nooking it up

My house!

My living room! Though I haven't really spent much time in it.

My breakfast nook! I ate breakfast in it this morning.

I left my lunch at home (leftovers) so I had to drive back to get it. That took all of a few minutes. Yay! I was on the way to work, not at work. My commute is about 10 minutes. It feels like a sneeze compared to what I have been doing these past few weeks.

I arrived at a bit after 10, as I didn't know how early I should show up. 10 seems to be good? Had my tea and got to work! Cleaned screens, taped screens, broke down the press, cleaned more screens, switched squeegees, put shirts on the pallets for printing. Didn't go so fast because the shirts were big, and those are harder to line up. Printed another quicky job. Reclaimed ten screens. Pretty good day. Oh, also learned how to coat screens the commercial printing method, which is different and not my forte at all. Well, I only did a couple of them. It's tricky and messy....more so messy if you are just learning.

Went back home, took off my soggy shoes (reclaiming screens with the pressure washer gets my feet wet) and relaxed a bit. Then I went to Kmart (the nearest department store I could Google up) and got some peripherals, and curtains, and sheets, and other things. The sheet set ended up having pillow cases as well, so whoo! And it was on sale, so booyah, that is good to go. I may not have a proper bed, but it looks more like one. The curtains now make my window area one big blue area. Oh, also went shopping at Trader Joe's. Starting to remember what I fed myself on for years and years.

Had some rice and seaweed as a late dinner snack. Now I'm relaxing. I don't think I have any errands tomorrow. I think I'll take my bike out after work, go and buy a book, and then read that book! Sounds like a plan? Shit, I'm all like an adult! I work during the day, I get off work, I have free time to do whatever! This is awesome!

my room as of 7/8/2012

Santa Cruzian

Saturday

Slept in. Needed a good sleep in. Still, I got up at around 10. Odd how that seems late, when just a few months ago that would be early. Funny how things like that change.

A lot changed this weekend.

Anyway. Had a big egg and meat sandwich for a late breakfast. Relaxed. Finished watching Thor. Relaxed some more. I helped make dinner. Cut up the strawberries and tomatoes for the salsa, and made the marinade for the salmon. We played some yahtzee while the salmon marinated. Phil came over with nice beers, and we ate grilled salmon with tasty salsa and drank beers and chatted. It was lovely! A great last night in San Francisco.

Sunday

Slept in, though I should have tried harder to get an earlier start on the day. Did laundry. Packed up my things. Put my things in my car. Cleaned the floors, cleaned the sheets, did a little drawing for the new Odd Owl single (just a little owl in a spaceship for the CD, nothing too fancy). Everything got packed up and before I knew it, it was time to hug the amazing, kind, awesome Carmen & Josh goodbye.

They really are wonderful amazing people. Their kindness, and generosity, and all their everything! They gave me the time and living space, and because of that I was able to find a job in my field, and to get settled, and all this wonderful things. I wouldn't be here if not for them. Words can't express my gratitude.

I drove to Redwood City, which seemed a really quick drive now. Packed up the rest of my things into Nathan's car (I left some peripherals there). He loaded up my bike. And off we went to Santa Cruz! He arrived just a little bit before me. We quickly unloaded everything and then puttered off to Bed Bath and Beyond to try and find a bedding solution (unfortunately the Target won't be open till July 29th or around there, boo!). Got a fan, a mattress pad, some pillows, and a towel. Hurray! I'll get some curtains tomorrow, because I don't have curtains. I have some cloth draped, but it doesn't quite cover it all.

I sorted my stuff out a bit more. Hung some clothes. Nate & I got burgers for dinner. Yum yum! Then I said goodbye to Nathan, and settled into my room some more. Janet came home, and Joey the doggie came up to say hi (and smell my room). The leftover burger will be lunch tomorrow. I think I'll come in at 10? Set my alarm for 8...though that seems early. Ah, well, 8 is good! I like not being rushed in the morning. I need to figure out how long my commute will be. Or rather how short it will be. Yay! Short commute! And I have evenings once again!

My life has entered another stage. Graduated High School? Check! Got accepted to college? Check! Graduated from college? Check! Moved in with parents, got supplemental education, motorhomed around a bit? Check! Moved out of parents? Check! Found job? Check! Found place to live and moved into it? Check!

What comes next?

Last Friday

Finished A Discovery of Witches. Quite good. So happy the second book in the trilogy comes out on the 10th, because I am going to buy and read and enjoy that. Yay! Started The Night Circus, though the order was a bit....out of order, so I have to resolve that. My MP3 player will play file 10 after file 1, if file 2 isn't labeled 02. Which is tricky when you are playing chapters. Also the screen went dark on my MP3 player, so I can't see what exactly is playing, so I can't skip around so easily.

Today was a work day filled with taping screens, sorting shirts, unpacking boxes, and reclaiming screens. It was a shorter work day, but this work week has had some long days. Kinda nice. Soon I'll move down and be able to pull the longer shifts more often. I was offered a Saturday shift, but I declined because I have packing to do. But yeah, once I live closer (which will be soon), I can start earlier, and stay longer because I won't be facing that long long commute.

It's nice how I'm trusted to close up shop.

The enchilada casserole cooked up nicely. We took a walk. Watched some Star Trek. A very good Friday night. Soon I shall be moved and things will change. I'll enjoy it for now though.

a Thursday I got a hold of

Bought more food today, though I got sandwich fixings and granola bars (I always throw a couple granola bars in with my lunch, because they make the perfect thing to eat mid morning and late afternoon, much better than taking the time for one big lunch time. Space out the munchings). Yesterday I got fixings to make this enchilada casserole, as per my friend Petra's recipe. Today I prepared it. Tomorrow it shall be cooked. Hopefully it will be good. It has beans and cheese. Hard to go wrong with beans and cheese.

So I spent the night making that, and cleaning the place up a bit. Carmen & Josh return, so I want the place looking nice. Not that I did much damage, it is just nice to have things in their place once again. Ya know? Dishes done, counters wiped down.

At work was a clean up day. Cleaned some squeegees, cleaned some flood bars, broke down the press, removed tape from screens, removed ink from screens, removed emulsion from screens. BUT it was also a prep day, because now there are more screens to apply emulsion to and some screens were burned (Andrew did the burning) and taped up. Have some more to reclaim tomorrow, and some to tape up, but also some things to print! Yay!

I'm barreling through A Discovery of Witches. There was a lull in the story, but then it picked up, and now it's at a very tense part. Ohhh! So good.

By myself on a Wednesday

Today I slept in, did some dishes, got some good, cleaned the place up, watered some plants.

Generally had a relaxing time.

Also talked to ma, pa, Celia, Brynne, and Dan. That was nice.

gone all day, but home tomorrow

Oh boy. Long day. Full of work. Full of major developments.

Gave Janet a couple checks to start the move in process. The first was the damage deposit/last months rent. The second was a part of first months rent. She said it was okay to give it to her in parts. Still waiting for the direct deposit of my paycheck to go through. It should come through today/tomorrow. We shall see.

Anyway. Yeah. Found a place to live, and have committed to living there! It is a pink house with white and blue accents. Very charming. Janet is nice, Amanda is nice. It's all so very nice.

I had another pickup to do for work. That was fun. Following that was a 11 hour work day. Though some parts I was mostly hanging back as the occasional assistant. I cleaned squeegees and floodbars. I helped register. I caught shirts. I sorted shirts. Then came a big run, and I caught that. The run took some time, so I was there till 10pm. Boss gave me tomorrow off, so I didn't mind the late day/late return. It was fun though, talking and sharing stories with the boss as we worked through and past the sun set. Starting to find my place here at work, I feel.

I can't wait to not have to drive so long. Ten minute commute, here I come!

A Discovery of Witches continues to be awesome.

Did I mention I have tomorrow off? I have errands to run. I'm also looking forward to relaxing, just because only having a couple hours in the evening isn't enough. Gotta get stuff done!

arms of steel (eventually)

Arrived at work at the very reasonable hour of noon. I like having a flexible job. I'm not so keen on the lack of cell service, because it makes communication really difficult when I need to communicate. I still haven't given Janet a check to start the moving in process. I never know quite when I am finishing the day, and I can't give her a heads up. But she is really understanding about it, and we both know I'll eventually give her money and move in.

Today I cleaned screens. Removed the tape, scraped the ink, removed the ink with chemicals, and then removed the emulsion with chemicals, and then removed the ghost image with MORE chemicals. AND AND AND I got the pressure washer to start using my own strength. Girl power! When it puttered into power, I felt so self confident. The Spencer in me is really coming out. Whee!

Left at 6:30ish. Went home. Watered plants. Now I'm waiting on some rice in the cooker. Hopefully it cooks. Carmen and Josh have a really confusing rice cooker. I'm going to make an enchilada casserole one of these nights. Got the recipe from Petra.

sunday shift spectacular

Awww oh god. I just got out of bed to put my chip dip away in the fridge, and walking hurt soooo much. I spent all day on my feet. A ten hour shift. Ohhh it's done my legs in! Thankfully, because I have a cool boss, I have a late start tomorrow. Get to sleep in a bit (just a bit, but a little goes a long way).

Another way my boss is cool: he got us pizza! Yay!

Got to work at 10:30. Left at 8:30. I removed the tape from a couple screens and scraped the ink off. Flipped some of the sweatshirts. We worked pretty efficiently today. Brock loaded the sweatshirts. I stacked them. Chris got the unprinted shirts onto the trolleys. And the day just flew by! Got the fronts, and the backs. Stuffed them into boxes as they came out of the heater. Well not stuffed! I folded and put them in the boxes. Just a few days they came out of the boxes, now they are back in and all spiffy like. Whooo! It moves so fast in the studio.

And now I'm so tired. Watching Happy Texas on Netflix Instant.

