Don't Toy With Me

I started this month off with Red Hot Holiday on my toes, but with climbing it soon wore off.
With everything going on this month Don't Toy With Me was the only way to go... At least until they make a color called Don't F*&%@ With Me, I'm Not In The F*$#&ing Mood. I have been on a bit of a roller coaster since Thanksgiving.
I was sick, a few times. The low point was working at the restaurant and the burger shop with no voice. I mean shit, what the hell can you do?
The holidays have brought around some festivities that have been so fun!! I got to be in a light parade up in Annapolis on J's boat. I love the Annapolis group. They are so chill and fun. J, James, Christina, Will... And my girl Parrish of course! After we headed to D.C. for my friend Jeff's hat party. It was really fun... So fun that he was evicted half way through it. C'est la vie, another Jeff Le party goes down in history. He has a ton of friends and could probably live for free for well over a year if need be. The night wrapped up with some very drunk happy folks and a bar brawl. My friend Jon got into town on Friday and so we got to go to dinner and then went out with Parrish and met up with Jon's friends. Some really fun people.
Last week my great aunt passed away. My first time truly regretting my move was when my mom told me that she was gone and not being able to be there with my family. So I got on a plane and came home early to regroup before Christmas.
Losing her really took the wind out of my sails. We have all been so worried about my grandma and her surgery that none of us saw it coming so soon. Parkinson's had taken its toll. She hadn't been herself for a long time. She may be the first person I have lost that I honestly can think of as being happier. The picture I have of her in my mind is one of her with a smile on her face.
Today I spent the day with my mom and grandma going through her stuff and chatting. I gave my grandma a mini pedi... She has never had her toenails painted! It was nice to be there. It was what we all needed, to be together.
Christmas is just around the corner. Best wishes to everyone and their families! I'm sure there will be more to write by the time I get back to the East Coast.

Snow You Can See!

Ele-Fantastic!

I forgot to write about the election! I don't know how, but I did... The election was not my happiest moment, because I didn't get to vote. Not that it matters now (Yey Obama!), but at the time I just about lost my mind. I registered in VA twice and they have no record of me being here. So not only did I not get to help change VA to blue (which it did for the first time in 44 years,without my help), but I didn't get to vote on Prop 8 in CA either... Which really broke my heart.
I guess all is well that ends well. Obama gives me hope. I don't think we can expect really amazing things to happen, we are far too deep into the hole to be fixed in 4 years, but maybe he can turn this ship around and at least get us headed in the right direction.
On another note... SNOW! It snowed while I was driving home from class today. It was so light I didn't know what it was at first (being from California, my first thought was ash)... You can't see it in the video at all, but I'm putting it up anyway, my first Virginia snow!

I AM NOT A WAITRESS!!

Okay, yes, I'm still a waitress. But I've been so frustrated lately that when I found the pretty red polish named "I am not a Waitress" I couldn't resist. When you know what you want, waiting is such a bitch! As many of you have heard me state, patients is a virtue, just not one of mine.

So much has happened since I wrote last!! Jill and Brandon got married for starters! http://picasaweb.google.com/pamela.a.jacobson/JillAndBrandonTieTheKnot# Holy shit. I got into Malibu on Thursday and hung out with Jill's parents and her friend Lauren before the rehearsal. After the rehearsal we all went back to Jill and Brandon's and had dinner. After dinner I stayed the night at the house with Jill's brother Jay, and Brandon. In the morning Brandon was gone early to surf and Jay and I went to breakfast. Mexican food, *drool*. Then it was off to run some last minute errands and get to the hotel where I got to take some pictures of the bridal party getting ready until my room was ready and the ladies got there. A lot of the old Monterey folks were there, and two of my oldest friends, Dori and Erin. I feel like I haven't seen them in forever! Cristiano, Ali, Al, her husband Mike, Dustin, Paul, April, Mel, Todd... And to get to see Jill's family was great too! Jay, Pam and Jay, and to meet Jay's fiance, who is one of Jill's oldest friends Daniela, was icing on the cake. The wedding was perfectly, intimate and rowdy! We had a great time, dancing the polka, can can and break dancing (not me...) and wrapping the night up with "Don't Stop Believing"... Everyone went back to the hotel after and we hung out by the bar before calling it a night.

The day after the wedding I drove down to Costa Mesa with Erin, Dori and Ali. Ali left for home and Erin, Dori and I hung out by the pool until Z showed up. The girls were hung over (I was DD and ready to go!) so Z and I went to the beach. I miss the beach. I could have stayed there forever. We went back to Erin's to shower up before driving to San Diego to go out for Z's friend's birthday. Good beer and good people finished up the night before we went back to Z's to crash. In the morning we grabbed breakfast and he took me to the train station. I took the train up to Burbank to fly back to Virginia. Not ready. Not even close to ready to leave California. It was that moment that a tentative plan to move home became concrete.

Changing my major, again and again and again, has been EXHAUSTING. I have had ideas of what I wanted to do, but nothing that would turn into a tangible job that would make me enough money to enjoy the other areas of my life, until now. Architectural Engineering. There are no programs here in Arlington. Online classes, moving to Richmond to attend Tech and private school in DC are my only options, unless I want to go back to San Francisco State that has a program that promises to have you work ready by graduation.

Missing new babies, friends' milestones, my family and my home has put a slight damper on my life in Virginia. I love it here. I love my friends, I love the seasons, I love my house. But it's not home, and it never will be. So, with nothing to prove, I'm moving home in May. I think a nice Bay 2 Breakers party will be just the welcome back I need... After a few more adventures of course!

Last week I had two days off in a row. My grandma has been having some trouble since her heart surgery a couple of months ago, and Jasmine just had her sweet little girl, Beverly!! I couldn't resist surprising everyone with a trip home. Nate picked me up at BART and we went home. It was great to see my parents, they were so surprised. In the morning my mom and I went to see Julia! I hadn't met Julia yet, only a couple months old now, she's beautiful. Promising to be a complete knock-out like her sister Allie. It was great to chat with Linda for a little while before we headed up to Napa to see my grandma. Man she's mad!! I don't blame her a bit. I hate not being able to do the things I like because of some injury... And heart surgery?! Oh I'd be pissed. She's strong, and she'll get through it, but it won't be easy. I was glad I got to see her and my Aunt, who was in a really good mood. Christmas was just too far away.

On our way home I called Jasmine, for the third time.... :) Beverly was only five days old at this point and Jasmine wasn't in the mood for company. I would think that very few of us would be, but when she heard I was in town we got to go right over. Beverly is one of the prettiest babies I have ever seen, just like her mama... We stayed for a little while, with her son Gabe and her dad Mike there for company. I have known them since before I can remember, well Mike and Jasmine anyway, and it was just what I needed.

I went to dinner with the parents and then, in the morning, climbed with Nate. VA gyms blow, I love Diablo Rock (as it is now called)... I do not love Keith, who was working the front desk, but even he couldn't ruin the day for me!

I left at four to get to San Francisco to see Jeff. We haven't hung out in San Francisco together since I was 19, it was strange... And great. It was a hint of what it will be like when I move back. To have him living in my city makes me happy. She's being rough on him, but I'm sure he will find his niche.

