A New Year’s A’Comin’!

It’s not quite New Year’s yet, but I’m already thinking about my 2008 New Year’s resolutions. One of them is to document my west coast life in this blog more often. My track record is dismal so far, but I have faith that I can be better in the coming year. A few other resolutions (not necessarily in this order):

Stay in better touch with friends and family
Exercise to feel good (and to be in better shape)
Destress: through yoga, meditation, or something else spiritual
Keep up on my new 5-year journal
Read more books
Cook more
Allocate retirement money
Take better care of myself
Take vitamins regularly

That’s the list so far, but I’m sure there are more to add. I worry that maybe it’s a bad idea to have such a long list. Might that hinder the success of the items I’m actually hoping to improve upon? But then, I’m thinking that maybe by posting my resolutions on this website for all to see, I will be more resolute about sticking to them. Here’s hoping!

Christmas was wonderful this year. In addition to having my mom in from Connecticut, I had the pleasure of being greeted by two little kitties on Christmas morning. I succumbed to my persistent desire to house animals, and decided I would foster two cats my aunt rescued through her animal rescue program, Hopalong. I was smitten with the black one (I’ve decided to call her Fiona), but the tabby one was plenty cute (I’ve called her Violet).

My aunt thought that fostering would be a great, pressue-free way to determine whether I might like to adopt them. I think a part of me knew it already, but I can definitely say they have won over my heart. They are so full of love, so smart, and so playful. It’s pretty hard to be down when you have two purring machines curled up on your lap. I knew I could only keep one (my lease stipulates one cat only), so I was delighted when Matt told me today that he would be willing to adopt Violet. Now I know she’ll be going to a good home, and I can still see her. Plus, the kitties can even visit each other every once in awhile (that’s the one thing I’m sad about…the fact that they will inevitably be separated).

As I was saying, the kitties (and my mother) greeted me on Christmas morning, and my mom and I took our sweet time getting around the present-opening. Two of the most wonderful gifts she gave me were cds of New England Christmastide 1 & 2, which we’ve been listening to on cassette every year since I was about ten. I’m very much about tradition and nostalgia, and I like to celebrate in the same tried and true ways. Call me boring…but it makes me really happy. I experience feelings of sublimity when I recall happy memories like that. So now I have my own Christmastide to play year in and year out. Later in the morning, Matt came over after dropping his parents off at BART (they went to Hawaii…I feel just awful for them). Matt, my mom, and I exchanged more gifts, and then we began the cooking extravaganza.

This Christmas was my very first experience hosting a holiday dinner. Who would have thought it possible that I could fit five people into my little studio apartment for dinner?! But fit them I did. My mom, Matt, and my new west coast (also from the east coast) friends, Mary and Andy, came over.

Dinner menu:
hors d’oeuvres—white radishes, brie and tablewater crackers, smoked almonds
dinner—yummy salad a la Mary, apple and onion stuffed Cornish game hens, sweet potato risotto (with mascarpone cheese), cranberry sauce, and rainbow chard
dessert—chocolate chip cookies a la Mary and Andy
beverages—wine, wine, and champagne

Can I just say yum? Aside from the fact that I was frantically running around the kitchen trying to keep a million things cooking at once, and aside from the fact that the stupid risotto cooked for what felt like eons but remained slightly crunchy, I would say the meal was a success! The cuisine was delicious, the ambience mellow and comfortable, and the company merry. A very nice way to celebrate indeed!

And now here I sit pondering what next year has in store for me, and everyone I know. I can’t believe how many things have happened in 2007. I moved into my own place, I met some new friends, one of my oldest friends got married, another friend is about to give birth, I’ve got two, new, sweet kittens to adore…life is good indeed.

Off to a shoddy start

The fact that I couldn't even remember my password information to log in and post a new blog is a pretty clear indicator that I have not been doing a good job with this whole blogging thing so far. It's been more than a month since my first post....yep, that's about in line with how often my journal entries usually occur, too (I don't know when I went from writing 14 page sagas to barely managing to squeeze in a couple of pages a month)! But I will strive to be better. Have patience, dear readers, and I promise to include more frequent posts on interesting subject matter (well, I can't promise the subject matter will be interesting to everyone, but I'll try). My new West coast friend Mary recently added me to her "blogosphere" so I better shape up and prove my worth!

So much has happened over the past month that an attempt to discuss it all in one sitting would be arduous, if not impossible. And anyway, I'm suffering from brain drain after a long day attending/leading a CRRC lab training (what's CRRC, you ask? Check it out: www.coolroofs.org; who knew the roofing industry was so exciting!). I will eventually get around to discussing my trip back East (for those of you who don't know, I was in Maine and Connecticut for the better part of the month of August), but I think that tonight will not be the night I chronicle that trip. I want to put some real effort into uploading all of the pictures of the loveliest place on earth--a.k.a. Port Clyde, ME--and detailing my experiences back at my two "homes". In the meantime, I will pick up with my past couple of weeks back in the EB.

A whole lot of my life is in flux right now, and I'm usually prone to extreme anxiety and stress in situations of variability. I'm trying to give my future some direction, trying to research new jobs, thinking about grad school, trying to revamp my extracurricular activities, and trying to find a new studio (I want my own place!). Oh yeah, and did I mention I'm trying to figure out my purpose in life?! I wish I had it together like some of friends seem to. I wish I had a five-year plan--heck, a one year plan would satisfy me. I've been doing a lot of contemplating and soul-searching these past several months (my present location seems to encourage this), and I haven't come to any concrete conclusions yet, but the wheels have been set in motion. I'm doing my best to keep cool under all of the changing variables. I've finally realized that worrying incessantly over things never really does me any good. However, taking steps toward a goal gives me a sense of satisfaction and purpose. Right now, my steps consist mainly of hunting on Craigslist for viable housing and career opportunities.