I also started listening to A Discovery of Witches. IT IS SO GOOD! Mom, read it! It's so so good. Well, I'm only ten chapters in. But they've been really good chapters.

Oh, also didn't get my check in for the apartment as it was too late when I got out of work. Tomorrow. I'll do that tomorrow.

It's my weekend...aaaaand it's gone

Woke up early because Carmen & Josh were heading out early. Had to move my car and all that.

Had a bunch of tea and some toast and eggs. Then I set out to run some errands! I got some frames at Aaron Brothers. Then went to Jiffy Lube and got my oil changed. They had a special half off deal going on, and they had hot dogs and drinks! Awesome! And they filled up my tires. The guy gave major compliments for how good of shape the car is in. Noted the clean filters and the levels of other things. All is well though. Yay good car maintenance. I probably won't be putting on a lot of miles on it, a week from now.

Because I'll be moving to Santa Cruz! Going to put in the moolah after work tomorrow (did I mention that I am pulling an extra shift on Sunday) and then I can get to moving in. Though that will happen next weekend. Ohhh so close! Soon I'll spend less time in a car, less time being tired in the evening, and just time to be! And be all like, living my life and stuff.

Anyway, as I was heading back, I got stuck in some sort of crazy downtown traffic. Ahhh San Francisco is not fun to drive in! I went to Trader Joe's and got some food stuffs, then went back. Started my laundry, ate some snacks, tidied up, and just generally mellowed around. That was nice. Now I have clean sheets, clean work shirts.

So yeah, I don't know how long I'll be working tomorrow. It seems like it will be a short day because it is fronts and backs, which pull faster than sleeves, but who knows? Still, I don't want to come all the way down for a short day.

can't wait to drive way less

Today was long and I am tired. I tried to make a noodle dinner thing but it was way salty. I'll make something really neat for Carmen and Josh when they come back (they are taking a little trip). Something I'll have prepared for.

I come home so late. Though probably won't be coming home that late anymore, as I should be giving Janet a check soon, and then I shall be moving in! Next weekend! Ahhh! I met my other new roommate, Amanda, after work, and she was really nice. She works six days a week, so I don't know if I'll be seeing her that much. Still, she is quite nice. It should be a good house to live in.

Quickie sum up of some names:

Chris: my boss. Cool guy. Obviously he is cool, he hired me.
Andrew: my coworker. Also cool. Teaches me oodles and is very helpful.
Janet: probably going to be roommate. Cool lady.
Joey: Janet's dog.
Amanda: probably going to be my other roommate.

Well I say roommate. I should write housemate. Because I am renting a room in a house with these two ladies. Not an apartment! A house! WHooo!! I just need to contact Janet and let her know when would be a good time to drop off some cash.

Work was a catching day. I worked with Brock, one of the occasional workers (like Julie). He printed. I caught and stacked and organized. 600 sweatshirts. Took all day. Whew! And that was just the sleeve. Still have to do the backs and fronts. People like their sweaters yo.

I may only have one week left of commuting. Can't wait to have time back. Some nights I just get back and am the walking dead just abouts.

My weekend is here! Except I agreed to work on Sunday. I think around the 4th will be a light day/no work. So yeah...hmmmn.

I just met you, and this is crazy, so here is my number, but don't call me at work because I won't get it

My thighs are painin' and I don't quite know why. Just exertion I guess? Today I was away from ink and all about stacking and sorting and taping. Pulled hundreds of sweaters out of boxes and stacked them and tried not to be buried under the stacks. I also added to my work notes. Have a lot more adding to do, but it is off to a good start. Added the reclaiming process, how to start the heater/clean the filters, and how to start the generator. Oh! Also added emulsion. Bit by bit. It has an index, and the pages are numbered, though it isn't in the best of order. I'm going for the more filled page route, instead of putting each thing on its own page. I like having fewer pages to go through, instead of many simpler pages.

Anyway. Also taped up screens. We got a high volume of stuff coming up. Exciting! I'm going to be catching the beejezuz out of some stuff. Might even work on Saturday. Need to get my oil changed this weekend.

I listened to Cabin Pressure. Most of the first two seasons, but that isn't saying much because there are only six episodes in a season. Ahh I need more fantastic Cabin Pressure stuff! So good.

Drove back. Ate dinner that was cooked by the lovely Carmen and Josh. Then Carmen went off to hang out with Alicia (not Alicia Silverstone though) and I hung out with Josh as he played Dark Souls.

I found out that if I forget to turn off my phone at work, the constant searching for a signal will completely drain it by day's end.

Again, or maybe for the first time because I'm not sure if I've put it in my blog: there is NO cell reception at work. I can't get any calls or texts. I get the messages when I leave work and enter a land with reception, but I do not get them during the day. Your awesome news will have to wait till I'm done working. It is also a given that I can't check my email/Facebook. So yeah, when I am at work, I am working. And listening to Cabin Pressure.

representing the biz

I called Janet and asked if I could rent the room in her house on Bixby. Well, she also rents the house, but yeah. She agreed, though I need to meet the other roommate first. Though I think we should get along. If Janet liked her, and I like Janet, then I should like this Amanda lady. I can generally find reasons to like/get along with people. But yeah, I'll meet them, then fork over a check, then I can get to moving in. It probably won't be this weekend, but next one seems likely. Ohhhh I almost have a place to live! How exciting. And paychecks. I'll be getting those. I think I'm setting up direct deposit, so no fuss no muss, just cash! Wheee! Oh wait, I'll have bills to pay. And a bed to buy. Ahhh grownup stuff.

Anyway, today work had a lateish start because I was an official errand runner. I picked up some shirts on San Jose. I was all professional and the sheets said "pick up by Trillian" even! Ahhh! I love that kind of stuff. Felt so legit. And I got paid for doing the pick up, which is pretty neat. Today I caught and cleaned and wore gloves so that my hands stayed clean. Something I'm doing much more of. Yay gloves! Oh, and I have my own personal respirator. It was a pretty good day.

I swung by Safeway and got a soda pop and some doughnuts, because I had a craving. Well, actually my craving was for ice creme but I couldn't find any ice cream that wasn't a huge serving. So I bought doughnuts.

Driving from work into Santa Cruz and going from Ocean Street to 17 seems to take less time than winding along Branciforte and merging onto 17 somewhere on the woods. It seems to, or maybe just the winding feels like it takes longer because it is going at a slow speed.

Back in San Francisco, we chilled out and watched this insect thing. It was pretty neat. Wow, tomorrow is Thursday? This week went by fast!

Bixby

Oooh I'm sore. Building up that muscle!

I got to work at around 10:30. I've taken a break from The Prague Cemetery to relisten to That Mitchell and Webb Sound. Hilarious stuff.

Today was a printing day. And a bit of cleaning day. I mostly caught. Ran a test shirt! But yeah, lots of catching while Andrew throws the shirts on the pallets. I also taped up screens and cleaned the ink off some other screens. Time flies!

After work I checked out the most darling house! It was a bit shabby in places but not like, bad, just old? The room was nice with tons of light. Lots of space. Good location. Janet, one of two roommates (the other being Amanda, who I didn't meet) was really nice, as was her dog Joey. It was colorful and artsy and just...swell. I think I fell in love with it a little bit.

I have a late start at work tomorrow because I'm running a pickup errand in San Jose.

There was a sort of gig in Oakland, but I arrived right as Josh was leaving for it, and I'm well tuckered out, so it is just me in the house tonight.

Spencer Power!

Baaahhhh I am tired! I used mostly arms today. Arms to scrub the ink off screens. Arms to hold the pressure washer to reclaim screens. Arms to yank at the pull cord on that little generator thingy for the pressure washer (or not a generator but the pressure washer itself). Lots of arm use. I feel my muscles growing! I listened to copious amounts of That Mitchell and Webb look and the seven hours passed by quite quickly. First I cleaned. Then I reclaimed. Then I burned and washed out. Amazing how long tasks can take, but how not long they seem to take when you have good stuff to listen to. I had to ask Andrew to start the pressure washer the first few times, but I managed to get it going on my own later in the day. I was proud about that. I can't remember the last time I successfully pull started something. My dad will be so proud!

I need to add the reclaiming screens steps to my printing notebook. I was so tired when I got home, I just had enough energy to make a quick trip to Trader Joe's (it's on the way back), make a mini pizza, and watch two episodes of Star Trek with Carmen & Josh, and roll about on the floor a bit. I also had a quick lookiloo at another apartment. If Scottie & Adam, nor Janet (whose house I'm checking out tomorrow), want me, I'll give them another call and pursue that place a bit more.

Busy day! But I love it. I just want to get situated in Santa Cruz so I can have more time in the evenings/mornings. Time. It is an important thing to have.

Adam vs Annie

Drove down to Santa Cruz to look at apartments. I don't really like doing extra drives, but it was good to look at apartments when I'm not fresh out of work. Also good to roam the area a bit. One thing I've noticed is everywhere in Santa Cruz seems to take 5 minutes. And I'm getting a hang of certain streets, like Ocean, without having spent much time driving there. I think it is just the right size for me.

I'm looking at two more apartments, one on Monday and one on Tuesday (well rooms in houses, not apartments) but I think by then I'll have made my choice.

The first place I went to was Scotty and Adam, and their dog Pumpkin's place. It was nicely sized with plenty of common shared space and a nicely sized bedroom. I'd have my own bathroom as well, which is swell. It had a good atmosphere, was in a nice location that was near to a lot of places. I only met Adam, but he was really nice and we seemed to get on well, and we had common interests. And the dog Pumpkin was totally sweet. I like that place and when the day was done, I called Adam to say that if they were willing, I was willing, but that I had a couple more places to look at, but that I generally wouldn't mind being their roommate.


There was a second place I was supposed to look at, but the person never called me back/responded to my texts. I cruised by the house and it looked a bit sketchy/run down...errr. I think I'm better off looking at more places.