This weekend I have another two days off in a row! So tomorrow Leanne and I are going to a mini spa day. Then I am off to dinner with Jill and Steve (Lisa's parents) at Zatinya, a tapas place in DC. Sunday I am climbing with Parrish :)... It better stop raining!

I moved my bed to next to my window. When I move back I will miss this for sure. There is no way I will have a view like this in San Francisco! There are times when I will just sit there, reading or watching fat squirrels try and climb the trees... Virginia has given me some of my favorite memories, and I'm sure the next few months will give me at least that many more...

Louvre Me Louvre Me

My roommate just got back from a weekend trip to Paris! Now that I live on the East Coast this is realistic for me too... If only I could find the time! So instead I will paint my nails Paris inspired purple and go to work :)

Work has been good lately. The burger shop, Ray's Burger Hell, was just reviewed in the Washington Post and kept us quite busy yesterday and today. Today we sold over six hundred burgers... Yesterday we sold 825! Quite amazing. I get sick of eatting at every restaurant that I work at, but not the burger shop. I could eat there everyday, not have the same burger twice, and always, ALWAYS, finish that 10 oz hunk of deliciousness! If you are curious, here are some of the reivews...

Ray's Burger Hell:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100803060.html?sub=AR

http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/1921.html

Ray's the Steaks:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1071592

Nate left to fly back to California today. I am so sad that he is back on the West Coast! We had such a good time! DC United game with Megan, my friend Barbara's roommate's going away party, climbing with James and J, The Spy Museum with Leanne and dinner with Parrish and Bonnie. The best times though were when we were running a muck just the two of us. We had so much fun! To see more go check out my Picasa site!

Get in Lime

I haven't dropped a blog in a while. I was trying to figure out something that I can measure time by accurately enough to make sure I got on here and one thing in my life is consistent these days. Now that I have a work schedule that goes week by week, and there are no real weekends in sight. My friend Leanne and I have started getting pedi's once a month, give or take a week. I am not a huge fan of people touching my feet. I am far too ticklish and my feet are ugly. Just the same, the time we spend chatting, in those heavenly massage chairs, is a really good regrouping time for me. I always pick the color of my toes by the name. First it was "Cajun Shrimp", I was starving and it sure sounded good to me! The last time was "Don't You Sea?", and this time it was "Get in Lime"... The color resembles an anti-fungal, but the name is very suiting to recent days.

It seems that everyone is really stressed to their limits. I am working a lot. No complaints there, the money, and company, is good. But, I have had to give up some things that have kept me grounded out here. I don't have a lot of time to climb anymore and I see very little of the majority of my friends I have made since moving here. I am back in school, and to nobodies surprise, I'm still not an amazing student! I'm doing better than I thought, so that is something. My major is changing once again, but I will fill you in below...

My boy is newly to San Francisco and trying to find a job. Quite a few of us have been there, and it is no fun. Leanne and Jasmine are about to have babies! Jasmine in November and Leanne in February. No matter the joy that will come, it is not without some stress and some serious decisions to be made. My grandmother is just out of the hospital from side effects from her heart surgery that she had just over a month ago. Knowing how poorly I do as a patient, and knowing how much worse she does, makes me feel awful that she is so restrained these days, no matter how necessary. My mom, being the rock she is, is keeping everyone moving along. Other friends have new jobs, have started school, have moved to new places and have family fun that would try anyone. So you've had a rocky past six weeks or so? Get in Lime.

All of this does not go without some nice chunks of joy and a light at the end of a few different tunnels. First up, Cyn. She is my soccer mom, soon to be, tattoo artist! I had my consult last Wednesday to finish my back. I adore her and can't wait to see what she draws up for me. I am so excited to have a finished piece! I will post pictures as we move along.

I have detoured from the Non-Profit major with some advise from a few good friends. NPO's, just like any business, need people with specialties. Since a Business major was out for me, I have decided to go into Construction Management. This would make me useful to a couple of the NPO's I have worked with in the past, Habitat for Humanity and Sierra Service Project. I have always liked building things, having a finished product, so I'm going for it. A certificate at NOVA is available and then I am planning on following it up with my bachelors in Architectural Engineering. I am taking a class right now on Methods and Materials of Construction. It seems all of my questions are engineering questions, ones that my teacher can't answer. It makes me confident that my way of thinking aligns more with the engineering aspects of things, so, as of now, that is where I'm headed.

Next, Nate is going to be here on Saturday. I have the weekend off and we are going to a DC United game and getting into any number of other things the following week! Showing him around will be a great way for me to remember what I love about this area, because there are a lot of things that are great about Virginia.

A little ways off, I have Jill and Brandon's wedding on the 24th of October down in Malibu. I can't wait to see some of my California people! Saturday will be spent at the beach. I may live close to a coastline out here, but I haven't seen the Atlantic up here since 2001. It never did it for me like the California coast anyway... Once a California girl...

NOTE: Jasmine and I were talking about how much people can take before going off the deep end. She told me about a book called Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet, but I did go on Amazon and look it up. It has 74 reviews, 59 of which are five star ratings. It really sounds like something we all should take a shot at reading. Below is the description of the book. Check it out.

Product Description: Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

Jackie and Kenny Come to Visit!

Most of you were part of, or heard about, my mad dash visit to California last month for Jackie and Kenny's wedding. If you missed it, check out my Picasa site, the pictures tell all :)

Last week Jackie and Kenny came out to Virginia to visit Kenny's sister Sandra and her husband Chris. I was working a lot at my new job (I'll fill you in in a moment...) so I only got to see them a few times. The first night I went over was after a shift at Ray's Burger Hell (part two of the new job) and got to play some on DDR. I have never played before, as everyone can vouch for, but I had a really good time anyway! Here area couple videos I took of Jackie and Kenny.

And my favorite...

We also went to dinner at Malibu Grill one night on a Ghost Tour of Alexandria another. The guy that did our tour, on a night just like this, was a newbie, mmm kay. It was a hoot. I really enjoyed getting to know Jackie's new inlaws! They are great people. I wish I had more time to visit with 'em but I guess there is always Christmas!
The new job. I am now a waitress at Ray's the Steaks/Ray's Burger Hell. I love the girls I work with. The pace is fast, and I'm definitely not up to par, but I'm working on it. Finally get to pay down some credit card bills and live a little. It should be just the right fit until I finish school... As long as they don't mind me going home for the holidays :)
Class also started a couple of weeks ago. Not much to it yet, but my spanish class is kinda funny. My teacher is the Brain, from Pinky and the Brain. We are learning spanish via a soap opera. I'm not sure how it will work out, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Denver, CO (Robbie & Darnelle's Wedding, Sarah, Z and Jeffy)

