In a Western Place

While perusing some of my photos from our (very) small 4th of July vacation, I stumbled upon this prize of a photo…

Remember that SNL skit with the double seated toilet? Why shouldn’t you share your most private movement moment with the one that you love?

Speaking of (very) small vacations, I took a few days off this coming August so Matty and I could travel back to good ol’ Western NY (wasn’t I just there?) The first half will be in the middle of nowhere, NY for another wedding. The other half will be spent in the Rochester area. So yeah, we’ll be there and it’s gonna be unreal. That’s all I have to say about that.

I’m currently developing a graduate class on Welding. Bear in mind that I develop classes for our students to take online. Welding, online? I guess the school didn’t expect anyone to actually enroll in online Welding, but surprise! we’ve got a few students registered for fall. I’ve already spent too much time today determining whether #FFFF66 will be an effective, but subtle shade of yellow for all of the warning messages I need to post everywhere. Blowtorches and laptops – this should be scary interesting.

Needless to say, work has been keeping me very busy this summer. In addition to the course on Welding, I’m developing an grad/undergrad After Effects course, a graduate introductory Illustration class AND a graduate/undergrad Photoshop course – all launching this coming Fall semester. There’s certainly more on my plate than my first semester here, a sign that I’m doing a good job or I’m just a sucker that can’t say no. Regardless, I’m enjoying my work and I cannot believe that I’ve already passed the 6 month mark.

Our weekend trip to up to sunny, smoggy, warm Sacramento to visit our friends Will and Rachel was very lovely. We spent most of Saturday at their home in suburbia, relaxing on their back porch. It felt so good to sit outside and feel the warmth of the sun! And bonus, even though the weather was hot, dry heat = no bugs! A few other pals joined us later in the night for drinks and a rowdy game of h.o.r.s.e. After seeing the amount of beer that Matty and Will consumed, I have no idea how they managed not to impale themselves on the either the neighbor’s fence, or worse, on the birdhouse placed next to the basketball hoop. Oh my nerves.

On Sunday, Matty and I explored the city for a bit, mostly concentrating on Old Sacramento until it got too hot. Then we went back to Will and Rachel’s to chill in the AC and I finished my submission for CYOB (more on that in a second). Matty and I left for San Francisco later in the evening – but only after stopping for a few hours in suburban plaza heaven (they have an Old Navy and Target right-next-to-each-other, crazy!)

Anyway, remember CYOB? I’m participating again this Friday — but you’ll need to start here first otherwise my post won’t make any sense. If you don’t hear from me until then it’s because I’m spending all of my time trying to communicate how not to set a dorm room on fire.

I’m counting down the hours until I pick up my rental car, then proceed northeast to our state capital where the temperature looks a little something like this:

Warm! I’m going wear flip flops, I’m going wear sun dresses, and I’m going to drink cool beverages because it’s Summer up there! And bonus, I just got extra special permission to leave work early because my job has become my life I’ve been working super hard to meet all my deadlines, early. Why am I still here? To the sun, I say!

The last one cracks me up. Like Ceasar Chavez, Che Guevara and Pancho Villa were best buds.

Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” — Mark Twain

It’s the middle of July and I’m wearing a long sleeve shirt, jeans, thick socks with sneakers, and a jacket… inside. The weather’s been foggy, damp, windy with brrrrrrr chilly mornings and nights. We were lucky last week when it warmed up to a whopping 70 degrees! Dear hot and humid NY summers, I think I miss you.

A view of North Beach from Coit Tower. I walk through this neighborhood everyday on my foot commute to and from work. It’s about one and a half miles each way — downhill to the office and uphill to the home. I never walk the same route twice in one week.