An Un-Memorial Weekend

I've been trying to update this blog every week since I started it back up about a month ago, but this weekend caught me off guard. I was doing so well; it had been months since I last got sick. And this weekend I just got knocked down. Almost an entire long weekend wasted...grrr!

At least it started off well. B came down from Sacramento again this weekend to celebrate Roomie Ryan's (aka IllestRated) graduation at Sugar Cafe. The roommates and I had been waiting to meet the parents for a while now, and we finally got to meet them that evening. They were super sweet and so proud of him! His dad even stuck around a while later to hang out with us!

Ah, then Saturday came around. Saturday had such great potential. We had planned to go to Santa Cruz for the day, but our excitement was somewhat sullied when B got a speeding ticket halfway there. The cop was nice enough to warn us that there was a huge crash ahead, and gave us an alternate route. But I'm pretty sure B would have taken the traffic to the ticket.

"I'd be happy to sign that ticket, Officer" - B

It wasn't too bad once we got to Santa Cruz. We got to hang out at quality places like a very windy beach where we were covered in sand, a smelly beach cove full of dead seaweed and dogs, a bar full of smokers and a Mexican restaurant with horrible service...ya, it was just one of those days. Did I mention that it started raining too? Cattywompus! (Aussie slang for wow-what-a-shit-show.)

Although, between these small disasters, there were definitely some really fun and interesting moments...like getting to draw on this chalk board car!

Awesome chalk car we got to doodle on.

And we also took advantage of the free crayons and children's menus to document our day in neon crayon. Can you figure out what else we got up to that day?

The events of our day. In crayon.

The rest of my weekend ended with me huddled in bed/couch, blowing my nose and taking shots of Nyquil so I could get some undisturbed rest. Roomie Mike was sweet enough to make me a (what I assume was delicious since I couldn't breathe or taste much) Memorial Day bbq meal. That did help to make Monday bearable, so thanks Roomie Mike!

Roasted corn, baked potato and steak with sauteed mushrooms.

 So, how was your weekend? Better than mine I hope!

~C

One Small Leap

"Once everyone else is gone, scoot all the way down the bench towards the rear of the plane, sit on the floor, and swing your legs outside the door. Oh, and don't look down."

And thus I get to cross the first thing off of my list since I wrote it: skydiving.

Yes, I jumped out of an airplane and free-fell for a full 60 seconds -- and I got the important job of pulling the 'chute! The first 5 seconds of free-fall kind of gets you right in the stomach -- like going down a really steep roller coaster your stomach just lurches up into your throat. Luckily, that feeling is fleeting, and you're left with a gush of wind and absolutely no fear that you're falling face first towards the ground really really fast.

Once the parachute has deployed, you're literally floating in the air. And that feeling, that weightless, I-can-fly feeling, is one of the greatest I've experienced...and I can't get enough of it. Every time I think about it, I feel like a drug fiend yearning for more.

You know that point where your airplane has taken off, cleared all the clouds, and the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the white clouds look like fluffy cotton balls beneath you? That's my favorite "place" to be -- where I feel so completely calm and relaxed, like nothing bad could ever happen. And that's how I felt floating through the air -- calm, relaxed and warm. No fear.

This weekend has been all about doing new things. Being able to take that leap (literally) has made me feel like I can do anything. Jumping out of that airplane just popped this huge bubble of worry and concern, and has given me a huge positive boost. It feels like the first step towards a transition; a big change. And I'm welcoming it with open arms. It's about time I dig my way up out of this "life limbo" and get to living my life!

On a lesser, but still exciting note, I had brunch at The Tipsy Pig for the first time today with V. Brunch used to be about hanging out with my girls and having girltime. But lately, brunch has been scarce, and my girls have been scarcer. So it was great to have a few hours to brunch-it-up in the Marina with one of my best friends.

A Spicy Mary and a Strawberry Fields at Tipsy Pig

(Too bad we didn't see any Giants players hanging around Tipsy Pig this time...)

I hope you all had a happy weekend!

~C

An Animal-Inspired Weekend

This weekend was all about the animals. Of both the furry and the party persuasion.

For a while now, I'd been thinking of volunteering around the city. You know, to do something good for the planet, and to grow my good karma by a few points. I figured I'd be good at doing something eco-friendly and found this non-profit called One Brick. It basically lets you pick and choose what kind of volunteering events you want to participate in. So, I signed up to volunteer cleaning up the San Francisco Zoo for a day with friend and fellow blogger, Kenzie. Even though we were up at the crack of dawn, the hours spent de-weeding went by pretty fast - and One Brick was simple and fun, and the girls running it that day were really sweet (there are pics of us up on their site already which means we're totally official). After the required 3 hours, we were free to roam the zoo before it opened to the public, and got some perks like a free carousel ride and a discount on food, and, well a free day at the zoo and some good karma. I can't wait for the next event!

 

And on Sunday was the 100th annual Bay to Breakers...and our theme this year: Party Animals. Can you tell what I was? Most likely not since I'm a horrible costume maker. But B and I were My Little Ponies (not cats or parrots). It was a good time, until I got separated from the gang and stood on a corner trying to hail a cab for...ummm..like 2 hours.

Luckily I eventually got home and took a nice long nap!

~C

I Got It From My Mama!

...err well, if we're talking about looks, then no. I didn't get it from my mama. As you can see, we look nothing alike. But I got lots of other things from her! She taught me to always stand up for what I believe in, to be my own independent woman and to be strong. She taught me to appreciate different cultures, to love the sunshine, to bake cookies and to dance in the kitchen while doing it. We may be a pair of stubborn Leos when together, but she's the bestest mommy I have!

Happy Mother's Day, Mama! I love you!

~C

G'Day Mate

Well, hello blogosphere! I'm finally back from my year long life-got-complicated hiatus. Oh, how I've missed ... oh, hold on, there's a huge bug flying around my room -- and I lost it. Great.

Anyway, I've missed blogging. Being an aspiring writer (don't laugh!), blogging helped inspired me, and I lost that inspiration for some time. BUT I'm happy to say that I'm back!

Besides from getting a real grown-up job in social media marketing during my blogging hiatus, I took a little trip down to Australia. My home-base during the trip was in Melbourne, but I fell in love with Sydney during the few days I spent there. It. Was. Gorgeous. I think I'd like to live there one day soon.

Here are some pictures from my travels:

Sydney Opera House

Melbourne at sunset

Melbourne at night

Luna Park - Melbourne

 

Bondi Beach - Sydney

The Three Sisters - The Blue Mountains, Sydney

That's all for now -- see you soon!

~C