I just got back from Denver. My friend Robbie got married! Holy cow! I left Friday after work and Sarah picked me up from the airport. Sarah is working for Americorp and finished up a project just in time for Z and I to stay with her in Denver. I haven't seen Sarah in ages and it was so good to catch up! Z was out with the boys for the bachelor party and so it was a girls' night. Z came in late, and a little tossed :), so we had a quick hello before going back to bed. The next morning we got up and had breakfast at Breakfast King, delicious! Off we went to Red Rocks for a hike. The hike that Z had found online didn't exist so we wondered around the amphitheater for a bit. I wish we could have gone to a show there, it was absolutely beautiful. Good thing Sarah plans on sticking around because I spent most of the weekend creating a list of things to do. When we headed out to hike we had a security guard tell us that we had to leave because there was a man with a gun in the area. Sweet! We decided to chance it in hopes that whatever plans he had would keep him out of the area we were headed for. Red Rocks is fabulous! We didn't have a chance to visit where the dinosaur tracks are, but the area is so unique and beautiful I don't feel like the trip was any bit of a loss. About half way through our walk Z's shoes died. We headed up to the gift shop to get some duct tape. We cooled off in some AC and taped up Z's shoes.
After hiking we went down to Washington Park to people watch and hang out. It is such a cool place! There were people everywhere. They were playing slosh ball and running, rollerblading, there were dogs everywhere! It is a really neat spot.
Showers at the campus proved to be very interesting. The shower head hit me below the shoulder! Cleaned up and ready to go we headed out for some Mexican food. Illegal Pete's had some great food and delicious boy watching :) Heyloo!! Celtic Tavern was our next stop. The place was huge and complete with a bowling ally and live band. The first rounds of drinks were ridiculously sweet. Sarah, being the sweet girl she is, simply dumped it out in the bathroom and lied to the waitress who sold it to her as one of her specialties. Jeffy showed up later with Carlie. It was so fun to catch up and shoot the shit with the boys!
All dressed up and ready to see Robbie tie the knot! Z was my and Sarah's date to the wedding, pimpin'... We picked up Jeff on the way and pre-gamed in the car. We got there and sat down... on the wrong side! We saw Katie, Rob's sister, sitting on the other side so we got up and ran across the isle. Rob couldn't help but laugh at us, especially since Katie was on the wrong side and soon moved to our original side after we settled in. The wedding was sweet and just short enough to survive the heat. The reception was so fun! I haven't seen Rob's parents in so long! I adore them and it was good to get to talk to them as well as Rob's sibs, Katie and Scottie. Our table consisted of Z, Sarah, Jeff and I, another couple and Mr. Gauddi, the scariest man I have ever seen. After the wedding we took off for Sancho's Broken Arrow, a Grateful Dead themed bar. Fooseball, air hockey and pool was the name of the game. The bar is complete with a bit of San Francisco decor, including Filmore posters! After a few six packs of PBR we encountered some very interesting characters. Our intro to the girl that Z wrested in the video was her coming up to me, straddling me on my chair and asking if she could hump me for a minute... I could have sworn I was in some dive in San Francisco at that moment. Sarah had to leave early so she could get up for work the next morning, so me and the boys finished up the party strong for her. The next morning we got to meet up with Rob and Darnelle for breakfast. Z and Jeff got to fill Darnelle in on all of the stupid shit they used to do in high school while we nursed our hangovers. The morning was cut short by my need to get to the airport, boo! Z and I dropped Jeff off at home before getting ourselves a bit lost heading back to the campus. Sarah met Z and I at the dorm and we were off.
The weekend was full of surprises that will bring a smile to my face for a long time to come. There is nothing like new memories with old friends.

Weekend Videos

There is a lot that went on this past weekend that I will have to write about when I have more time. For now I leave you with the videos of our trip.

Cammy dancin'!

Baldwin and I fooseballin' it.

Z's victory lap... GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!

Z wrestling the crazy chick who had, earlier in the night, humped me. Love the crazies!

SAILING

Friday I woke up excited. Only one stop before I could get up to Annapolis and see Calliope in the water. When I got there J was putting, shall we say finishing touches?, on the boat. There wasn't much I could help with so I ran things to and from the truck until we were ready to go to the Boat Club. J took off in the boat and I drove to the grocery store on my way to meet him and James for dinner.

We had steak. And when I say we had steak I mean, we had the largest steak I have ever had. It was delicious and the salad and pasta salad were pretty damn good too. It was so nice to sit there and watch the sunset on the water. It's been quite some time.

An hour late for our full moon sail, we got out onto the water. Sailing at night easily ranks in my top five favorite things. Skimming over the dark water with the enormous yellow moon lighting the way, not much can beat it. Being around the open salty water felt like home.

To get into Swan Creek we had to be careful not to get into shallow water. For this I sat on the bow with a Maglight and look for the reflective material on the buoys. Going into port you have to keep the green buoys on the port side (left), and the red ones on the starboard side.

J told me that in Europe it is the opposite. In Baltimore they switched the buoy colors so that when they were attacked the ships would run ashore. Simple and brilliant eh?

It took us a little while to get in and we finally dropped anchor at one in the morning.

When we woke up the sun was shining and it was already warm. The perfect time for a swim! We swam over to the boats that we were supposed to meet up with the night before for coffee. After a little chat we went back to the boat for breakfast. Bagels and cream cheese with lox... MY FAVORITE!

Once we cleaned up the whole group took off for Baltimore. We were flying! Passing everyone up! We switched to the engine before passing under the Key Bridge. As soon as we did the motor started to putz out on us. Every once in a while it would putter down to nothin'. During out little struggle to the marina we passed the buoy marking where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner while watching the bombing of Balitmore as POW on a British ship during the war of 1812. Before too long we were at Inner Harbor in Baltimore.Once in Baltimore J did a few more repairs on the boat. Turns out we had water in the fuel and that was why we were fighting out way into the marina. The big success for the day was when J installed the chocks! Yey!

At six we all headed out for the Orioles game. J and I had Parrish's ticket so we were going to meet her and James at the gate when they got there. We got all the way up to our seats, after the fabulous discovery of black and tans at one of the beer stands, when Parrish called. Back we went. We picked them up at the gate and went for food and more beer. The O's played Detroit and it was a hell of a game! The O's won in the 10th inning, 10-9. Back at the boat it was time for some Dark and Stormies. I must say, that for not liking rum, I sure do enjoy a good Dark and Stormy! James was supposed to head back that night but I don't think that was ever a realistic plan. Brie with minced sun dried tomatoes, yummy. We all crashed out on the deck. After the third time J's foot slipped and knocked me in the head I went down below.

The next morning we were all a little slow to get going, except for James who had to be on his way out at five a.m.. We got dressed and walked the few blocks to breakfast. We sat down with the group from the game to eat. I must say that I really enjoy the sailing community. Everyone I have met is very welcoming, nice and laid back. There always seems to be good conversation.

After breakfast we headed back to the boat for showers and a few last minute tune ups before leaving for Annapolis. We got back and met up with Parrish's friends Marci and her boyfriend Roger. Both were super nice. Considering the air was completely still when we woke up in the morning, we were very happily surprised to find it blowing right along once we were out of the shelter of the marina. The engine was acting up again so J went to work switching out the filter. It took some sweat and coercion to get the filter to cooperate but J got it done.

We sailed on, into the wind, for some time. It felt so nice, but unfortunately Parrish was on a little bit of a time crunch, so we opted to motor our way back. The water was choppy and it was really fun!

I had a fantastic weekend and can't wait to get on the water again, that is, if J will have me. I'm pretty useless on a sailboat. I can follow directions, but only those that I can understand. I will study up on the sailing vocab before I try again.

Say, Aaaaallllll Greeeeeeeen!

