Back in San Francisco for another business trip. Every time I visit this city, I'm reminded of how much I love it. The beautiful views of the mountains and the pacific ocean, the wonderfully eclectic architecture, the diverse nooks and crannies of the city, the relatively temperate weather, and the ever-present greenery. I could write songs about how much I fall back in love with it each time I return, and how heartbroken I am each time I get on a plane to leave.
I don't know if I ever felt this way about Boston. True, I was excited when I first moved there - I moved across the continent, for goodness sake! But after the initial rush, I don't know that I'm still as jazzed about living there. True, I've never lived closer to a (sorta) metropolitan city before and that's kinda great. And I really love my apartment. I've got a small circle of friends around the city that I enjoy spending time with. But yet, something's missing. Work is relatively fulfilling, although I am getting somewhat bored by the day-to-day. The one consolation is that I am starting to get more interesting "side" projects. The downside of this is that I end up spending too much time slaving away and not enough time playing.
When I start feeling like this, I start to think about the job offer in the Netherlands. Although I understand and have come to terms with tea fact that I'm tied to an informal contract in Boston for another year, I can't help but feel a little resentment about the fact that I had to turn down the opportunity to live and work in Europe. I guess I have to remind myself that whether I'm here or there, the initial feeling of excitement will only last for so long. I need to somehow get at the heart of what's making me feel so melancholy before I decide to make another major life change.
...but that's a bloc for another day.
One Love :: Bob Morley
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Friday, December 02, 2005
lousy tippers
Went out to dinner at P.F. Chang's on Bay Street today with some colleagues from work. One of the younger guys had a bit too much alcohol, and as a sesult, became an annoying drunk. Got up, started to complain to the restaurant management about stupid, mundane things, and then left only enough money to cover his check, minus tax and tip. After we mentioned it to him, he ignored up and carried on. A few of us had to add to our bills to make up for his scrooginess. My new pet peeve? Lousy-as tippers and cheap drunks.
And to top it off, the weather in San Fransisco has gotten progressively worse.
And to top it off, the weather in San Fransisco has gotten progressively worse.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
lard ball
I swear, by the end of this project, I will be one big lard ball! Been working until about 8:30 every night (and starting at around 7am), so by the time I get home, I'm too lazy to make dinner. Hence my trip to the grocery store today to load up my cart with frozen dinner entrées. As I checked out, I was digusted with myself. But it sure beats going to the McDonald's drive through every night for dinner.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
changing leaves
So mellow and relaxed. A weekend in the mountains tends to have that kind of effect on people.
Left the city on Friday night after fighting I-93 Northbound traffic all the way home from work. After a stressful day where the only meal I had were the millions of Starburst candies that I had brought for my gang at work, but ended up devouring the majority of myself, Lily and I left for Joho's place - our meeting point for the weekend's adventures. Upon arrival, we had warm pasta and buffalo wings waiting for us on the table. I love Joho anticipates my needs and just takes care of things before I even ask.
With D in tow, we drive up to New Hampshire - the first really long drive that my new (and as-yet unnamed) RAV-4 has been on since I got it. The drive consists of a lot of highway, some country roads, and then a gravel road, then a bushy, unkempt road, leading up to a family cabin built by Joho's dad back before she was even born. A long drive behind us, we unpack the car and dust off the cobwebs, wipe the countertops, and start a fire in the wood oven before settling in for the night.
In the morning, D makes omelets for breakfast, while we toast bagels and slice fruit. cooking on a gas stove and washing dishes afterwards with a gas stove and a cabin without running water has its challenges, but we quickly grow accustomed to the way of the woods. We hike around the surrounding area marvelling at the peaceful serenity of the mountains, admire the changing colours of the autumn leaves, and breathe in the crisp, cold air.
Walking along the gravel road, we happen upon the neighbours and decide to pay a visit. It turns out they are harvesting apples from the orchard, so the four of us decide to lend a hand and spend the afternoon picking (and sampling) the fruit from the trees. Zealous to a fault, we fill two large crates (approximately 20 bushels each) before we are told to stop. We then head over to the barn where we sample some of the cider that is being pressed.
In return for our help, we are treated to pizzas and beer on the field in front of the house, where we sit cross legged on the grass and share stories about ourselves. The picnic lunch is soon followed by homemade apple pie accompanied by ice cream, and we are in heaven. The remainder of the afternoon consists of napping in the sun, climbing the big old crabapple tree in an attempt to secure a rope around one of the branches so we can shake the fruit off, and picking some more apples to bring home for baking.
Making a meal of soup, an evening game of Settlers, trips to the stream for water, star gazing in the pitch black evening and admiring the stardust, hiking to the top of Mount Prospect, and a visit into the town of Whitefield rounded off the trip. The trip was so relaxing - just being around nature, being away from work and the busyness of everyday life in the city (including my laptop, which I surprisingly decided at the last moment not to bring with me), and being with good friends made it that much more enjoyable.
Today, I scratched the bumper of my car against a concrete column in the garage, trying to avoid grazing the Audi parked next to me; missed a deadline at work; and got an e-mail from my landlord telling me that my electric bills have been sent to her and need to be paid, but I'm not as stressed out about it as I normally am.
Maybe tomorrow. Today, I'm still relying on my memories of the weekend to keep me sane.
