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.