07-12-08Saturday was a great day for me! Shenandoah was perfect. Parrish, James and I took off for the a 12 mile hike on the west side of Shenandoah National Park. It was a hot day but the hike was almost entirely in the shade. It was so nice to be outside! The first part of the hike had a swimming hole that we will be returning to take advantage of for sure. The hike was a little rough, lots of hills, but worth every moment once we got to the clearing. After hiking we headed back to my house to shower up before dinner and then went to see Wall-E.

07-13-08

Sunday I headed up to Annapolis to help J work on the cooler for his boat. I guarantee I cannot properly tell you how it works. If you are really curious as to how to build a boat cooler look here, http://calliopelog.blogspot.com/. It was good, hard work. I cut and shaped foam for the installation of the cooler and then we covered the sides in fiberglass. J has been working on it for a long time. I was really lucky to get there on a day where the whole thing really came together.

07-15-08

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay is one of my all time favorites!

Tuesday I headed to Wolf Trap for Amos Lee and Al Green! I met Jeff and Ting at the Ballston Metro and we grabbed some food for the road. Amos Lee went on first. He is a great performer! I had only heard his slower stuff and after hearing him Tuesday night went and downloaded all of his stuff. We were on the lawn and had a few beers and some wine. The guy in front of us needed a wine key so Jeff passed him ours. He then proceeded to drink three bottles of wine in about an hour. Him being so drunk would have been less entertaining if he wasn't a giant. He kept turning around and giving Jeff love. Then he would get up, put his hands over his head and wiggle his ass for a little while.
After Amos Lee's set I went up to get his autograph. The line was quite long but I waited anyway. At the front of the line I could see girls swarming him for pictures. The poor guy looked so uncomfortable! After he signed my ticket I went back down for Al Green's set.
Al Green was a trip! He had dancers and once of the back up singers kept saying, "Let me hear you say Aaaallll Greeeeeennn!". It was a super fun show once he got past some of his new songs, that I'm not a big fan of, and once he stopped saying, "The reverends still got it!". It was a very random show, with everyone singing along and dancing.
Driving home from D.C., for the second time, Jeff, you loser :), I was thinking about all of the concerts I have been to over the years. Here we go, in no particular order...
Aerosmith, Bush, Green Day, Kiss, CCR, The Judds, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Brooks and Dunn, (get ready for the boy band segment of the list) Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees and N'Sync, Doobie Brothers, Pedro the Lion, Steve Miller Band, Rage Against the Machine, The Roots, Cyprus Hill, Marva Wright, Keith Frank & The Soileau Zydeco Band, Cher, B.B. King, The Beach Boys, Stone Temple Pilots, Celine Dion, Clay Walker, Emmylou Jarris, Faith Hill, The Shins, Tim McGraw, (my boys) Aratic, Forthmorning, Thought Crime, Fredalba, MaNdonna, Domeshots, Hard Nox..., Goo Goo Dolls, Charlie Daniel's Band, Mike Doughty, Muse, Rascal Flats, Travis Tritt, Wanda Rouzan... a good dent but I'm not done yet!
It was a night of "baby makin' music", that warranted, at least, a good make out session on the grass... There's always next time!

Sophia

Yesterday I went to pick up my new bike, Sophia! After Sophia Loren of course, because I need to channel some serious Itallian bombshell to whip my ass into shape to ride my new Bianchi the way she deserves.
Off to Wayne, Pennsylvania!
Aren't we going to be a fabulous threesome?

Just because, seriously? Spread Eagle Village?!

Turns out that to get to Pennsylvania you have to go through Delaware, go figure.

Just making sure she's still there. I wasn't entirely sure that I put the truck rack on properly.

Off to Annapolis to meet up with J for food.

We headed to Ram's Head for dinner and ran into J's roommate Will. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. Crab melt and a few beers can cure almost anything.

Lusa Blanks

Okay, so Lisa pointed out to me that the last blog left quite a few unanswered questions. Especially since I haven't posted a blog in quite a while. So I'm going to fill in the Lusa Blanks:
I met James in Parrish through my friend J. I met J almost two years ago on a flight out to Lisa and David's wedding. After Memorial Day weekend of no friends I decided it was time to tap into the friend reserve and sent J an email. After hanging out he got me in touch with Parrish. Parrish is his sister and has also just moved to the area. James is J's friend from Annapolis that I met when we all went climbing.
The people in the picture are Alicia (maker of quiche and olives), Parrish and James at the Sunday Brunch. We hung out at Parrish's house and watched Wimbledon.
Ray's the Steaks is a steak house that I have applied to work at. They are currently in the process of openning (a few days ago) a burger joint right next door. After that they will be expanding the steak house and that is when I will be able to start. I didn't write anything about that previously but Lisa asked and I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw it in there.

Happy 4th of July!

This weekend was spent with my friends Parrish and James. Parrish is new to the DC area also so it was fun to see the sights together. On Friday we went to Iwo Jima to watch the fireworks. The view was damn good but there wasn't quite enough wind to keep the smoke moving. There were so many people there!

Saturday we met up at REI to get Parrish climbing gear and me some cycling stuff. I am now the proud owner of a bike pump and some mini tool that, although it is a super sweet little guy, I have no idea what to do with. After REI we went to climb in Rockville. It was a very decent round of climbs. On our way back to DC we went to pick up James's car. After a little drama with the 24 hour key pick up box, we gave up and headed to DC to go and see Wally. When we found out it was sold out we went back to Parrish's and assisted James in making some very yummy veggie stir fry. When we were done with dinner we went over to hang out with a few of Parrish's friends who had gone berry picking that day and made cherry pie! Delicious! The drive home was a wet one.

Sunday brunch at Parrish's was amazing! Baked french toast, corn pudding, banana crepes, asparagus and chicken crepes, fruit salad, two kinds of quiche, rhubarb bread, champagne punch, bloody marys... Mmmmm! It was really fun to hang out and meet some good people.

I left just in time to get home and win my new wheels on Ebay! I can't wait to pick her up tomorrow and bring her home! Out with the running, in with the cycling. Should be interesting. Full of new toys and new ways to hurt myself.

Hope everyone had a good 4th!

New Goal

I needed something to work towards to get me onto a bike. So on October 4th I will be doing the Sea Gull Century out at the Eastern Shore! That's 100 miles people, get excited! Not any real idea where to start but I always seem to figure it out.

Big Sur Burning

I haven't been watching the news as closely as I usually do, so I was shocked when I got a call from my mom about the number of fires in Northern California right now. The homes at risk or lost, of course, is tragic, but what caught a lump in my throat was that Big Sur was burning. Because of the number of fires they fire departments are spread too thin and the fires that are not threatening populated areas are not being fought with the fury they usually would.
Big Sur is my sanctuary. Even when it's just in my memories that I make the trip, to picture the coastline or the river makes all of my cares just melt away.
Maybe it's because I'm still homesick from time to time, maybe it's because Big Sur is part of my life in California that I occasionally think that I should have been smart enough not to leave behind. No matter what it is that makes me feel this way, my heart breaks at the thought of losing it. I know it wouldn't be forever, of course. Fire is just as much a part of the natural cycle as the rain, but anyone who breathes knows the changes in our climate these days and I can't help but think that some of these places may never recover to their former glory.

