Italian Food Weather?

What a contrast is from the last time I posted. With weather in the high 60's and even up to the 70's I feel like someone has plucked us from mid-January and dropped us in May! As I write this, I am sitting on the front porch of our apartment in shorts, watching the golden red leaves of the tree ignite with light as the sun goes down. Today my boss and I ditched out of the office early... It was an afternoon not to be spent in a stuff building.
Around 3 today, Erica came by the office and we went down to the Berkeley Marina to walk by the bay and talk about her wedding plans. On our way back to the office she got a call from a new voice student who had arrived to the lesson early. So she wouldn't have to go out of her way, I hopped out of the car and walked about 1/2 mile back to the office. There was something wonderful about strolling past gardens and houses on a warm summer ... I mean winter day. I saw a side of that neighborhood that I really hadn't expected. On the quiet street I saw cared for gardens, unique houses, and a few parents walking their preschoolers home. Maybe I should try picking random corners to hop out at and see what I can find.
For the past few days I could tell the weather was playing tricks with my mind. I can get rid of this urge I have to cook homemade Italian food, serve it to all of my friends in the warm evening air, and end the evening of good cheer with a sip of homemade Limoncello under a glow of lanterns. Call me crazy, but every afternoon I want to do that. The problem with this weather trickery is that the Sun hasn't changed its habits, and still sets around 5pm. What can I say... I'm ready for SUMMER!!!!
Of course, this weather does cause a predicament for some of us. In addition to our state desperately needing some good rain and snow to get us out of the drought, next week a bunch of us are going up to Tahoe to ski. I think it might turn into a biking and kayaking trip if things don't get back to normal.

Rainy Day Blues, not quite

This morning awake to rustling outside my window that sounded something like cars driving on wet pavement and drops hitting the gravel driveway... the sound of rain. I turned to look outside, and was surprised by how light it was. In fact, it was that crisp and winter angled morning sunlight against blue sky. And the sound I heard was dried leaves being blown around by the wind whipping around. I new it would be a cold, wintry day, perfect for an adventure.

I got up this morning with the goal of exploring a new area of San Francisco. I often go to SF because of the unique neighborhoods and mix of urban areas and parks within a small 7 mile square. I started to think about why I am drawn to the city and think I've come up with an explanation ( it may also explain my love of maps and geography). Here it is in a nutshell (I'll try my best to explain).

I value so many aspects of memories... I think they remind me of who I am and who I want to strive to be. The smells (diesel fuel= London; cold rain on plants= Salem), the sights/places, who I'm with, weather (see "rafting weather" from previous blogs), and the emotions I feel from all of these outside stimuli, all influence my perspective on the world and how I see myself fitting in that world. All of those experiences and memories have contributed to making me who I am. By looking at a map (let's say of SF) I don't just see lines and points, but I see places I've been and am reminded of those memories, smells, feelings, and people. To me a map doesn't just show me how to get from point A to point B, rather it is a network of plotted memories and experiences. Rather than thinking of my life chronologically, it makes more sense to think of it spatially. Now when I look at a map of SF and I see the intersection of Columbus and Union St. , I don't just see lines, I am brought back to watching Il Postino on a giant screen in Washington Square Park on a summer evening with friends, or going across the street to Mara's, our favorite Italian bakery, or going on a walking tour of North Beach with my mom, and even getting my picture in the paper when my boss and I were sitting at a sidewalk cafe on a random trip to pick up his car from the mechanic. All of that from just one point on a map!

I think this way of thinking helps account for my passion for maps and geography, and it certainly helps that I have a good sense of direction. I was trying to think of places in SF to go where I haven't been, but often my attempts fail because my default trips are to places I have been. I created this map on Google Maps to help me with this problem. I decided to plot points where I have been (lines represent walks or places I have driven when walking wasn't so convenient) in order to see areas that I haven't really explored. On the map linked to below, the shaded areas are places lacking points, thus, places I haven't really been to. Right now the points don't have descriptions, but I will try to fill them in with restaurant names, or fun stories about my visits. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=112124917024774758311.00045ddce7beb4fe8f46d&ll=37.7737,-122.392502&spn=0.254549,0.615234&z=11

Anyway, long story short, this blog was going to be about how it started pouring and I couldn't decided if I wanted to go to SF to walk in the rain. Instead, I sit here now, bundled up on the couch, writing about how I can see my life through a map.