Left the city on Friday night after fighting I-93 Northbound traffic all the way home from work. After a stressful day where the only meal I had were the millions of Starburst candies that I had brought for my gang at work, but ended up devouring the majority of myself, Lily and I left for Joho's place - our meeting point for the weekend's adventures. Upon arrival, we had warm pasta and buffalo wings waiting for us on the table. I love Joho anticipates my needs and just takes care of things before I even ask.
With D in tow, we drive up to New Hampshire - the first really long drive that my new (and as-yet unnamed) RAV-4 has been on since I got it. The drive consists of a lot of highway, some country roads, and then a gravel road, then a bushy, unkempt road, leading up to a family cabin built by Joho's dad back before she was even born. A long drive behind us, we unpack the car and dust off the cobwebs, wipe the countertops, and start a fire in the wood oven before settling in for the night.
In the morning, D makes omelets for breakfast, while we toast bagels and slice fruit. cooking on a gas stove and washing dishes afterwards with a gas stove and a cabin without running water has its challenges, but we quickly grow accustomed to the way of the woods. We hike around the surrounding area marvelling at the peaceful serenity of the mountains, admire the changing colours of the autumn leaves, and breathe in the crisp, cold air.
Walking along the gravel road, we happen upon the neighbours and decide to pay a visit. It turns out they are harvesting apples from the orchard, so the four of us decide to lend a hand and spend the afternoon picking (and sampling) the fruit from the trees. Zealous to a fault, we fill two large crates (approximately 20 bushels each) before we are told to stop. We then head over to the barn where we sample some of the cider that is being pressed.
In return for our help, we are treated to pizzas and beer on the field in front of the house, where we sit cross legged on the grass and share stories about ourselves. The picnic lunch is soon followed by homemade apple pie accompanied by ice cream, and we are in heaven. The remainder of the afternoon consists of napping in the sun, climbing the big old crabapple tree in an attempt to secure a rope around one of the branches so we can shake the fruit off, and picking some more apples to bring home for baking.
Making a meal of soup, an evening game of Settlers, trips to the stream for water, star gazing in the pitch black evening and admiring the stardust, hiking to the top of Mount Prospect, and a visit into the town of Whitefield rounded off the trip. The trip was so relaxing - just being around nature, being away from work and the busyness of everyday life in the city (including my laptop, which I surprisingly decided at the last moment not to bring with me), and being with good friends made it that much more enjoyable.
Today, I scratched the bumper of my car against a concrete column in the garage, trying to avoid grazing the Audi parked next to me; missed a deadline at work; and got an e-mail from my landlord telling me that my electric bills have been sent to her and need to be paid, but I'm not as stressed out about it as I normally am.
Maybe tomorrow. Today, I'm still relying on my memories of the weekend to keep me sane.
Monday, September 19, 2005
dim sum and paperwork
Together with Joho, her roommate, and his new girlfriend, I went out for dim sum at China Pearl today. Havn't had really good Chinese food since leaving Vancouver. Okay, well maybe that's stretching it. The Chinatown in Philly was a good source of tasties. Nonetheless, I discovered a new favourite dish - lobster claw wrapped with shrimpmeat, then envelopped with crispy deep fried strips. Jennifer was a dim sum newbie, but a very good sport at that - going so far as to try the chicken feet, which even I tried to stay away from.
Afterwards, Joho and I walked around Chinatown checking out a fabric shop, where we picked out a golden brocade that will be the inspiration for the bedroom makeover we are planning for her. Then we headed back to my place where Joho had planned on studying before going over to her parents' place for a birthday dinner. I ended up napping for much longer than planned. But I guess I needed the sleep, after getting so little this past week.
Just spent the past hour organizing bills and paperwork from the move to Boston. I still have expense reports to file, paperwork to send out, and other exciting things like that which I've put off for far longer than I should have, but it feels a little better to be a little more organized. Now, I just need to get my bank account in order and get a Massachusetts driver's license. I hope they let me keep my BC license. It seems like I'm defecting to the dark side by getting an American license. But I guess I should get used to it...
I've officially been here for three months and five days and it still feels strange. Some days, I feel very much at home (especially with the West Coast weather that we've been having here lately), and others, I wake up, stuble out of bed and am confused as to how I ended up here. It's been a fun adventure so far though.
Am I the Only One? :: Barenaked Ladies
Afterwards, Joho and I walked around Chinatown checking out a fabric shop, where we picked out a golden brocade that will be the inspiration for the bedroom makeover we are planning for her. Then we headed back to my place where Joho had planned on studying before going over to her parents' place for a birthday dinner. I ended up napping for much longer than planned. But I guess I needed the sleep, after getting so little this past week.
Just spent the past hour organizing bills and paperwork from the move to Boston. I still have expense reports to file, paperwork to send out, and other exciting things like that which I've put off for far longer than I should have, but it feels a little better to be a little more organized. Now, I just need to get my bank account in order and get a Massachusetts driver's license. I hope they let me keep my BC license. It seems like I'm defecting to the dark side by getting an American license. But I guess I should get used to it...
I've officially been here for three months and five days and it still feels strange. Some days, I feel very much at home (especially with the West Coast weather that we've been having here lately), and others, I wake up, stuble out of bed and am confused as to how I ended up here. It's been a fun adventure so far though.
Am I the Only One? :: Barenaked Ladies
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