Picture Site Link

It occurred to me that it has been a while since I posted this. Lots of new pictures if you haven't looked at it since the last time I posted my picture link. http://picasaweb.google.com/pamela.a.jacobson

First Times

There are so many things that I have seen out here that I have never seen before, probably more than I realize. Here are a few that have really gotten my attention.
1. Chipmunks. They are so damn cute! I don't know why they are more shy than the squirrels but if you see one it's usually it's ass end haulin' in the opposite direction.
2. Lightening bugs. I saw my first one Saturday night when I was at the Jefferson Memorial with my parents. I can't help but get excited. I have seen them everywhere since then. I like to take my glasses off and watch them flying around. I can't see them until they light up and it's just like magic.
3. Today I saw something crazy that I am not entirely sure is normal for here either. I was driving home from work and there was sun in my eyes, driving into the darkness with two rainbows ahead and lightening striking across them. I felt like I was in one of those wizard posters that you can win at Solano County Fair. The weather is so crazy out here. People tried to explain the thunder storms to me before but I never got it. 4. Cave Crickets. These little bastards look straight out of a science fiction movie. They don't make any noise but they jump around all over the place and eat fabric.
5. Sitting at a baseball game in the 9th inning and being so hot that I will pay $6 for a midget cup of Dippin' Dots.
6. Poison Ivy. We have hoards of it in our backyard. Thank goodness we stay on the deck. I guess eventually we will have to do something about it.
7. Cardinals and Robins! I feel like I should be in a Disney movie with them flying around singing. And speaking of singing birds, it sounds like a jungle out my window in the morning.
8. I have a basement. There are a few bonuses that go along with having a basement. These bonuses include: Not having to keep all of my camping stuff, luggage, extra blankets, coats and boxes in my closet. AND! Since we have seasons here in VA I also get to rotate my wardrobe and free up a lot of space in my room.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST!
9. Parking. We have two driveways and tons of street parking.

When all else failes...

remember, Jones Soda says:

Grateful

I know I am due for a good long post, but things are starting the up curve back into limbo.

A few notes to hold you over:
1. I am eternally grateful to my Dewalt drill (thank you Patrick). Our walls are made out of the hardest plaster of all time and it kills nails. Dewalt has been crucial in me being able to "nest" and make my room feel like home.

2. I don't have a bed. I'm going to choke someone. That is if they ever point me in the direction of whoever gets to approve financing at US Mattress. Approving the financing of a bed that costs $400 over a year should not take a week.

3. It is official, my job sucks. I knew that not many could live up to the excitement of EOP but this is ridiculous. Most of the people are good but the couple that are driving me insane are DRIVING ME INSANE! And the relocating files, physically and in the computer, makes me want to run off into the mountains and never return. And a side note... How would you feel if you had to get to work and see this hideousness everyday? Yes, those are gold people. Yes, they are in front of my building. Yes they make me want to commit illegal acts of vandalism.

4. One of my favorite things on that I have seen on the road out here (other than a 50 cent toll) is in the School Zone in Alexandria. There is a flashing yellow light and a sign that posts your speed. The sign also tells you that if you are speeding the light will turn red. When you get around the corner there is a stop light. Go figure, if anyone is speeding it turns red. It is brilliant in its simplicity.

5. I'm going rock climbing this weekend. I have a long weekend and have decided it's time to revive some of my activities. I have been running but climbing should be fun.

Alright, there you go. Very exciting I know. Not much to report on this end. I'm still trying to figure it all out. New pictures are up of the house. They're in the same album as the others. Check back soon!

Freddie Mac

I love my new job. I am a temp at Freddie Mac. A good description of what I do is File Relocater. I only am filing a little bit of the time but the rest of my time is spent relocating files in the computer. We have received a half dozen pallets of files and so I put them in, assign them to an underwriter and put them in a box. Woo! Sounds horrible doesn't it? Yeah, I thought so too. But then I met the people. Siv is my supervisor but most of my time is spent with three other girls, Jetlina, Saya and Dene.

Jetlina is fabulous. She knows everyone in the place and walking to lunch can take a half an hour. She's a spunky single mom of two. She moved here from Africa and then moved to Germany with the Army. She is a solid, good person and was the first person at Freddie to really take me under her wing.

Saya is the most recent temp. She is from Michigan and wants to be a large animal vet. She's really smart and we have teamed up on killing the pallets of files, one box at a time.

Dene is one of the sassiest people I have ever met. I was dubbed CARMEN (I know...) Diaz on my first day. Dene is Halle Berry, Jetlina is Oprah, Paul is George Clooney and Joe is Will Smith unless he is Dene's bodyguard, in which case he is sexual chocolate. I am pretty sure Joe is embarrassed by this but he holds up pretty well. His two daughters also work for the company and they find it hilarious. It was through Dene's SVU dramatization that I found out why I have a job at Freddie. It turns out that the two temps before me were let go, for stealing, BACON. Yes you read it right, bacon. They were under surveillance for a while and finally were caught. They were given the opportunity to apologize and pay for it and they refused. What a couple of morons.

Nancy and Susan work over by Siv. Paul, Malaka, Javier, Jose, Mike and so many others, are the ones that keep my day rolling along. It takes some very good people to turn the work we are doing into something enjoyable.

I sit at my desk and am constantly hearing laughter and jokes. Everyone likes each other. I am truly grateful for stumbling upon this job. The pay is, well, crap, but it works. The best part is I'm happy to be there. I couldn't ask for much more than that.

Virgnia at last!

I left David and Laura's and headed north. First stop off was to visit Abby. I haven't seen her since the girls came out to San Francisco around Christmas time and was stoked to see what she was up to. Oh crazy chemist lady, you never disappoint!

As most of you know I have now been in Virginia for about a month. It has taken me this long to really feel like I'm here to stay. When I first arrived it felt like a vacation. I have visited out here a few times and always have a blast. The three weeks before David and Lisa left for England didn't let me down.

My original plan was to apply to Wegman's, a grocery store in the area. The fact that it is retail (and retail sucks) completely sucked the wind out of my sails on that one. I just couldn't get myself to call and bug them about work again. Lisa suggested I call our friend Alec's temp agency that he went through in the past. It was the first step in probably one of the smoothest transitions, ever.

I called and made an appointment to interview with them the following day. They hired me after some testing and called me the next day with a job. The job fell through but the day after that they had another one lined up for me. The following week I started working at Freddie Mac. Freddie is a huge underwriting (among other things) company in the area. It's huge.

With the job all set (I will write more about it in a different blog) it was time to enjoy the last few weeks I had with Lisa and David. We really did a lot! Went into Georgetown, drove down to UVA and had brunch at Boar's Head, went to a BBQ and science party in one night, went to a Nationals' game and simply hung out. Every time I am out here we are running around because it's just not possible to fit it all in. It was really nice to be able to go to the park and read or go to watch the NBA playoff games in Pentagon City.

The Nationals game was a lot of fun. Walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th, thank you very much! I can't wait to take my mom to the park to see the Giants in June. I don't know if I can be a Nats fan though. What would I do when the Giants came to town? It's like inviting your husband over to dinner at your boyfriend's house. It just seems wrong. I have decided I need an AL team to get on board with. I love the A's but when push comes to shove, the Giants are my guys and I have to have a team out here or I may go crazy.