The third was place was an itty bitty bungalow. Annie was nice, but the place was a bit small. I think I could make it work, but I think spending the extra amount for a bigger/more central place would be better in the long run. We did have a nice chat, so in the end I may have made a friend.


I got a chicken burger at a restaurant and chilled and drove around while killing time in the day. The drive back always feels much longer than the drive down.


Talked to mom, which was nice.


Early in the day, I bought some more Earl Gray because I drank it all. Also got some frozen yogurt and toppings. Yum! Pretty good start to the day.


Another work week starts. Yay! Soon I'll move, soon I'll get evenings back, soon I'll be getting paychecks, which will be awesome (they will come bimonthly, not every Friday which is as I originally thought).

Irving and Thirty Five

I didn't really get up to much. Well, I contacted some people about apartments. Tomorrow I am going to drive down to Santa Cruz to meet someone about a place, it is one I'm really interested in. Carmen also gave me the great idea to call the people I'm meeting on Monday and Tuesday to see if they have any time on Sunday to meet. I could meet them any time and spend the rest of the day reading on the beach, or something similar.

Today I ate left over chili and watched stuff and got some vegetables and Sheng Kee baked goods. I also bought a little notebook and spent a few hours writing up my work tasks. Writing comprehensive notes about my job will help me remember the things that I have to do. I'm no where near done, and I'll add to it as time goes on. It is a good thing to have, and it helps affirm all that I know and have learned in such a short time. Willing note taking? Ahk! What have I become?

I introduced Carmen & Josh to Doctor Horrible. They seemed to like it, despite the sad ending.

We walked down to 35th after dinner, and chatted about dreams and things.

It was a good day. Things are really good.

I am here, and I like it

Brave! Carmen, Josh, and I went to see Brave and it was super cute and heart warming and the animation was lovely. Nice to see a movie about the mother/daughter bond. And it was funny, and I was grinning throughout. Maybe not as deep as Pixar's other movies, but still quality.

They went somewhere for dinner. I got a crepe. Yummy crepe.

Work was shirts and cleaning. I caught the first side, because the glue was fresh and hard to pull off the pallets, and pulled the front side when the pallets had been broken in a bit. I just don't have the tug and snap down, aka the removal process, for when the glue hasn't been softened by lint. I'll get it though! I want to become super good at what I do. I think I'll spend some time this weekend writing down all the procedures of different things I've learned, just so I have notes, because when I have notes I'll remember this and that. Such as in which instances I tape on the squeegee side of the screen, and how far down to spread the glue on the pallets. Little things. It is important to get down the procedure for the things I only do on occasion, though as it has just been a week and a few days, I'm sure over time I'll get it all down. I've gotten a lot! Still, I want to be good at what I do because I enjoy doing it, and enjoy it even more when I get it right. Confidence! I enjoy seeing my own improvement, I like feeling a part of something, I like when it all works together, I like being trusted to do things on my own. This is where I want to be, and dammit I'm going to work hard!

Didn't look at any apartments after work, but I do have some I'm checking out on Monday. I want to move somewhere where I'll be a part of a household, not just somebody that wants to rent some space.

It's the weekend! I don't think I have many errands to run. Going to buy some food, have somethings to mail...yeah! Oh I think I'll go to Ichiban Kan and look at lunchboxes, and maybe get a notebook in which to make "Trillian's Guide to Printmaking, As Written For Trillian's Use".

from King to Fforde

Ohhh I think I got sick for a bit there. Just got really congested and a cough and stuff. Had a very restless night sleep as well. Bleh. The stress of apartment hunting I guess?

Got up. Had my bagel and smeared tons of creme cheese on it. Finish 11/22/63. I really liked it, and was glad it didn't go all Gunslinger Series Deus ex Machina in the end, like Hearts in Atlantis did. Now I'm listening to The Last Dragonslayer. Ahh young adult novels, they go through so fast.

Started at 10:30 and worked straight through to 6. Well not straight through. I of course took breaks. Printed the sleeves and backs on shirts. Well, Andrew loaded up the shirt backs, I just did the sleeves. Did lots of cleaning. My sleeve time was down to 11 seconds, for loading/unloading, which is good. I want to become super uber at what I do.

And I've been hired on officially! Filling out the forms and all that. Probationary time is over, and after just a week. GO TRILLIAN!

I looked at one apartment after work, but the room was small. I kind of want to be part of a household, not just renting a wee room.

Got back before 8. Ate leftover chili for dinner. Watched some Star Trek. Soon I'll tuck into bed, as I'm still not 100% better.

woop there goes my energy

I'm tired.

The apartment was nabbed before I could look at it. Sucks. Boo.

I cut six seconds off my time for getting shirts on/off the pallets. Go me! Today was a shirt printing day. Lots of shirts were printed.

I applied to another stack of apartments, looking at two tomorrow. I wish I knew more about what budget I should be looking at, apartment cost wise. 650? 500? I just don't know. I just need to make sure it is month to month, in case I realize I'm living too close to what I make.

Real life. BLehhh.

Driving just takes up so much time. I get home at 8pm, and then there isn't much time to fart around and chill. I hope to get settled real soon. Yup yup.

I yam what I yam

Work was stressful, though I won't go into detail because this is a business and I don't want to publish the inside goings on, ya know? And it wasn't a BAD day, just a busy one with lots of stuff going on. I learned this system for burning and washing out and cleaning the ink from screens. I also taped up a bunch of screens. It was a prep day. I bet the rest of the week will be filled with printing.

There are two dogs on the studio property: Snoopy and Maxie (Maxy?). Both are very sweet.

I'm almost done with 11/22/63. If it ends the way I think it is going to end, I think I'll be pissed.

Filled up my tank, though I had probably another trip left in it. I just like having a full tank, ya know?

Made a tomatoey chili for dinner, and I doubled the recipe so we have tons of leftovers. Yay! Also made yams to smother the chili with. Whatever you do, don't tell Mom that I ate a yam.

It was a warm dinner. Maybe a bit bland. My cooking often ends up bland. Don't know why.

I'm so tired. Goodnight.

chillin' in my Cadillac (shirt that is)

Blogger is doing this weird thing where it tries to log me in under my Google name, despite my account not being under Google, so it's all "do you want to make a blogger". Dangit, I've been doing this for almost five years! Let me do what I want!

Anyway. I thought today was going to be long and stressful, but it wasn't. Hurray!

I got up at 7:30am. Showered and walked down to the market to get chili makings (going to make a big pot of chili, though under a Carmen recipe, because that is tried and true and they don't have a crockpot so I can't make my chili recipe). I got a red bean paste filled bun on the way back. Drank some tea, then went to work.

I wore one of my new cheap Hanes shirts, and boy was it dirty by the days end. I'm glad I got work shirts. My first chunk of work was spent cleaning squeegees, the work stations, flood bars, spatulas, and other things. Lots of cleaning and lots of time at the sink. I wore a respirator because of the prolonged exposure to the cleaning solvents, so that was fun. I got some serious splash back from the sink, hence the dirty shirt. I'll heat set it next time we turn the heater on, so that the ink won't smear in the wash. I learned how to apply pallet peel to the printing pallets. And learned the shop method for taping screens. I listened to my audio book (still on 11/22/63, though it is reaching its climax). I learned how to do heat transfers on hats. And that was pretty much it. A short work day.

I decided to not pursue the first apartment, because the rent with utilities would take up way too much of my foreseeable income, and as I don't have what appears to be an exact specific set income, I need to go as cheap as possible for rent. The second apartment ended up being occupied. So I went home! Got back at 7pm. Chilled out. Put on one of my new company branded shirts (Chris gave me a couple! Now I can represent!). Tasty ravioli was dinner.

I look at another apartment on Wednesday. Hopefully.

Tomorrow I make chili. Oh wait, I said that. But yeah. I agreed to make a meal a week, and I think I'm a couple behind, so I'm making a big one with many available servings.

You can tell I like my job, because when the alarm clock goes off, I don't think "oh I wish I had two more hours to sleep". And when I see that it is 10:30pm, I think, "oh, time to put my pajamas on!".

I'M A MATURE ADULT! WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?

driving about, getting needed things

Oh sweet. I found the Santa Cruz specific Craigslist, and there were tons of apartments. I applied to a few, and two of them got back to me! Both are available ASAP, which works really well for me. I meet with at least one of them tomorrow after work. Here is hoping that goes well! I might be moved out in a weeks time. Oh how fast things move! A week ago I was anxiously awaiting hearing back about whether or not I got the job I applied for. Ha! Amazing.

Anyway. I slept in, but only till 10. Odd how that is "sleeping in" in San Francisco.

Had some juice that Carmen and Josh blended, then went and ran some errands in Daly City. Went to Target and got some work shirts (generic white Hanes six pack, shirts I can get mucky with ink and not care too much about). And some bras, because I always need those. Especially of the work variety. And I got some shampoo & conditioner, because I am running low. Then I went to Trader Joe's and got a bunch of food. Sandwich fixings, sweets, and granola bars mostly. OH DANG, I FORGOT TO GET DEHYDRATED MANGO! Boo. Oh well. Next time.

Called Dad. Wished him Happy Father's Day. Got back to the apartment. Played Kinect with Carmen and Josh. Later on we walked down to Irving and got waffles. Yum. Then we watched Star Trek. Now it is 10:30, and I am in bed, another exciting week starts! A very exciting week, filled with work and possibly moving out and into a new apartment. In Santa Cruz. Where I shall begin my awesome life.

Damn, I'll have to get a bed. Well, I'll get a futon to start. Something I can realistically move in my car. I need to see the type of space I might potentially be moving into anyway.

I'm a person with weekends now! proper weekends!

Weekend! Time to do weekend things! I slept in, and that was nice. I had eggs and tea for breakfast. Also nice. I made my weekend to do list, which involved tidying up (which I did) and to start the quest for apartments so that I can move and be all independent and stuff. Most of the Craigslist Monterey Bay listings are for Monterey and Salinas. Very few for Santa Cruz. I want to live in Santa Cruz.

