San Francisco Days: September 2008

September 10, 2008

Settling In

So things are getting a wee bit more normal. I have a routine that I'm getting used to and my weekends seem to be pretty busy. Oh - and I am going home this weekend for a few days, I'm excited about that!

Becky and Joe were in the Bay Area last weekend and Candi and I got to spend Saturday with them and their family. We went to Golden Gate Park and rode the paddle boats around Lake Stow.

This was a great work-out for the legs. All that walking in Pac Hts. finally paid off!

Cute duck family!

So after the boats, we had lunch at the De Young museum where we checked out the Chihuly exhibition afterwards. And for those who don't know who he is, he is the same artist that created the beautiful glass art that covers the ceilings in the Bellagio's main front lobby in Las Vegas.

After that, we walked over to the Japanese Tea Gardens (still in the park)...

I thought this spider web looked kinda cool...

I loved this giant Buddha

After our day-o-fun at the park, we all went back to Becky's aunt's house where we all ate and had a great time....

The Birthday Girl!

Well there was our weekend in a nutshell. It was great to have some friend's in the city again, and we all had the best time.

I also wanted to post a few newer pictures of our place.

This is Charles. He's so cute!

September 3, 2008

Hi World - I'm BACK!!!!!!!

Ok, so I've been living in the city for almost two weeks now and we just got connected to this world wide web business. Aaaaahhhhhh so excited! Gone are the long hours spent at random coffee houses and libraries in our neighborhoods using their Internet to look for jobs.

A quick recap of the last two weeks:

I moved on Thursday, Adam was sweet to come up that weekend and help with everything which was great help. He was really excited...

Almost there!

Here!

Unloading/assembling out furniture...

We have added a few more things to our place since these pics but I haven't taken new pics. In the meantime here is one just to give you an idea...

We are a short walk to the Fillmore St. shopping district and there we found this place which we love and has the prettiest lattes.

Our first weekend here we got to see Radiohead at the Outside Lands Musical Festival in Golden Gate Park. It was awesome, and the crowd was HUGE. We couldn't get a taxi or a Bus at all that night because of the thousands of people that were in town for this concert. We walked all the way back to our apartment from the park that day. Pretty long night...

I LOVE this city! It's pretty amazing but it took me about a week to realize it. I had a few minor mishaps, my first day of school was great. I really like the campus, my classes, and the students that go there. However on my way home I got completely lost for about an hour and a half. Yes. So, many phone calls later, both Becky and Adam helped me make my way back to my neighborhood. SF's streets are designed on a grid system and are mostly one way streets. Coming back home was tough again because I couldn't find any parking and it seemed like EVERYONE was honking at me which just bummed me out even more. Once I finally found parking, I walked to our apartment and sulked. It doesn't end there. The next morning I walked over to where I parked my car only to see that the front tire was completely flat. When AAA replaced it with a spare, then that tire went flat.

But that was early last week, and everything is great now. I had a small break in between my classes on Thursday and I got to take a quick lunch in a grassy area...so relaxing..

The weather has been completely amazing here. Its been so warm and sunny and I hardly packed any summery clothes because I assumed it would always be on the cooler side. We walk everywhere which is great. I get plenty of exercise just by getting around the city. The hills in Pacific Heights are some of the steepest in all of SF. This city is so beautiful when its sunny. The sailboats fill the bay and people take full advantage of all the outdoor activities. Its been great.

This last weekend we had our first official visitors Erika and Ray who stayed for one night. We went to the Palace of Fine Arts and also the SFMOMA where we checked out the new Frida Kahlo exhibition which was amazing. More pics to come...

OK, so that has been the last two weeks in a nutshell, give or take a few hundred details. We get to see Becky this next weekend - can't wait!

*I will be posting more regularly now that I have this fancy-schmancy Internet =)

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

-Dr. Seuss