Also since I have been here I have started running again. The weather is perfect for it, for now, and so I wanted to get a head start on my marathon training before the real heat hit. That's right, another marathon! The Marine Marathon is in October. Abby is running it and I think that if I train properly, unlike before, I can really do well. Nate said he will fly out and so I am really looking forward to the entire experience.

The last week before David and Lisa left was a complete blur. The last weekend they were here Abby came into town and we all ended up crashing at their hotel room in DC. I think it was when Abby said goodbye to them that it really hit me that they were leaving. The Tuesday before, I met them for dinner in DC at probably the best Mexican joint in the area, Rosa Mexicana. It was pretty damn good if I say so myself. More of a fusion place than the hole in the walls I am used to, but the guacamole and salsa were top notch. Wednesday night was dinner at Lisa's folks' house. Jill and Steve are so great and I was really happy to get to see them. Adrian, David's mom, and Monica, Lisa's sister, were also there. The food was great, of course. Jill is an amazing cook and always goes all out. After dinner we went down to the basement to keep Bella company.

Bella is Lisa and David's cat. The original plan was for her to stay with me at the townhouse. The problem was that Bella hates me. Lisa will deny this, but it's true. She's not a bad cat, and I see her being nice to other people, but the only time she didn't hiss at me when I was within a five foot radius of her was in the basement with Lisa sitting right next to me. Her last night in the townhouse I woke up to her about six inches from my nose. She had her front paws on the couch and I know she was expecting to see Lisa or David there. When I opened my eyes it must have occurred to her that it was me because she hissed right in my face. Honestly, I'm a bit scared of her. I tried being friendly, but there is something about me that just doesn't agree with her. I get it, there are a few people I don't like and really don't have a good reason, so I can't get too upset.

After dinner I followed Lisa and David into DC to meet up with Jeff for a drink and some more goodbyes. I hate goodbyes. They suck. I can't stand dragging them out and so I probably come off a little cold. The alternative is a blubbering mess so I figure people will understand. We hung out for a bit, listening to some pretty good jazz and drinking some pretty good wine. At the curb we went our separate ways. They are now in England and I am so excited for them. David will be back in a few weeks to get Bella and then I won't see them again for quite some time.

Here's to new beginnings!

Ladson

On my way to South Carolina I stopped off in Atlanta to visit Roz. Lucky for me, Eddie and Chip were at her place for brunch. I really like hanging out with them. Eddie and Chip remind me a lot of my dad. They are all very smart and every time I talk to them I learn something new. It was a great meal and great company. Roz made sure that I was sent off with food for the road and Chip and Eddie made sure that I had an emergency TV for Virginia. I didn't think it was needed either, but with the tornadoes down south I'm feeling a little better about the yellow TV, flashlight, radio, lamp combo. On my way out of town I stopped by Sweet Water Brewery. Since it was Sunday they were closed, next time.

Pulling up to David and Laura's place felt like home. It is the only place on my entire trip that I had been to before. A couple of years ago I spent Thanksgiving with them. Not to mention that David is my self-appointed guardian and Laura has easily become one of my best friends over the years.

My bonus was to get to see Sierra and Luna. They are David and Laura's sweet Husky pups. Sierra is the nutty spastic, slightly chubby one and Luna is the princess, sleek one with one blue and one brown eye.

The next day David had to go to work so Laura and I went to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and grub. When David got off of work we went to the set of Army Wives for Laura to fill out some paperwork to be on the show. Then off to Charleston for smoothies and some shopping. It was so nice to chill out and see them. Walking along the pier and down by the market.

For dinner we went out for buffalo wings and trivia. I almost beat David, so close! I got the rib wing combo, damn good!


More than once, or a more times than I can count would be more accurate, they have suggested that I move down there. Someday perhaps. For now I am so excited to be on the same coast as them.

Nashville

Nashville was a really exciting stop for me. My friend Megan, and her boyfriend Eric, have a new (6 mo.) baby girl named Panama! When I got there I was greeted by Megan, Panama and the spunky pup, Dulie (I don't know how they spell his name, but it sounds like Julie) at the door. Dulie was very excited and Panama, even though it was after ten, was wide awake!


Megan and I stayed up that night chatting and catching up. We had lots of catching up to do. I haven't seen Megan in years and pretty much everything has changed in both of our lives. They had me staying in Panama's room. It was so nice to snuggle into bed in such a warm place. The home they have built was very soothing after such a long trek.

In the morning we went on a driving tour of Nashville. It's a small city but I really like it. It doesn't look like any of the other cities I passed through. It has a lot of small town traits but also the culture of a big city.

We met up with Eric for lunch at this amazing little sandwich place. Panama was along for the ride the entire day and is such a good baby. Happy and chill. We got along great and I liked getting to know this great little personality. You can get updates and pictures all you want on your friends' lives. You just have to realize that some things, if you don't go and see it for yourself, you will simply miss. Seeing this amazing little girl is something that I am so happy I did not miss.

That night Eric went to work and Megan's parents came over to watch Panama so we could go out and see some of the nightlife that Nashville has to offer. We went to a brewery for dinner (nachos!) and then went over to second fiddle where Eric works. I got to meet a few of their friends and hang out for a bit. It was a blast. We headed back to the house early since I had a long drive in the morning.

When we got back Megan gave me a ton of music! Eric is a song writer (the title link is to his Myspace page) and is very talented. She gave me a bunch of his stuff and then some by other friends of theirs in the area. I listed to it all the way to Charleston the next day.

It was a great visit. I am hoping to get back and maybe take a little trip to Memphis. We were talking about going camping too. I am very excited to get together again soon.

Austin

The drive to Austin was only about twelve hours... Or at least it should have been. My lovely GPS decided that the most direct route was through Oklahoma! Stupid Magellan! So I had an extra half an hour tagged onto my already long ass drive.

I didn't mind driving through Texas as much as I thought I would. Now that I have finished my trip I would even say it was one of my favorite stretches. Once you get onto the East Coast there are so many trees that you can't see much beyond the road. They're lovely, but it can get old.

I got into Austin after nine and was excited to see Marc. I met Marc on my way back from David and Lisa's (my friends I am staying with now in Arlington) wedding. We became fast friends and have stayed in touch ever since. This was the first time we had hung out since the day we met.

The next morning was an early one. Poor Marc. I had to get my oil changed and made an early appointment so that it wouldn't interfere with my one full day in Austin. We had breakfast at Denny's while we waited for the car and then decided to go on an adventure. Kayaking? Don't mind if we do! We spent a good hour out on the water, I won't lie to you, chasing turtles off of the shore. It was a hoot! They would jump off of tree branches, logs, whatever, just swan dive into the water. It was good times.

After our kayaking fun I had to go and get a memory card for my new camera. Lame story short: I lost my camera charger and have to order a new one from Olympus since it's an old model. Bought a camera to return once I got to Arlington and the stupid kid didn't bother to tell me that the camera didn't come with one and that the camera itself only had enough memory for ten pictures.

Once we were done with Target, and entirely over our pond water aroma, we went back to the house to shower and take a nice nap. While in Austin I got to crash out on the couch. The couch was the most comfortable couch ever, and I am sure I will have it on my mind when I'm sleeping on the floor for the month after David and Lisa leave.