I got some frozen yogurt and was walking back along Irving and ran into Phil, so we walked and talked and parted ways when he arrived at work.

In the afternoon, Carmen, Josh, and I played Kinect. I did pretty well at some of them, but horribly at the other games (we played Kinect Adventures). Still, tis fun. And we all had our own avatars that looked like us, though Carmen remarked that the face I picked for mine was way too square. After that, I got sushi for dinner and they went out to dinner and a movie. I gobbled my sushi and watched that remake movie 21 Jump Street. It was funnier than I expected it to be, though still just at the "good" marker. Nothing groundbreaking.

Then I started looking for apartments. I almost wrote "looking for jobs" but hey, I got one of those! One step at a time. I also made a "looking for apartment" posting. I'll see if that gets any response.

Tomorrow I have some shopping to do. Food stuffs mostly, and I think I'll look into getting some cheap shirts to use for work shirts. Change into them when I arrive and change out when I leave, just because I don't want to obliterate too much of my wardrobe with ink smudges. My printmaker clothes were largely left in Washington. Anyway, yeah. Stuff to do, stuff to do!

weekend may be here, but I look forward to Monday!

I love my job! It is hard work, and I'm on my feet all day, and it is taking time to get into the swing of things, and I make little mistakes here and there, but I'm learning! And learning quick. Need to remind myself it has been 3 days at this job. Just 3.

I cleaned squeegees and floodbars, and used this chemical to clear out a screen, but mostly I caught shirts and sweatshirts as they came out of the dryer. Hundreds of shirts. And did quality control. Julie helped on my end. Chris did the printing. He's got the rhythm for the speedy stuff. I got to work at 10:30, a bit earlier. Don't have to come in till 11 on Monday. I like the variety and flexibility of it all. I snacked through the day, and got some dinner as I fueled up my wheels.

It is also a fast paced day, something I've always liked about printmaking. It just moves right along and you can really see the progress you've made. I can't wait to get better and learn more and increase my confidence with the machines.

Now I just need to move to Santa Cruz, and before I know it, my life will find a new routine!

Hopefully a routine that included Yoga.

Left at 9, got back at 8. I get my first paycheck next Friday! And then every Friday, because I get paid on Friday's. Whoo! Now I'll need to get a local bank account in which to put my moneys.

long days are rewarding days

Wooof, I am tired! Really need to work out. Build up my strength, especially in my arms, because this is a labor based job. If you ain't in shape, labor will make things tricky. Sure I'll get in shape as it goes along, but I should hot step it, ya know?

First, I need to move to Santa Cruz.

I think I did pretty well today. Did a bunch of shorts, changed out the pallets, cleaned some squeegees and floodbars. Lots of work. All on my feet. Loved every minute of it! Can't wait to become uberly good at what I do, so I can just get right to it and print print print. I've learned quite a bit in these two days, and I can only go up!

Toon, aka Lindsay, aka my first roommate, is engaged! Ahhhh!

Oh no, now I'm at the stage of life where all my friends are getting married! (Cherish and Isaiah, Jade and Cory, Jenn and Steve, to name a few). In ten years, they'll start having babies.

Got myself a waffle for dinner. Yum! I need to make a big macaroni salad or something. Easy lunch, ya know? Something to snack on as the day goes on.

I start tomorrow at 10:30. Today I started at 11. A lot needs to get printed, and it prints oh so fast.

achievement unlocked: employment

Yesterday, I was anxiously awaiting hearing back about my job. Today I learned, at my new job, how to use an automatic screen printing press.

Booyah.

Tuesday:

I spent the day anxiously awaiting a call in regards to employment. Ma & Pa were up in the redwoods, so I decided to meet them for dinner, and to spend the night, and to return to San Francisco the next day. Needed to get out of the house because sitting by the phone wasn't doing me any good. Earlier in the day I did more laundry (pants) and all that good stuff. I went to Sheng Kee and got a bunch of pastries for Ma & Pa, because they like sweet treats.

Left at around 6:15ish. At 6:30, as I was crossing Golden Gate Bridge, I got a call from Chris informing me that, if I still wanted that job, it was mine. So, yes, I took it. I'm employed! I have a job! After, oh, two months? I got a job! And a job in the field of stuff that I enjoy doing! HURRAY!

The first thing I told Ma and Pa, when I arrived at their campsite. A triumphant "I GOT THE JOB" followed by hugs and happy dancing and a burger and a bevvy and several s'mores. Perfect! They also got me a totally sweet banana slug paper weight (it's glass, not real) and taffy. Love my parents, they understand exactly the things that I like. We played some games, and then at 9ish, we tucked into bed.

I had a fairly restless night sleep, what with the anxiety of starting work tomorrow. LEGIT WORK! AHHH! Chris (my new boss, who is really nice and high fived me several times today) asked when I could come in and I said Wednesday because I was ready to start. Anyway...

Wednesday:

I said I would start today, but not until 1pm. Come in a bit later. I got up at 7:30. Ate poached egg on toast with melted cheese, and had some tea, and some of the pastries I brought. Left at 8:15ish. Gassed up the car. Headed back to San Francisco. Paid the toll on the bridge (there was no toll when I left). Got in at around 9ish. Had some more tea. Showered. High fived Josh (who was leaving right as I arrived) and happy danced some more. Carmen is back! She goes away, and I interview and get a job! Woaaah! Things move fast.

At 11:30, after packing a sandwich, I left for work! My job! And I arrived right on time, well, with time to spare! With no traffic, it is about an hour and fifteen minute commute. With traffic it goes to hour and 45 minutes, though most of the traffic happens around San Francisco, so I think the coming back is more the cluster than the getting out of. Need to move to Santa Cruz, though I do quite enjoy living with Carmen and Josh. And the commute ain't so bad, because 11/22/63 is quite the awesome audiobook! It is nice and lengthy too, but moves at a good pace.

Anyway. Work! Love it. My boss is Chris, my coworkers (that I've met, there might be more) are Julie and Andrew. Julie showed me how to start up the automatic press and clean the vents in the dryer. Chris showed me how to work the press. The heat, the putting on the pallet beds, the spray glue, the system of it all. It went by quite quick, and I'm sure I didn't get it all, but I got enough that I was able to run the press and print a bunch of sweatpants without needing Chris to make sure I was doing it up to snuff! YAY! I can only go up from here, and for my first day I think I started at a pretty good place. And pants are apparently really hard to load and unload. There will be shirts tomorrow. Multi color layer shirts. That will be INTENSE I'm sure. And I can't wait! I can't wait to get uber proficient! I can't wait to get better and all that wonderful awesome stuff.

AHHH! I have a job. I went to art school. I learned how to screen print. I graduated. I got a job (13 months later) using my skills. How great is that?

YAY!

Anyway, Carmen and Josh are playing Kinect. I'm going to join them.

North, Ho!

Gone camping for the night with Ma & Pa. Will report back tomorrow.

Still no word on the job.

monday

I was going to be all "time to sleep" but then I realized I hadn't blogged. So yup, down to it.

Haven't heard back about the job. Buuuut he was interviewing two more people today. Always good to sleep on your decision? Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a call. If I don't, I may give him a ring on Wednesday. That isn't TOO pushy? Right?

So I spent the day hovering near my phone and being nervous. I did laundry. Looked up some more jobs, but the prospects were meager. My enthusiasm for the hunt is waning, especially when I feel like I am SO CLOSE to employment. I can practically taste it!

Went down to Irving Street and did some more grocery shopping, and got dinner as well (Chinese food, really unspecial Chinese food). It is good to get out of the house and clear ones head.

Watched Black Lightning on Netflix. It is like Spiderman, except it is Russian, and has flying cars instead of spider abilities. It's quite silly. Had some good actual car stunts, but they were sandwiched in between silly CG car stunts.

one big what if

Ohhhh, whoops! I sat outside for a few hours, and now I'm pink! Not red, but not a gentle pink. My cheeks are pink, my legs are pink (not my feet, because I used sunblock on the tattoo), my arms are pink, my tummy is pink. Yeah. We put out the hammock, and I read, and then I kicked back and snacked and listened to an audiobook, and just absorbed the sunshine. Absorbed a bit too much, obviously, but it was a good way to spend an afternoon.

Tomorrow begins the three day window of hearing back about the screen printing job. Ohhh, nervous!

In the evening, I road my bike out for Phil's surprise birthday party. I wore my cutoffs for the bike ride, but had my fancy stripey pants for the party itself. It was ALL HILLS. Almost no part of the journey was flat or straight. It was up, then down, then up, then down, then UP UP UP, then down, and finally up. I walked up for about half the hills. It is hard to build up momentum when you have four way stops mucking everything up.

I arrived at around 6:15, sweaty and out of breath. Adam and Vanessa were there, and I clustered with them mostly. Met a Matt, two Roberts, Shelly, Dina, uhm...and a bunch of other people. Phil was very surprised. There was lots of food. Ribs, cupcakes, rice and veggies, and just so much to consume! There were many people, and when the numbers were large, I kept to the smaller cluster. It was hard to break into the bigger group. The range of connections to Phil were various. Not a straight forward social group.

Anyway. Phil liked the Bill Murray portrait I made for him. A lot of other people liked it too, so I hope it doesn't go missing. It won't. Phil's brother's Joe and Stephen/Steven came later on. The remaining cluster all played Apples to Apples for a good long while. I drank tea. Others drank Old Fashioneds as made by Phil. It was a good group, and the game was fun. I left at around 12:15. It was much easier to bike back. Much more downhill than up.