Fun in SF

On Friday night my office had a Tree Trimming party, and as office go-to girl, I ran errands, cleaned and best of all, tried to make treats for 35 people look yummy! Below are pics of the fruit plate, desserts, and cheese plate with other appetizers. It's fun to have a boss with good taste in food.. it gives you a lot to work with!

Yesterday after cleaning up the office, Erica and I decided to head to the city on a whim and see where the day would take us. We started over in the Marina district, eating at a cool spot called The Grove, then headed out to the Presidio for some quiet trails and great views.

The winter sun was at a great angle giving lovely shadow in the Presidio cemetery. We then walked through Crissy field to Fort Point, the only Civil War Fort that was West of the Mississippi (we learned fun facts like this.. in addition to getting great shots of the Golden Gate Bridge)!

We have some great views of the bridge at many different angles. A couple of hours later we walked back through Crissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts.

Later that evening, a bunch of us headed back to the city to go ice skating in Union Square. It turned out the skating session was sold out, so we booked it down the hill to Yerba Buena Gardens to check out the full size indoor rink. Turns out a session was about to start and we were about 15th in line. It wasn't skating outside under the twinkling Christmas lights, but we had much more room to skate around. Someone then had a hankering for chocolate so we hopped the cable car, hung on tight and wove our across town to Ghiradelli Square for some ice cream!

Sadly, I didn't get any shots of the delicious ice cream, but here we have Doug and Amanda on the front of the cable car, and Warren and Ben hanging on behind! After our rich treats at Ghiradelli we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf, jumped on the Embarcadero Streetcar, took BART back to the East Bay, and headed to the Kona Club, the local tiki bar by my house.

It ended up being an amazing day full of adventures discovering new places and spending great time with great friends. Every time I visit San Francisco there is something new and beautiful!

The Joy's of Bike Commuting

I like the idea of bike commuting. I can just imagine a perfect world where everyone pedals along smooth and winding paths that weave next to flowing crystal-water streams. Think ‘Sound of Music’ and ‘Life is Beautiful’(before the tragedies of war parts). After greeting other riders with a ‘Howdy’ or ‘Mornin’, we’d all arrive at the office, school, or shop and step inside with an energized and renewed outlook on life, our neighbors, and ourselves.
Instead my bike commute is more like the Bowser’s Castle in Super Mario Bros. You know, a gauntlet of fiery lava pits, spiky hunks of rock trying to smash you, turtles throwing nun-chuks… Actually, it isn’t that bad, but between dodging the massive potholes in Oakland , buses that constantly stop in front of you, pass, and stop again, and drivers who apparently think bikes shouldn’t be on roads. Then depending on the route I take, I can either end up on the bike path where joggers run unaware as they blast their ipods, or go through the mostly empty park where the more unsavory characters hang.

On today’s ride I went near 4th St., a popular high-end area of shops and restaurants, as well as a common place for day laborers to wait in the morning to find work. I had one of those moments like when you show up at a costume party, only to find out by the surprised faces of everyone else that it wasn’t actually a costume party. Then the guy controlling traffic at the road construction said to me, “You be careful on that bike”. What was that supposed to mean?? That streets are too dangerous for bikes? That the giant pothole they had made was something to watch out for? That I personally might not have the skills to navigate around the pothole? I rode past, turned the corner and just had to laugh. Now I was home free! A few more blocks to the office on quiet, traffic free streets. I rolled inside, fee energized, happy, and with a renewed outlook on life! I beat level 1 at Bowser's Castle and freed the princess. I must admit, a ride through town is never boring. The adrenaline gets going, especially on rides home when traffic requires some tricky maneuvering and being on high alert. I still don't think it is quite as fun as riding for fun, but it is still an adventure. Now only if I didn't arrive at work so sweaty.

Mission Murals

Today my roommate Erica and I went over to SF and decided to take a free walking tour of the Mission District murals. A non-profit called SF Cityguides runs walking tours throughout the city and with the wonderful weather and free time, what better way to spend an afternoon!