We woke up from our naps ready for food and fun. Off to downtown Austin! At this point I should probably fill you on the fact that Marc doesn't have a car. I am a big supporter of those that can do without, but this round Marc lost. My car was packed to the gills and so he had the pleasure of being my entertainment while riding around with his knees to his chest in my front seat that was damn near all the way forward.

We had burgers and $2 beers before heading off to the Alamo Drafthouse. This place is fantastic! Two thumbs way up! We got there and it was the Ferris Bueller Quote Along night. They gave us cheat sheets and kazoos (which neither of us could use, we are losers) and in we went. The place serves food and beer. All you have to do is write what you want on a piece of paper and flag it up for the girl to see. It's a great system. I hadn't seen Ferris Bueller in a long time so it was a lot of fun. After that off to a bar/beer garden. We didn't hang out long since we both got shit on by birds, nice.

I called it a night early. With a good 13 hours of driving to look forward to the next day and I definitely didn't want to be falling asleep at the wheel.

I stopped on my way out of town up in Rockwall, TX to have lunch with my friend Troy who Nate and I met in New Orleans doing Habitat. It was a short visit but great to stop in and see what he's up to just the same.

Albuquerque

Most of you have seen my pictures from my adventure but I figured it would be nice to give a little rundown on here as well.

After Yosemite I drove to Flagstaff. I have heard wonderful things about Flagstaff, but I didn't stay more than a night. It was a means to an end to get to Albuquerque. The hotel was good and I slept like a rock after my twelve hour drive.

The next day I woke up a little late and enjoyed my five hour drive to Albuquerque. On the way I ran into two almost interesting things. The first was a meteor crater. I was going to go see it but they were charging $15 and I wasn't buying, so I left. The second was an exit called Buffalo Pasture, or something of the like, and had cattle grates at the bottom. It looked promising. I was wrong. 0 for 2 I continued on to Albuquerque. What a giant city. Holy cow! Big and brown. Not much appealed me. The mountain backdrop was spectacular but the only color on the city itself was the teal paint on the sides of the salmon pink freeways. Ew. (Yes I'm a snob, no I don't care.) It didn't matter much. The city itself was not the destination. I spent a good couple of hours trying to figure out where I should stay. Finally calling up Holiday Inn (they had many hotels in the area) and asking the guy at the front desk which one of their hotels he would park at if he had his life in his car. I settled in pretty early, leaving once to get food, and try to prepare for what was going to be a completely unpredictable experience the next day.

I woke up early with three very specific goals: food, flowers and, God help me! not getting lost. I went to Whole Foods, icky icky. I got some purple tulips, hot food bar grub and a beer. Turning into the cemetery my stomach did flip flops. All I could think is that she must be getting a hell of a kick out of the entire ordeal. The men in the office looked surprised to see a visitor and were very helpful. He drove with me out to the spot. I had given him her mom's name as well since Jasmine said that had helped on the phone. He pointed me to Donna and left. I was kind of happy he wasn't there when I found Karen. It was nice to have that moment by myself. She is about ten feet from the fence, the sidewalk and the road. At least she has somethin' to look at. Sitting down I wasn't really sure what to do next. I'm not big on cemetery visits. Most of my family is scattered in the Bay and I am a strong believer that living your life to the fullest and thinking of those lost at important moments shows greater respect than sitting in front of a chunk of marble being sad.

I started eating my lunch and decided to call Jasmine. A short conversation but it helped get me into a mode where I believed I was actually there. You have to understand, next month, May, it will be eleven years since Karen died. I have pictured being at her grave site a good hundred or so times over the years but I don't know if I ever thought I would get it together and go. Even this time, I can't claim was all about her, obviously I had other motivations for driving to Albuquerque.

I started chatting with her. I don't know if she would approve, probably tell me I'm crazy, but it seemed like the thing to do. After finishing my lunch I opened the beer. Brown bagging it in the cemetery. I'm sure that most of you are making faces at this, but only those who didn't know Karen. She would think it was hilarious. Plus, I am quite sure that we would have enjoyed a brew or two by now if she were still alive. It was hard to leave. I know I probably won't go back. Like I said, I would rather be paying my respects living my life to the fullest, if for no other reason than to give her a good show from where ever she may be watching.

When I left her I went to the only touristy part of Albuquerque I could find, old town. I wanted to find a little nack for me and something for Jasmine as well. I found just what I was looking for in Butch Phillips. Don't get too excited, he's a photographer. He does amazing work and loves what he does. The title is a link to a site with some of his work. I didn't pay those prices for his stuff, be sure, but it's a good idea of his style and skill. With the shopping tied up I went for food. A burger did the trick while watching some bad TV and eventually going to sleep.

Austin, here I come!

Last Days in California

I spent the last few days as a California resident running around like a crazy person. I visited my grandma and aunt in Napa one day. Hung out with my neighbors and got to sort out some fun stuff that I got for the fam in Japan.

I was able to go to the best concert EVER with Ms. Shannon! Steve Miller Band played for three straight hours. Bonnie Rait and Joe Satriani were two of many amazing guests that turned the show into a jam session that left me and Shannon mesmerized. Did I mention it was my first time at the Fillmore? Well it was, as ridiculous as it sounds since I lived only a few minutes away. I will be back.

Off to Yosemite with my mom, dad, Nate, Skinner, Yiming and Jon. It was daaaamn cold but I had a wonderful time just the same. Skinner, Jon and Yiming got it late on Friday night and we hung out by the fire for a little while before going to bed. In the morning Jon made breakfast for everyone. We then set off on a hike that was supposed to be six miles. Half way along it started to rain. Good thing Yosemite is amazing rain or shine. As we got within what should have been our "less than a mile to go" marker, we saw a sign that said we had four miles left! We decided to hustle our asses back to the shuttle. When we got there we swore we missed it but that wasn't the case. Thank goodness! When the rain started my dad had bribed us all with dinner at the lodge if we didn't make him go back to the campsite (he and my mom were staying in a tent cabin). We all agreed, no problem!

That night the rain stopped and we were happy to scrap our plans of rummy in the tent. In stead my mom came to the site after my dad went to sleep and we all played with Jon's camera! Yey extended exposures! It was really fun. We all posed in the woods and Jon and my brother ran around with a flash and a yellow light. The results are hard to describe but hopefully Jon will post them soon.

The next morning we had breakfast at the coffee shop as it had started to rain again. After we drove out to Yosemite Falls. And this is where I said goodbye. When Jon, Yiming and Skinner decided to go I knew it was time. Figured balling my goodbyes into one would make them something I could handle and still be in some kind of shape to drive to Flagstaff, ten hours away. Plus if I didn't get on the road soon I would get in way too late to be able to shop around for hotels.

I just have to keep reminding myself... I'll be back.

Japan and Beyond

I got back from Japan yesterday and had a wonderful time! I spent about a week in Hiroshima with my friend Bo, his son Kaya and Kaya's fiance Yoli. Then I moved on to Kyoto where I made some friends at my hostel and we went out to see Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nara the couple of days that I spent with them. Off to Tokyo where I spent my birthday exploring and spent one day in search of Mt. Fuji. Nagoya was my last stop. One day there while I waited to fly out.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pamela.a.jacobsonThere are four albums from Japan. Since I only have a few days until I leave for Virginia I opted to have longer captions on the pictures instead of trying to get a blog out that would do my trip justice. The albums are in reverse order (most recent one first).