By the end of this week, I'll either continue to be unemployed, or I will be employed. That is INTENSE. What if this is it? What if I get this job? What if I stay at this job for a while? What if they take me on after the probationary period? What if I move to Santa Cruz? What if the next chunk of my life is totally awesome and filled with swimming and sun and taking it easy?

problematic Prometheus

Went to Redwood City and watched Prometheus with Nate and Josh. Visually it was amazing. Great sets, costumes, actors, special effects, all that shebang. The plot though was a bit...it brought up a lot of questions but didn't really answer them, and as Josh and I talked about it on the drive back, it just got more confusing. We tried to reason some things out, but it was all a bit of a stretch. Need to talk to Madeline. She is the expert on the film series. Anyway, yeah, the script was a bit, errr, but it was lovely to behold.

We three ate dinner at Milagros. Nate & I shared a quesedilla and chips, Josh had a stuffed pepper. It was a nice warm Saturday.

Earlier on, Josh worked on his portfolio and I went and got some frozen yogurt (this was when we were still in San Francisco, of course). I took my froyo into the park and listened to 11/22/63 and sketched and relaxed. I caught a lot of sun on my shoulders, so now I have some tan lines, and hopefully freckly shoulders. My hair unfortunately also is part of the tan lines, but I've never had an even tan. Anyway, it was nice to just kick back and get some sun and snack on stuff. Another chill day. Gandered a bit at more jobs. Had a sandwich. Had tea.

It's all good.

Kick Back Friday

The skin around my fingernails, on a couple fingers, is all funky. Not like fungus funky, just sort of sensitive cuticle funky. I just need to keep my nails filed and trimmed and clean. Skin issues, you just have to wait them out. In a few days it gets better. If I can keep myself from picking at them.

Anyway. Today was a chill day. I slept in (till 10) and took a nap later on. It was weird, I just felt this nap coming on. Don't know how I got so tired, I just was. Read a bit. Ate a sandwich. Drank tea. Kept it chill. Looked up some more jobs, just so that I don't spend the next few days waiting to hear back. If I go back to square one, I'd rather be on square one now then a few days from now, ya know?

Josh and I went out for tacos for dinner. They were good tacos. Then we played Little Big Planet on the Playstation for a while

Tomorrow I might see Prometheus with Nathan, but if he goes to see Ma and Pa, who are camping many hours north of here, I'll probably see it on my own. Or with Josh. I don't feel like driving many hours to go camping for a night, especially when I have Sunday plans.

Trill loves S.C.

Ohhh I'm tired. Long day. I need to get used to driving, because if I get the job I interviewed for today, I have a bit of commuting I'll have to do before I can get relocated to Santa Cruz.

So. About that job. We'll get right to it, shall we?

I feel really good about the interview. We had a good chatterly manner about things. I pumped up my skills in a good, honest way. And we had a good dialogue. I didn't feel all that nervous, compared to the two previous interviews I've had. I was honest about my skill levels, and asked what I think are good questions, and my enthusiasm was genuine. The shop does commercial screen printing and has a nine arm automatic press. SO HUGE AND COOL! Anyway. I feel good about it. It was a good environment, and Chris, the bossman, was really nice. He complimented my tattoos (he had full sleeves) so that was a good impression maker.

The shop is in a garage down a winding road, just north of Santa Cruz. Pretty cool little place. An hour and twenty minute drive from San Francisco, which is long but not unfathomable in the short term. I'll hear back sometime between Monday and Wednesday. I really want this job. It's perfect for me. If I get it, I'll be probationary to start, and hopefully they'll keep me on. So much hope!

I had a good morning. Had toast and egg. Left at 11:30. Stopped at a Starbucks on the way down and got a treat. Got to the shop right on time. Had my interview, which lasted about an hour, which gives me a good feeling. Then I drove further down into Santa Cruz and had lunch at Cafe Delmarette in the sort of downtown area. I people watched and read City of Thieves and thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich. I crossed the street into the used bookstore and perused the stacks. Picked up a William Morris collection. His sort of Marxist writings, not his artwork. It was on sale, and it seemed to have to do with creativity. Always good to get different points of view?

Then my meter was running out, so I drove to Lighthouse Beach and sat on a bench and soaked up the sun and finished City of Thieves. It was a good book. Had some great turns of phrase. Maybe not totally great, but I enjoyed the characters. Now that I've finished a book, I can start another one! That science fiction time traveller book! Yay!

I drove back, and returned before the sun set. Now I'm chilling out and feeling pretty good about today.

And also feeling tired.

Monster & Creator

Got up nice and early. Showered. I think my hair is a bit longer on one side than the other. Ah, oh well.

Had a nice eggy breakfast, though now I've eaten so many of Carmen & Josh's eggs, that I have to replace them, which I did, same brand too so as not to be that type of person that replaces consumed food with lesser food. And theirs were getting a bit close to expiration date. I don't think they are that big of egg eaters. I am though. Yum yum eggs.

When I opened up my email to print out my Frankenstein tickets, there was an email response for a job I applied for! A Santa Cruz screen printing job! A couple email exchanges later and I have an interview tomorrow! AHHH!! I finally got one! An interview for a place I applied for. Holy cow! Here is hoping it goes super well. I don't want to talk too much about it, so as to avoid any kind of jinx. Still. YAY! AHHH!!!

I had a Vietnamese sandwich for lunch, and treated myself to some buns to eat later on. At 4:15ish, I packed up and headed off to Redwood City. I left plenty of time because I knew there would be traffic, but it never got to a stand still, which was nice. I started listening to Stephen King's 11/22/63. I really like his work in audiobook form. Something about the way he writes, I enjoy more when it is read to me.

I did some food shopping at Trader Joe's and dropped it off at Nate's apartment, and then pretty soon it was time to walk down the street to partake in the enjoyment of Frankenstein! AHHH!! I've waited so long for this, and have been so excited for it. The audience was surprisingly older, like more theater goers than Sherlock fans (though I could spy a few). I chatted with the guy behind me, Carlos, about the book and tattoos, and then it was time for the show to start.

And oh it was good. The set design and lighting were amazing. It was creative and not quite minimal, but not quite detailed. Danny Boyle was amazing. Benedict Cumberbatch as the creature was amazing. He acts all the way through to his toes. They actually had the creature be intelligent, instead of just some silent monster, which was awesome. Great script. Johnny Lee Miller was great as Doctor Frankenstein. The cool thing about the show is that the two actors reverse their roles, so tomorrow there is a showing with Miller as the monster, but that is a bit much for me to do two nights in a row. I'm happy I saw the version I did. Oh what a version. Wish I could have seen it live on stage, that would have been awesome.

Afterwards, Carlos asked me out for a beer, and I said sure, so we had a beer at Milagros and talked about nerdy things like comics and books and art. He was a nice fellow. I said my goodbyes and went back to Nathan's. Nate came home, and we chatted a bit, but I left shortly after his return. It was late and all that. And I'll see him Saturday for Prometheus.

I hope tomorrow goes well.

My blog has tracked so much, and so many events, and so much growth and change. I wonder how long I'll keep it going? I don't have the biggest readership, but I think I do a lot of it mostly for myself. To keep track of things.

in a gilded frame

Ohhh my eyes are bugging out. I spent the late afternoon and night working on this painting, the nature of which I can't disclose because it is a present. Still, it looks really cool. I'm proud of myself, and the recipient better damn well like it! I don't think they read my blog...

Anyway.

Got up a bit earlier. Washed my sheets and pillowcases. Had a bagely breakfast with tea. In the afternoon, I rode the bike up to the Richmond District to run some errands. I got meandering in Golden Gate Park, AGAIN. I just can't get through that place in the proper direction/turns at all. Anyway. Got out all right in the end. Up 8th, down Cor...something, turn on 20th. Bought a sweet frame, which was on sale, to put art into (art which I made after I bought the frame). Then I breezed down to Green Apple Books. The wind was at my back, which helped with the hills. I bought a short story anthology and How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, because if you title a book that, I can't help but buy it. Damn that smart author knowing his nerdy sci fi market! I'm excited to read it, but I will finish City of Thieves first, as per my "don't start anything till you finish something you are in the middle of" rule. I want to actively finish more books. Anthologies don't quite count, because those are short stories and those can be read whenever.

I rode back, and got sidetracked in Golden Gate Park. Of course.

Had a fried egg and turkey sandwich for a late lunch, and snacked through the rest of the day.

Carmen is gone, did I mention that? I think I did.

Today was devoted to personal pursuits. Tomorrow afternoon will be devoted to joby job pursuits...until I leave for Redwood City because AHHH OH MY GOD I SEE FRANKENSTEIN TOMORROW! AHHH!! FINALLY!

Also, this is blog post 1900. Pretty big number!

Inner Sunset

I finally found batteries for my camera, so later in the day I walked around and took pictures. Really nice day. Well, it became a nice day. In the morning, when I got up to move my car because of the street cleaners, it was a bit damp. Not so bad, and I certainly couldn't hear the rain on the roof, when it did rain. I had to move my car a bit later. I slept in a bit more than I was expecting. I exercised a lot yesterday, so I figure it was excusable. I still got up at 10. Something about being here, I can't sleep in like I can at other places.

Had the custard filled pastry for breakfast. Had an egg and turkey sandwich for lunch. So much good stuff. Dinner was pasta with proper sauce, and then we listened to Michael Jackson and cleaned the kitchen. Carmen is going to New Hampshire for a week or so. Just Josh and I, tending house. Won't be all that fun to be by myself during the day once again, but maybe that will spur me on?

Looked up some jobs. Accumulated a list of listings to apply for. Still haven't heard back from anyone. I should get a food handlers permit, just so I have that taken care of.

there were nuns in the park, their habits being tussled by the wind

Boy howdy, I'm tired! Did a lot of biking. Miles and miles of biking. But I did it, go me! But why was I biking, you ask? Well, I'll tell you!

But first: I got a haircut! Carmen cut my hair for me, after she cut Josh's hair. She took off quite a few inches and I decided to go back to bangs, and now I have an awesome new 'do. Love it.