My 24th birthday came and went on Sunday...I awoke and was greeted by my sweet boy. As if it was Christmas, Matt thrust his gifts in front of me as soon as I emerged from slumber. I didn't even have time to eat before I was unwrapping my presents--I'm not complaining, though. After gift-unwrapping, Matt and I headed to Julies Coffee & Tea in Alameda. This place has become my most recent addiction. Look, they have a website: http://www.juliestea.com/. Julie's is a small cafe located off of Park Street with a cute garden patio off the back of their building. Their decor includes vibrant colors (always a plus with me!) and all sorts of neat tea pots & cup sets. My favorite item on the menu is their scone-of-the-day (served with Devonshire cream, of course!) and a pot of Earl Grey tea. Tea is always served in a unique pot with a dainty cup/saucer and pretty silverware. I look forward to Sundays just so I can go to Julie's.

The rest of the day was spent doing a hodgepodge of things, including stopping by Matt's parents' for a visit and scrutinizing potential studios. The evening was spent at La Taza de Cafe, another East Bay gem, located on Grand Avenue. For those of you west coasters who haven't been, this is another place I recommend: http://latazadecafe.com/. Cuban tapas--need I say more? Dinner was delicious, and birthday girl and guest received free flutes of champagne with guava cheesecake (after Matt clued them in that it was my birthday).

Overall my birthday was very nice, but I must admit that part of it was spent feeling a little bit down. This year I really felt the absence of loved ones. Last year, Emily came out from the east coast to celebrate my birthday in Muir woods with Matt and me. This year, there was no east coast presence. I couldn't help but feel a slight sadness. Maybe a little more than slight. I do realize that if I stay here long enough I will no doubt develop the sorts of solid friendships I have back east. It's the wait that is a bit difficult.

Pizza's here. Enough for now.

First musings

After having lived out here in the East Bay for a year now, I finally decided it might be a good idea to chronicle my adventures...somewhere other than my journal. This past year, I learned for the first time what it was like to live an entire coast away from my closest loved ones. What with everyone's busy schedules and the different time zones, it's been tough indeed to keep tabs on what is going on in everyone's lives...and to keep them up-to-date on what's happening in mine. This is an attempt to be a little more accessible to those I can't see very often (but those I do see often are encouraged to read, too!). This past month has been a great one, and it ended with a visit from one of my oldest (and bestest!) friends. Shan Shan came out to visit last Thursday night, and I was unlucky enough to catch a nasty chest cold right beforehand. However, this did not deter either of us from having one unforgettable time. She came out to run the half-marathon in San Francisco--and succeeded on Sunday. Kudos, Shan Shan. I am so proud of you.

Some of the things I have always loved about my friendship with Shan Shan is how easily we talk, how unassuming and nonjudgmental she is, how easily we fall into conversation after not having spoken for months, how we can be equal parts goofy and intellectual. When I'm old and grey, I know Shan Shan will still be one of my closest friends. How strange it seems that just the other day we were nerdy high schoolers longing for college, so that we could emerge from our coccoons as butterflies. This past trip, we stood side-by-side in Forever 21 ooohing and aahing over the baby clothes line we didn't know existed there. We each gravitated toward an adorable, would-fit-my-stuffed-teddy-bear t-shirt...it was baby-blue with a rainbow graphic of giraffes and butterflies (giraffes are my favorite favorite animal!). Shan Shan said, "Rebecca, I almost want to start planning your baby shower now...I can't wait to shop for you." We've progressed from longing for college to longing for babies (don't worry, mom, we want them eventually, not now). My how we've grown. Shan Shan starts medical school in just a few short weeks, and I am attempting to figure out what my hopes and dreams are.

Friday night, Matt, Shan Shan, and I met some of my new friends at the Albatross, one of my favorite bars. For you east coasters, the Albatross is a cool Berkeley fixture similar in decor to New Haven's Playwright. But it's even COOLER because it's a game bar with darts, pool, and an awesome assortment of board games (not to mention that they have 25 cent popcorn and cool bands play on weekends). I got giddy on Guinness for the first time in months, and then proceeded to do my favorite thing: play darts...badly. No matter, I love that game. Here are some fun pictures from that evening.

And more....

Sunday morning, we woke up super early to see Shan Shan finish the marathon. Matt and I ended up hopping on a phantom bus to make our way over to Golden Gate Park. Matt asked a bus driver, who had just finished depositing marathoners back at Embarcadero, where we could find a bus to take us over to the half-marathon finish line. The man said, "I'm going over there right now. Hop on." When I asked him how much he charges, he said, "I won't charge you anything." We had the entire bus to ourselves as we were transported to the finish line. I guess we're lucky the driver wasn't a kidnapper :) When we arrived at Golden Gate Park, we disembared in front of a line of about 200 incredulous, exhausted marathoners. They thought the bus was just for them, but Matt and I are ninjas! In GG Park, which I'd never seen before, the fog and dew hung over tree, runner, and rosebush indiscriminately. I saw Shan Shan's face through the crowd--she was simply beaming.

To celebrate, we went for Dim Sum in Chinatown. Mmm mmm good.