In a Western Place

Muir Woods, November 2008

Wow, it’s been well over a week since my last post… how does one even recover from that? I guess you can’t. I don’t even know what to write that’s at least mildly amusing since I’ve been up to my eyeballs with work (until now… ) I was home alone with the cat all weekend while Matty (and the band) toured Portland and Seattle. I should note that weekends (and life, in general) without Matty are (is) boring, for example: I watched the same episode of The Soup three times. I started my taxes. I reorganized the medicine cabinet, linen closet and shoe rack. I went new clothes shopping in-person and online (which I actually enjoyed, shockingly). I facebooked and comcasted. OK, I’ll stop now… I just put myself to sleep.

Happy Chinese New Year!

• Joey is not only walking on his broken leg, he’s running on it. My guess is that he’s feeling better. Or just dumb. My money is on the latter.
• The temperature has been in the 60s/70s these past few days… I have no idea what to think of it.
• The new semester starts in 2 weeks so I’m up to my eyeballs in hypertext and self induced deadlines. Tomorrow marks my 1-year anniversary at this job. Wow, that went fast.
• I left my doggie bag at the restaurant earlier this evening. Now what am I going to have for lunch tomorrow? Grrrr.
• I’ve got a 3-day weekend, this weekend!
• Vitamin Party is in the lead for Best Bay Area Emerging artist 2008. If you haven’t voted yet, please consider doing so here. And look, they have their own banner ad now:

• OK, enough bullets. You?

Tahoe | Photo Friday

I ride BART on a daily basis and I had no idea that their specialized force of glamorized security officers were even armed. As I walked out of the Glen Park station last night, the loud speaker announced that the 12th street station (in Oakland) was closed due to a civil protest. I arrived home and my television screen showed me otherwise. All these questions (with no answers) are fueling so much anger. The whole situation is very upsetting, and sad.

Matty’s band, Vitamin Party, has made it to the last round of the Best Emerging Artist (2008) competition here in the Bay area. Winning would be very exciting, so if you’ve got a second, please click here > scroll down > select “Vitamin Party.”

Sounds easy, right? And nope, there’s no need to register and no one wants your private info. Last time I checked Vitamin Party was in the lead — thanks for the help!

I guess I’ll just settle for one.

I wasn’t too keen on flying back home to New York for the holidays (thanks to the broken cat, new home separation anxiety, emotional trauma suffered during our last plane trip, etc.). Miraculously our flight home was both fast and easy (no delays!) and we both had a relaxing and enjoyable time with Matty’s family in the middle of nowhere/Buffalo and mine in the Canandaigua/Rochester area. So yeah, aside from the lack of snow, our Christmas was perfect and I hope yours was too!

On to New Year’s… Matty summed 2008 up as his best year (so far) and I’d like to second that. Off the top of my head, in 2008: I officially revoked my New Yorker status and became a Californian, I lived in three different San Francisco neighborhoods, I saw a ton of great shows (My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, Mogwai, Gogol Bordellos (twice!), and many-o Vitamin Party — to name a few), we explored Northern and Central California, I felt my second earthquake, I formed some great new friendships, I found a job that I actually like, I got back into real Photography, I went to Burning Man, I acquired a cat, I moved into a real home with my incredible companion, I ate a lot of avocados and tacos, I was a bridesmaid in a good friend’s wedding, I hung out at Red Jacks (a wee bit too much), I recycled waaaay more than I threw out, I developed a dependency for toilet seat covers, I voted for the winner, I read a book, and I left my old blog of seven years to start this one (and never looked back)… phew!

2009 not only brings a new year, but in a few short days I turn a new age… my head now abuzz with new goals and semi resolutions for my 32nd year in existence. I’d like to continue investing my free time into photographing and exploring the off the beaten paths my city of San Francisco and state of California has to offer (and documenting it all, here). I want to travel more on this side of continent, specifically around Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and perhaps down in Central America. I want to focus more on all the wonderful things and people that make me feel joyful, and less on the stupid, irrelevant stuff that makes me feel insane (not an easy feat, for me). I’d like to hear more from the folks that have been lurking on this site, which I feel will help fuel my future postings (don’t be shy!) And lastly, I wish to acquire the willpower to trade reruns of Jon and Kate Plus 8 for a long run or Yoga, gosh darn it!

More importantly, I’d like to wish a happy and prosperous New Year to you all!