I hadn't been to this part of the Mission in a long, long time. In fact, my only memories there are from middle school when my spanish class went for Dia De Los Muertos. I remember walking past bakery windows with pan ducles, altars, and decorated sugar skulls. Our class had some assignment to do with the murals and after we had finished our walk around, we went to a Cuban restaurant where I had platanos con frijoles. Amazing what stays in our memories! This trip we didn't stop for pan ducles or platanos... Erica and I are doing South Beach (getting our butts in gear for her wedding) and are currently in Phase 1 which means the Mission's authentic and tasty food was no doubt off limits.

Below are some photos of the murals and a bit of info on each. The colors were just so brilliant, even the photos don't do them justice! I recommend clicking on the pictures to see all of the detail.

The ocean scene was done on the wall of the local community pool. Each of the swimmers worked at the pool at one point in time!

The mural two up was dedicated to the Dali Lama.

Above- Many of the murals represent contrast. Loss on the left panel, life on the right.

The mural above is dedicated to Aids victims.

Brilliant golds and reds show a wife and child in El Salvador during the civil war. Faces of those who died are seen in the green mountains in the back.

Amazing what a simple garage door can show. Can you see the "army" skeleton with a gun?

This is suppose to represent struggles of war in Nicaragua. On the left there is a girl in fear of a soldier pointing a gun at her( out of frame), while the right side shows a new and hopeful Nicaragua

This one was done by an artist who was unhappy about the gentrification of SF neighborhoods. Notice the condo "transformer" in the middle.

An older women in Nepal(left) breaking a chain to free the group of women on the right.

Each piece has so much symbolism, but most of all community is a central theme throughout. I think my favorite one was the one with the eyes!

My First Triathlon (with Mono?)

It feels like ages since I did my triathlon (only about 2 weeks ago), but so much has happened to distract me from it. Despite having to stay in bed the few days before heading to L.A. for the tri, I really felt healthy the day before and day of the triathlon. I would attribute it mostly to the excitement of all five of us getting ready for the big race and seeing the hundreds of other women at the expo who would be competing. The race was great, I certainly felt like I could have done much better, including preparing better for the open water swim and run, but I felt like I gave all I could. It became clear to me when I arrive back in Oakland that despite feeling better, I hadn't magically healed. Once home after the 6 hour drive from L.A. I found a box waiting for me on the front porch. It was my new pair of running shoes! On any normal day in my life this would be a wonderful day... a chance to test drive the new shoes, but instead I threw the box inside the house and collapsed onto my bed. That was one clue something was wrong.
From then on it was sleep, doctors visits, blood tests, swollen icky tonsils, and temporarily moving back to the parents' to be cared for. After a week of constant throat pain, inability to swallow, and extreme fatigue, I am finally back at my house attempting to get rest (although this has proven tricky with voting, blood tests, constant urge to clean my messy place). Luckily, whenever I think of doing something too active, my body puts me in my place, usually by sending a wave of exhaustion over me. Now that my brain is allowing me to focus on something other than the pain, I am getting a chance to reflect on my race.
I'm proud that I was able to finish, and who knows how much the mono affected my race, but I can't wait until my next tri! I feel like I have a base ( a mono base?) and I can only improve from here. There really is no way to know how many weeks or months it will take before I have my normal energy back, but I just hope I still have the same enthusiasm. Once I'm no longer at risk for rupturing my spleen (glad that didn't happen on the race) I'd like to start swimming, maybe join a masters team.
To sum it all up, I may not be able to do much now, but I haven't forgotten the energy, fun, and excitement of the race and I can't wait to train for the next one!

Update!

So I went to vote today! I was worried about having enough energy to stand in line for up to an hour, but to my surprise there was only one person in line in front of me.

A few hours later I walked on over to the hospital to get my 3rd blood test of the week. The lab that I had become so familiar with from previous visits was a sight to see. Only one other person was in the waiting area and he had already been helped. Instead of waiting in a crowd of 20 like my earlier visits.

Since it has been a while since updating the blog, here are a few photos of what I've been up to this summer!

Here are some of my friends in SF celebrating Bronwyn's (pink dress) Birthday

At a wedding with old friends from high school

Playing with M-Bear at Jackson Plaza in Portland