I finished up the croissants I bought yesterday, and had some tea, and made a quick trip to the ATM because I don't know where is and isn't cash only, and it sucks to have no cash at a cash only place, and the ATM down the street has a cheap useage fee. Anyway. Did that, then I hopped on my bike and went to see Finn, my lovely friend Finn, for lunch & movie. I cruised down to 9th and into Golden Gate Park, and up to the Panhandle, and then to McAllister, then it was all downhill to Polk, and then a bit uphill to Eddy and then boom, I was at Brenda's! I put our name on the reservation board (chalk board system, very efficient) and in five minutes, Finn arrived. We hugged and chatted and were seated in about 15 minutes. We started with crayfish beignets, and they were perfectly spicy and lovely. They were so good, I had to text my dad about them. I followed that up with eggs benedict with molasses ham and hash browns. AHhh soooo good. I managed to finish the eggs, ham, and biscuits, but only got half way through the hash. A magnificent meal, and great company. Haven't seen Finn in over a year, but we always pick up right where we left off.

After consuming our brunch, we walked up to Japantown and wandered in the mall a little bit. The 4pm showing was sold out, so we got tickets for the 4:45 (there was even assigned seating in the theater, so we got to pick where we sat, and didn't even have to worry about sitting down early to claim our spots because of it, I like this system!). We grabbed a beer in the theater bar, and I drew in my sketchbook and we chatted some more, and everything was wonderful.

Moonrise Kingdom, the new Wes Anderson film, was absolutely adorable. I love his style of film making. Nice steady shots, lots of color, great costumes, many characters, and just all around quality. I feel that the first half of it was much stronger, but was all around pretty good. Life Aquatic will always be my favorite though. Everyone has their favorite Wes Anderson, and that one is mine. Moonrise Kingdom is around number 3 or 4. Mmmhmm.

We walked down the street a bit, and parted ways with a hug. The way back was up some hills, which I walked my bike up, because I'm just not at that level yet. I got a bit turned around trying to find my way to the Panhandle, but some ladies directed me in the right direction. Thanks nice ladies! I stopped frequently on the way back. And I overshot the left turn in Golden Gate Park and had to back track. But I got back. It was a meandering way back, but I got there without too much overshooting.

Now I am relaxing while Game of Thrones queues up. Once that is available, I'm heading to Redwood City. It will be a late night, but it is a tradition. I have to watch it with Nathan. I have to! So I'll probably edit this blog when I get back, but I may not. Anyway, yay! Lovely day.


12:39am edit:

Had a good drive to Redwood City. I stopped and filled up my tank. The Prius has officially rolled over to 200k miles. The finale of Game of Thrones was a bit underwhelming. Last episode was so intense, hard to follow it up. Anyway, lots of good set ups for next season, which should be GREAT. Shit is really going to hit the fan in so many plots. Ahhh great. We watched a bit of Luther, but it was getting late, so I headed home. Not many cars on the road at Midnight on a Sunday. I have to remember to get up and move my car because of the street cleaning. First and third Monday's on this street. Yup yup. Sucks though, because I got a really good parking spot. I hope it will still be there when I have to move it back. If not, oh well.

I found a fork and the six of clubs

Ohhh I ate a big dinner and it is still sitting in my tummy, being all full and digesty. My stomach is getting quite soft in general...I need to work out. Need to bike more, except these damn hills! Tomorrow I'll be doing a lot of biking, though...like 30 minutes one way worth of biking! So that will be good. It'll just about kill me on the way back, provided I don't get lost or something. AHhh. Adventuuuure.

I really need to get out more and explore the city. I'm living in San Francisco, there is tons to do, why am I not doing it?

Anyway, Googled some screenprinting shops. There is a pretty cool one that Josh mentioned. I just need to figure out my plan of attack. My...method of getting people to hire me for jobs that may not exist. How the hell do you do that?

I went out in the afternoon, got some pastries and headphones (a buck fifty for some ear buds at Ichiban Kan, holy cow! I needed some because my main headphones are just too big for casual use) and then wandered into Golden Gate Park. Meandered through the paths, sat for a bit, listened to my audio book, ate a pastry, tried not to have a quarter life crisis, wandered some more.

Carmen and Stephen worked on the song. Josh worked on his work. I filled my brush pen with an ink wash, and now I have an ink wash brush for adding middle values to my sketches! Hurrah! I played with that for a bit.

Sixish, sevenish? We four walked down to Social and got dinner. I got a beer and a cheeseburger, and they were good. And we split dessert. I patted my tummy heartily afterwards, though now I am getting aware of my tummy...damn I need to bike more. Just a little bit of regular exercise helps. Now that I have the small headphones, I should make a daily pledge to get out and take a walk. Go up a hill and draw something. And since I have my watch back in action, I can time myself. Yeah. Take walks. Get the blood pumping on a regular basis. It isn't so much my diet (well it is, I can't help myself when it comes to sweets) but moreso the years worth of not exercising like I used to. Yes! Walk more. Walk and listen to stuff.

Back at the house, we three watched Sherlock. Yay Sherlock! Now it is time for bed. Ohhh my belly.

mmm froyo

I made this weird pasta dish for dinner. This tomato parsley garlic thing. I don't know how I feel about it...I think I did something wrong. But Carmen and Josh ate it and didn't seem too adverse to its taste. Not my best, but not...totally awful.

They went to this shindig and I stayed home.

I applied to some more jobs. Some part time stuff. Fun things.

Went down to Irving Street with Carmen and went veggie shopping, and we got yogurt afterwards. Yay frozen yogurt! I fried myself up a couple eggs and put them on toast. That was good.

I feel less frustrated today, but still...ahhh. I don't know. I want more to happen.

Anyway, Star Trek time!

caramel by the sea

Spent a lot of the day driving. I don't like the road from Redwood City of San Jose. Too windy. The drive from San Jose to Santa Cruz & Monterey is nice though. Rolling hills, nice atmosphere, warm, not winding. It is a long journey from San Francisco to Carmel, quite the journey considering I was applying for service positions, and not art jobs. But I need interview experience, and if they are willing to talk to me because I show up, then I'm going to show up. Don't want to bumble in the (hopeful) eventuality that a studio will bring me in for a chat.

I printed out some resumes and left at 1pmish. It was a gorgeous day, and the ride was nice. It is an hour from Santa Cruz to Carmel, and an hour and a bit from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.

I applied first to this lovely resort ranch. It had deer and quail and everyone was really nice. They even gave me a preliminary interview! Chatted with Rosie and did a lot better at talking myself up and my strengths than I did with the prop rental company interview. She even introduced me to Clint, who was more in the department of the job I was sort of applying for (I wrote down server, but I'll take what they think I'd qualify most for). Pool server job. Keeping the pool area nice, tending to what people may need. Be outside and on my feet, and in a nice place (the resort is very pretty, did I mention the quail?). Not art job, but could be full time, and if it is full time then that gets me income and I'd move and start being independent. It was a long way to go for something outside of my field, but people within my field are not getting back to me. I need to be more patient, yeah, but...I'm ready to work! I'm tired of mooching, and being in transition.

I've been out of school a year now. A year!

And it is good to get familiar with the Bay Area to Santa Cruz drive. I like SC. Need to hit that place up some more.

Anyway, after that resort, I went to another one, though that was more a hotel. Applied there, but no immediate interview.

I drove to Monterey and had some pizza at a really sketchy place. The sign was really nice, but inside was really...dang. Looked like a front for some other sort of business. They didn't put any effort into maintaining it. Anyway. Wandered around Monterey a bit. Looked for bookstores and pastry shops, but they were closed. Found a watch repair store and he had a battery, so I replaced my watch battery on the spot. I almost didn't wear it today. Good thing I did! Now I have a working watch. Hurray.

From there, I headed back and made super good time back to San Francisco. Two hours is a lot of driving, but at least the roads are good and it isn't rainy and I'm in a car with good ga-oh man, it probably rolled over to 200,000 miles! I need to see if it did.

Got back at 9pm. Feel very tired. Tomorrow I'll apply for more jobs. Just have to keep...doing it. Eventually something will happen.

surely you can't be serious!

I took note of where we ate, but the notes are in my bag and I can't be bothered to fish them out. Carmen and I biked to the Richmond district and B-Star had seats, so we occupied them and waited for Josh. I ordered some appetizers, well just the fries, and we got a pitcher of this tasty ginger beer. Yum yum. Fries were good. Josh got some soup. It was interesting soup. Very complex with lots of things...I ate too much though. When my Ochazuke arrived, it was all I could do to get through the egg and salmon portion. It was all in a green tea broth, which was interesting, but I felt it overwhelmed the flavor of everything else. Still, I love me a poached egg. I was very stuffed, and Carmen and I walked down to the bookstore (Josh road on ahead). It was quite the packed used book store, though I couldn't quite spy anything to really make me extract my wallet.

We got home just at dark, and drank cocoa and watched telly. Star Trek followed by Airplane!. I noticed a few new humourous things in Airplane, though it wasn't quite as funny as I remember it being. I can now tell how really dated it is.

Spent the day looking, applying, and doing the job thing. Tomorrow I plan to go to Carmel. To actually DO IT this time.

Toasted bagel, tea, snacks. Rest of the day was pretty good. Watched some United States of Tara as well. There was more Odd Owl practicing going on, which I enjoy listening to. Good tunes and cool people.

Carmen said she could give me a haircut, and as it has been almost six months since my last time, I am well due for one.

I had a custard bun for dessert. Yay for Sheng Kee bakery!

Had a very good sleep, and still got up within my usual window of getting up.

