blinding personality body as me, made it all the more enjoyable. Too bad my SPF 45 failed on me, (ouchie) and uh, sand, how did you there?!?! (See pictures)

Air quality is not so great here thanks to a slew wildfires in the surrounding area. I really hope it's under control soon because we're traveling through Big Sur while Matty's folks are in town during the 4th of July weekend. That, and nothing makes me sadder than a forest fire...

A lot of folks were in town this past weekend for the 38th annual San Francisco Pride Parade (and other Pride related events). Late Saturday night, in a surprisingly crowded BART station, Matty grabbed my hand and proudly proclaimed, "let's show them all that you don't have to be gay, to be in love!"

Ah, to be atypical in San Francisco.

Regrettably, we passed on the festivities and stayed out of the city for most Sunday to avoid the crowd. I'm sad to have missed out a great photographic opportunity... maybe next year.