No replies about jobs. Come ooon! Ah, well, have to be patient. From my end I am just one, from their end they probably have many. That takes time. In the afternoon, I walked down to Irving and swung by Ichiban Kan and got a business card holder (for other people's cards), a notebook, a little pen holder, a pen, and a little case for things. Nice and cheap and most of it was blue and cute. The ramen place I wanted to try didn't open for lunch till 5pm, so I sat in Golden Gate Park and sorted through my satchel, and organized things a bit. It was a very nice day, but I still needed a coat. Redwood City is just generally hot, but here it is sunny but not warm. I don't know which I prefer.

The ramen was a bit underwhelming. The noodles were not as thick as I like. Broth and meat was good enough, but I won't go about recommending it to people any time soon. I got some yams, bananas, and onions on the way back. Gotta have bananas! I'm eating a lot of them these days. And apples, but I always eat a lot of apples. Granny smith. Num nums.

In the evening, there was a litttle barbecue. Yo, Justin, and...Kyle! yes, Kyle came over. We peeled onions and I cut up yams and we made skewers from the ingredients (there were shrimp on these skewers as well). Tasty food, and it grilled up perfectly. There were salmon burgers as well, but I wasn't that hungry due to my late ramen lunch. It was a nice dinner. Lovely company. Always nice to meet new people.

After they left, we watched Star Trek, but I started to nap. Now it is bed time. Another day. The job hunt continues ever on. Wednesday already? Baaahhh.

Farmer's Market Bot 3000

Painted this robot for Josh's birthday, which was today so it doesn't ruin anything. I'll get a proper scan eventually. Anyway, spent my evening finishing that up, while they watched Star Trek (Josh hasn't seen the finished one as of this writing, he went to bed before I was done). Josh & Carmen went out for sushi, and I worked. Before that, we walked down to Irving and that was nice. Checked out Ichiban Kan, and I'm totally going to get one of those fabric pen holder things. Going to be so organizational with my art supplies! Carmen got a sweet coat for a buck at Goodwill.

While Josh was having a birthday lunch with a friend, Carmen and I rolled up our shirt sleeves for his surprise. We put a new cool shelf in his studio, and some better organizational drawers, and hung some art that Carmen had framed. It looks nice. Josh was very surprised and digs it. A much tidier space. He got home right as we were done vacuuming.

There was a birthday tart for breakfast instead of a cake with dinner. It was tasty! Only three candles needed to be blown out, as Josh is only three years old. Duuuh.

I left Nathan's place pretty early, because I knew I'd be helping with the surprise set up and didn't know when Josh would be gone, so I figured better get there early and be safe. I also put some more gas in my car. Twenty bucks puts a good amount of gas in a Prius. It is also nice to drive when traffic is very light. It was a quick trip from Redwood City to San Francisco when there are not many cars to slow everything down. I have the trip just about memorized now.

Very fun day. Tarts, treats, walks, painting. Now back to the job hunt...tomorrow.

was that needed? probably not.

Nate and I went to see a late night showing of Men in Black 3. It was okay, I guess. Not really a needed third movie, and it was pretty obvious how it was shot to exemplify 3D filming. Ahh, oh well.

Woke up early. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up. Had some tea, had some toast, did my Internet rounds, watched some Star Trek with Carmen. I left San Francisco at around noon. Went to Redwood City for my usual Sunday routine of Game of Thrones & Nathan. I went to Michael's and got some things for projects. I did some shopping at Trader Joe's as well. Much easier to do it outside of San Francisco than within. No worry about streets and parking and people.

Anyway, got to Nate's. We did some more food shopping, though that was Nate shopping. Got some sandwiches, and ate them in the yard while chatting with Chad, Oleg, & other people. I worked on a drawing. Nathan played a game. We watched Game of Thrones, and walked to the theater for a late showing of Men in Black. Pretty fun day, all in all. Now it is late, and sleep is needed. I'm staying in Rewood City tonight and heading back to San Francisco early tomorrow.

Creature Feature

Spent the last two hours with my blog open in another tab waiting to be written while I got distracted by other things on the Internet.

My ticket for Frankenstein is the one with Cumberbatch as the Creature. Ohhh I'm excited! I wonder if there will be a Redwood City meetup? You know, where fans coordinate at the theater and get dinner afterwards or something. Maybe I should orchestrate it? How hard could it be? Since it is a public place, I probably won't be abducted. Not like I'd be inviting them back to Nathan's place or whatever. Be good to meet some nerds. Local ones.

Oh I got distracted again. Anyway! I've been doing a really good job at getting up between 9 and 10 am. Just that earlier start on the day gets me going (also having people moving about the apartment, the presence of others motivates me more I suppose). There was an honest to goodness screen printer job listing today! In Santa Cruz! You betcha I applied for that. Damn, I hope they interview me and then decide to hire me. I'd be so good for it. It was part time to start, with the possibility of full time. Peeeerfect!

Phil and Stephen came by to record. Chatted with Phil a bit. The song is sounding nice. It is a good diddy. I did my laundry. Yay! Clean clothes are excellent to have. Finished off my leftover curry. Yum. Drank a ton of tea. Yum. Looked for more jobs, though that screen printing one is tops.

Dinner was salmon over a spinach salad. Tasty salmon. Nicely marinated. We watched some Star Trek, and then took a walk and got some waffles on the walk. I got a waffle with Nutella and banana, Josh & Carmen got theirs with Nutella and strawberry, though Josh ate most of it. Back at the house, we watched even more Star Trek original series. It just does not look all that great in high def. Daaang.

Hmmm. To orchestrate a meet up or to not?

horse, indian, and cowboy

Tried to get Carmen & Josh into Spaced. We watched the first episode. Wasn't quite sure how much they were into it. The first episode isn't the best. The performance art one is my absolute favorite. Ah, oh well. Before that we watched A Town Called Panic, which is a very odd French stop motion animation film. Funny and very creative, just quite odd.

I made dinner! I made a vegetable curry. Potatos and yams and tomatos and other good stuff. It was quite tasty too. Took me forever to cut up all the ingredients, but I'm also a really slow cutter of things. I also took lots of breaks. It cooked up quite fast, and easily! Yum yum yum.

In the afternoon, I walked down to Irving for some shopping. Got some more facial cleanser, because I was running out and I am pretty satisfied with the brand (Cetaphil). Got my apples and bananas and curry ingredients. Also got some pastries from Sheng Kee. And lunch was a hot dog. Yum yum yum. I also got some tea, Earl Gray. To replace that which I finished off. I love me some strong black tea. Looked up more jobs. Most I'm not quite enthusiastic about, but ya never know what will and won't kindle your spirit.

So jobs, curry, groceries, movie. It was all quite nice. Now the weekend is here! I have a project I need to get started on tomorrow...

so much biking, my bum will be so sore

It is past midnight so....Happy Towel Day to all the hoopy froods out there! (May 25th is Towel Day).

Went to Taco Night at Erics, with Carmen and Josh. Met Addy and Alex and Aaron and Cory and...a whole bunch of people. The tacos were delicious. I drank a bit, and chatted about all sorts of things. It was a bike ride there and back, but it feels good to be on a bike. I'm out of shape, but not totally bad at it. Again, it is just that last hill that I can't quite make it up. Josh was saying it was cold, but I didn't think so. Probably because my blood was pumping. Anyway, the shindig was fun. Met some nice people. Everyone I've met thus far has been friendly. Good sign for a place.

Earlier in the day, I got a Vietnamese sandwich for lunch. That was good. I've been here a week, but it feels much longer. Maybe because the social life here is more active? Ah. Yeah. I applied to a few more jobs, and followed up on this internship (they got back to me! Dad knows who "they" is, I don't want to say it here for fear of jinxing or counting my eggs before they hatched). So I did the job things. Also watched an art video feed of Scott C. making a painting. That was cool.

A pretty good day. Work stuff in the afternoon, shindig in the evening.

Tomorrow I'm going to make potato curry for dinner. Hopefully I don't screw it up and poison Carmen & Josh.

zzzing

I suddenly feel very tired. Did I not drink enough tea? Did I not sleep enough?

Today I applied to some internships and some jobs. Yay. My not art resume doesn't look too shabby.

Still not sure if I'll drive down tomorrow or...hmmm.

Yeah, my mind is wandering around right now. Did some drawing as well.

Ate a sammich, ate a bagel and shmear. Josh and Carmen went out for dinner, and Carmen is at a show and I showed Josh how to play mancala on a makeshift board.

Really not sure if I want to actually find work in San Francisco. The city is so big and daunting. It makes me feel nervous. I just can't get relaxed here, and I don't enjoy that. I do need to pop down to Santa Cruz again. Give that place another feel.

kick it trill trill

Oh man, suddenly getting very tired. I did some biking, and that...ooh. I'm out of shape.

So my trial on CS5 expired, and Josh and Carmen have CS4, so while you can go forward with files, you can't go back. So I spent the afternoon rewriting my resume in CS4. Goody. It looks about the same, though I can't remember the type sizes I used. Tomorrow I shall make a "regular person job" resume, and start applying to not graphic design places. Though there are a few jobs in my "to apply to" list that are artsy. It seems like in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area there is a lot of seasonal jobs coming up, so if I can get one of those, I can get the money rolling in and then I can make connections and try to get an art job before summer ends. Ya know? I think that is my main plan of attack.

So tomorrow: make a not so art focused resume and apply to jobs. Also plan a Carmel course of action (there is a desk job that you have to apply for in person, and it seems like they are doing mass hirings, so it seems a good chance, plus it is just nice to get out of the house.)

Carmen wasn't feeling well. Something didn't agree with her. She just now discovered that saltines are good for an upset stomach. That and ginger ale.

I had a sandwich and snacked on this and that.

In the evening, it was Erin's birthday, so we biked over to her place. Biked into Golden Gate Park and down through the "panhandle" which is some sort of bike short cut thingy...thing. It was a good ride. Not too bad. Met lots of new people, and some people (well, Adam, Vanessa, Stephen) are becoming familiar faces. Had some soupy vegetables. Talked movies with Adam. Played some Wii. I pointed out to Erin that her roommate drinks the same whiskey that Ron Swanson does (Lagavulin).

The bike home was tougher. The last hill. I just can't do it!

I have things to do tomorrow. Need to make some real progress. REAL BIG AWESOME PROGRESS. I've been in San Francisco a week now, just about.

rapscallions

Watching Star Trek with C & J as the day winds down.

I looked up more jobs. Thought about how there are lots of summer hirings going on, probably, right now in certain places. Got some bananas and apples from the market. Looked up non art jobs. I need to make a non art resume, so that I can apply for a broader range of jobs. Get some sort of work. Still not sure where I want to be, be it San Francisco or Santa Cruz.

I had a yummy sandwich for lunch, and we had quesedillas for dinner. We went to Social Brewery after dinner and had tasty brews with this guy Tim, who is visiting from Seattle. I think he is doing some work for Pop Cap in San Francisco, or something. I'm not quite sure of the specifics. He was a mile a minute talker. The brewskies were good.

Tomorrow I'll...I'm not sure. I think I'll get into InDesign and work on my resume, and maybe day after tomorrow I'll go down to Santa Cruz and party crash some screen printing studios, and talk to them about work and things. I need plans.

To Redwood City and Back

Sundays are good days!

Carmen was busy with her music, Josh was busy with something...else. After tea and toast and snacks, I walked around the area a bit. Looked at the cool houses. Went up the hill, went up steps. I wish I could locate my rechargeable batteries for my camera, so that I could actually take some photos. I'm getting out and seeing things, but not taking any pictures. The fancy camera spoiled me. That one takes such nice pictures, and so easily! Ah, oh well.

I saw at 16th & Lomita and drew this pepto pink house. This cute guy on a bicycle totally checked me out. I cheered on this other guy who was huffing it up the hill on his bike. I know how that feels.

When I got back to the house, I put some color on the little drawing. I sort of like it...but it could be better. Need to draw more. Always need to draw more.

At 5ish, I drove to Redwood City. I needed to get my coats, but also Nate and I had plans to watch Game of Thrones together, because that is what we do. You gotta watch the show with people who know what is going on, and what is important. He had a burrito waiting for me. What a brother! We drank good beer, looked at the eclipse, and watched telly. Well, we watched Community and Game of Thrones and the last half of Wet Hot American Summer. Us Spencer Kids, we love our telly. Game of Thrones was awesome, as always. The next episode is set to be AWESOME. Ships and fighting and all that cool stuff.

My car is driving fine, which makes me happy.

Back in San Francisco, we watched Sherlock, because Carmen & Josh haven't seen it yet. Oh I've watched that first episode SO many times. Perfect way to end the evening...though I think I'm going to stay up and watch Mad Men. Having my own room has its downside...I don't have as early a bed time as when I shared a studio with Nate. HMmm.

I'm with the band

Wheee! Spent all day in the recording studio with Odd Owl. I was filming them while they recorded. Eight hours, but it didn't feel like that long, all things said.

In the morning, I burned my first bagel, and cut myself cutting my second. Still, it was tasty stuff when smeared with creme cheese. Also had a cuppa tea.

At 1pm, I got the call and put the camera and tripod in my car, and off I went to Daly City! It was trafficy, but not too complex. Didn't even miss an exit. The recording studio was pretty nifty. Lots of equipment and cables and things I kept well away from, lest I mess something up. I got my tripod set up, and filmed bits and pieces of Carmen, Stephen, and Adam (Phil was working and wouldn't be in to record till later) and when they got into the full practices, I got shots of them going through the whole song separately, and from different angles when available. Hope I got enough for them to use, for whatever purpose.

There was an hour break, and Carmen, Adam and I got sushi. I got a tempura plate. Num nums. Phil arrived then, and he got some sushi as well. We chatted about Doctor Who and then it was back to work! Lots of set up, and Stephen and Adam took down the drum kit and other things. At the end of the day, it was just Phil putting his guitar track in.

I think the new track sounds awesome. Can't wait for them to complete it.

I had to park a few blocks over, but it's all good. I now have a key to the house! Yay!

Now we are watching Star Trek, and I'm snacking.

the sky is pretty at night

Had a nice long walk with C & J after dinner, which was tasty Pad Thai. Went into Golden Gate Park a bit. Found a quesadilla maker. They found one, in a box. And took it home. Hahaa.

Looked for more joby jobs. Want to visit Santa Cruz again. Somewhere more mellow. Carmen and I drove downtown and went to Trader Joe's for shopping. I got some Trillfood. It was so...crowded. Lots of people and big buildings and foreign roads. Ahhh. Overwhelming! Good to see a bit more of the city, though I haven't really explored.

I had toast and tea for breakfast. And we got some tasty buns from a Chinese Bakery. Num nums! And the pad thai was excellent. I've agreed to make dinner once a week, so I need to look up a recipe. A recipe I am capable of making. MMmhmm!

Phil dropped by for a bit after practice with Carmen (well he came back with Carmen) but he was on his way pretty quick.

I need to take some serious initiative. Get my feet moving. Get out there. Get my name on people's lips.

But I also really want to find work somewhere...more mellow. I'm a pretty slow paced person, I feel. Big cities are just so...big!

red shirts & risotto

My trial version of InDesign expired, so that makes it quite tricky to update my resume. Buuut, I saved all the various resumes that I wrote up, so I have a bunch of .pdf versions of different configurations. Like, ones for graphic design and production and screen print and all that jazz. Sucks but not totally awful. Applied for a few more jobs.

Carmen made shortbread, and combined with their jam? Ohhh boy. Good stuff. Totally getting spoiled with good cooking. I hope to learn a few tricks and things. I want to be a better cook.

For lunch, we went down and got some Vietnamese sandwiches. Nummy goodness, and quite affordable. Later on I finished up my pulled pork sandwich leftovers. Sandwich is for sure the type of food that I like the most.

I kept on the down low in my room for a bit while Carmen was giving some vocal lessons, then it was risotto time! Damn good cooking. Very hearty. After dinner, we watched some Star Trek. The original series. Ohhh the first episode did not age well. Quite, err, sexist...and strange. The next one was good, though still a bit odd. Amazing the difference 45 years can make.

Tomorrow? More jobs. Also will look more into those agencies. That is how Josh said he got a job...through a hiring type firm place. I do feel more motivated here, but that could just be the momentum from the move.

trill in SF

I am in San Francisco! Yay! And the job hunt continues with a fervor. It is also nice to have more people around, Josh & Carmen will be here far more than Nathan. And Carmen works from home, so I'll be able to pick her brain about things.

Nate when off to work and I bid him farewell at that time. I played some Skyrim, and then got to packing things up. I left a good amount behind. Well, not a good amount, but enough to not overwhelm my guest status. Clothes, art supplies, etc. Every move, I can take less with me. That is, until I find a job and an apartment. Then I have to start getting things again. But that is...well hopefully not too far away.

I left Redwood City at 6:20ish. Car drove just fine on the freeway. There was a bit of traffic, but I wasn't too held up. An hour between here and there.

I arrived and then we drove down to the Tenderloin District to eat at Farmer Brown; a southern food place. I had pulled pork and a pint. There was also gumbo and jambalaya and catfish. Though that is what they ate. It was an excellent meal. Back at the house, there was street parking for me. Yay! Josh helped me bring my stuff in, and it didn't seem like that much stuff. It all tucked away quite neatly. It helped that there was a chest of drawers and space under the bed to tuck things away.

Nathan just texted me saying it was lonely at the apartment. Awww.

vampires, zombies, nords, Oh my!

I made tacos! Delicious tacos! I should have bought eggs, so that I could make a scramble, but I feel they might go to waste because Nathan isn't around to cook that often.

I got my car back today! Dad did some sweet talk and got the cost of repairs down. The shop probably thought they could pull a fast one because I'm a gentle lady, but they weren't prepared for my papa! The car runs super better. A lot more was wrong with it than just the loss of power. Now it doesn't rattle and rev when it is idling at stop lights and such. Sounds very much less like it is having a fit, in fact it doesn't seem like it is having one at all. Go car!

Listening to The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (part two in this vampire book trilogy) and Skyrimed it up. Probably my last night playing Skyrim. Waaah, sad. Well, I might play it a bit tomorrow before I head out to San Francisco.

Did some shopping. Nate is unable to play his precious Diablo III. He will eventually. He is playing the Day Z Arma II mod in the meantime.

I'm a good listener

Nate is bringing home the Jack in the Box. Yaaay. Fast food!

I should introduce exercise into my regimen...one of these days. I'll probably eat healthier with Josh & Carmen, but the good kind of healthy. Not the cardboard kind of healthy.

I had a sandwich for lunch. Good old sandwiches, they'll never let me down.

I listened to Douglas Adams do an audiobook of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, while I worked on job things. That was quite good.

Played some Skyrim. Have to beat them game before I leave! (Just kidding, there is no beating Skyrim).

It will be nice to be in a colder climate. I'm not quite ready for the heat. That being said, I do sort of want to visit Santa Cruz again. Want to get more of an idea of the place, because it seems like a "Trillian" sort of city.

Sunday, blissful Sunday

Had a sleep in. Had hummus and chips and lots of cups of tea. That was swell. Played Skyrim. Nathan was off mountain biking all day long. They went down to Santa Cruz, I think. I took it pretty easy this Sunday. Called mom. Drank more tea. Drew a bit. Nate came home, so in the evening, we sat out on the porch and ate pizza. I had Pida in my lap, because Pida is a sweet doggy. Not as sweet as Holly, of course.

In the evening, we watched Game of Thrones, and it was awesome.

I think I did more today, but I really didn't. Need to pack a couple things up for when I relocate to San Francisco. And make a list of screenprinting studios to ambush check out.

A list is what I need to make.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to a lovely mummy!