Only a slight change of plans for my drive to Virginia. I will no longer be stopping over in Las Vegas. Instead I will be heading straight to Flagstaff. So for everyone who I am visiting, that cannot seem to remember when I'm coming through (Maaaaarrrrrkkkkk... :)), here's a reminder.

March 28th-30th: Yosemite
March 30th-31st: Flagstaff
March 31st-April 2nd: Albuquerque
April 2nd-4th: Austin with a stop off in Rockwall on my way to...
April 4th-6th: Nashville with a stop off in Atlanta on my way to...
April 6th-8th: Ladson with a stop off in North Carolina on my way to...
April 8th: Virginia
Enjoy and I will talk to you all soon! Pam

Atlanta, GA

(title is a link to my photo page)
My family just got back from our last family vacation since, well, we really couldn't tell you when. But unlike all of our other family vacations, this one included more than the immediate family that I have known my entire life.

This weekend we added Helen, Eddie, Jonathan, Barbara, Chip, Amanda, Roz, Mimi, Terry, Pam, Tessa, and Gillian to the mix! If there was ever a chance that my family could be considered dull before, it's gone now. We're still a loud, outspoken, intelligent, independant family that doesn't take ourselves too seriously. We are still a family (from what I could tell in a couple of days) that is lead by women. At least dad and Nate now have Eddie, Chip and Jonathan to double their numbers, but it is no match for the women in our family that grew almost five fold. I was so happy to find that three of the four of the girls, lets call them cousins to keep it simple, are living a mear three hours from my new home in Arlington, while the forth is an easy 10 hour drive to Atlanta. Mimi is in Atlanta and does sound design for the theaters and makes beautiful jewelry. She sells some of it on Etsy.com under the seller name Hummingrose, check it out! Pam is in the process of getting her Phd in American History. This makes her my hero. Here I am dreading the final classes to get my Bachlors, even wondering if it will come together, and she taking it all the way. Tessa and Gillian. Goodness these girls crack me up! Both are fabulously successful and living together in Manhattan. Tessa is in advertising and Gillian is a lawyer. I look at all of them and think of my grandmother smiling down on all of us. Each of us with such different strengths.

Aunt Roz, as I have known her for the past month or so, is my grandmother's aunt. More importantly she was her best friend. Through their friendship she met Vi's uncle who she later married. Before meeting Roz I had heard a few things that made me suspect that her and Vi have much in common. I was delighted to see that this is true. I miss my grandmother more and with each passing year. It seems that I am fortunate enough to share a lot of things with her, more with every year that I grow older, more with every year that my life goes on without her. As much as I loved this discovery, it also made me a little sad. I have never stopped missing her and the feeling of loss became fresh over the weekend. Having us all together would have made her so happy. I clung to that joy.

Before Roz's big 90th birthday party my parents, Nate and I went to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. It was so intense to stand there, just outside of his church, looking at the memorial for MLK as well as Coretta. These people sacrificed so much to do what was right, what is right. There was also a Gandhi room that was so interesting. Old pictures of him from law school etc. It was something that I had wanted to see on my drive to Virginia and am glad that I had a chance to see it with my family instead.

Roz's 90th birthday was a very diverse group of people. Ranging in age from Nate at 22 to Roz and some of her friends at 90 plus. The food was great and the company was even better. I met Marrel who has a son working to help bring education to Africa (http://www.educateafrica.org/), and has been since he was 17 living on a refugee camp in Uganda. Helen was another new addition on Sunday night. She is brassy and definately one to leave an impression.

All in all this was a great way for me to start this giant transition in my life. Most know that my family means the world to me. To have the beginning of new family ties near by helps me decompress a little when thinking about moving so far from home.

uNeMpLoYeD?!

There are so many things wrong with the word unemployment. The first, because it's the most obvious to me, has to be the queezy, the floor just dropped away from me and I'm falling into oblivion, feeling I have in my stomach.

The second problem is how unacomplished it sounds. It implies that my intention is to sit on my couch, eat Chili Cheese Fritos and watch reruns of Project Runway all day. I hate it. I even had the lady at Bank of America tell me to just put down my job that I was at for another four days so I could avoid sounding "tacky".

The third question is the very literal meaning of the word. I HAVE NO JOB! I have no income. I have nothing set up for when I get there. There is only so much security that comes with phone interviews.

These problems I have with being unemployed bring on the questions. What did I do? Am I crazy? Why not finish school here? I have a job! I like my job! More importantly, I like the people at my job!

You would have to have known me for at least four years to remember the last time I was unemployed. I was a basket case! Stress bucket! I was a damn wreck. I lost fifteen pounds in about a month and a half and my hair was falling out. It was ugly. Thank goodness for the Elephant Bar? Yeah, thank goodness for the Elephant Bar.

Next up... Wegman's or UPS?

My Car Luck

Monday night my new car was broken into. They smashed in the back passenger side window. Gotta love the tweakers. When I got to my car I saw my CDs and my manual on the front seats of my car. Thought it was weird (I have a slight disconnect pre-coffee). I then saw the glass from my window all over my back seat.

Tuesday I went to get it fixed. Hung out at the Borders until I got the call that my car was ready. Went back, they hadn't done anything to it yet. So I decided to go and grab some food. As I walked into Panara a crazy man the manager was trying to escort out decided to start flailing about and smacked me in the head. Damn it! Maybe it will be nice to get back to a place where they hide their crazies in shame instead of embracing them like we do here in San Francisco. We're so used to them here that I didn't even get a free meal. Why? Because we all know the crazies here, and we all know that it's no body's fault.


So Tuesday night they tried to break in again. Excuse me? Yeah, again. They took some kind of pick to the front passenger window. Totally dented and fucked up the paint between the window and the windshield and chipped the window enough for me to have to get a new one. Thank goodness the guy at the glass place was cool and let it all go down as one claim.


I tried to park in the Lucky's garage overnight but it doesn't open until 7 am so I had to risk parking on the street again. Decided to risk getting hit by some idiot and parked on Masonic where I knew there would always be people around to catch someone fucking with my car again.


All in all it has been a bullshit week. I'm quite over it at the moment. Especially after the hours of packing last night and sleeping on the floor. Ug.


In spite of all of the nonsense listed above I have decided that the persistent assault on my car is a good thing. Why? Because I have horrible car luck and I would rather get it out of the way here, with one little broken window, than worry about it driving across country or when I get to Virginia. Why do I feel like something bad happening to my car is a guarantee? Here's why... (in the order that I can think of them off of the top of my head)


1. First accident. Slid my first Sentra under the bumper of a pick-up truck.

2. (2nd Sentra) Was T-ed by a guy in a GT Mustang who ran a stop sign going about 60, getting off of the freeway. My car spun twice and was almost totalled.

3. Dance recital senior year. My car was vandalized. Seats slashed, car trashed, all panels keyed and all tires slashed.

4. Rear ended by a nice big ol' Dodge Ram leaving school.

5. Clipped by a guy who was exiting at Fell Street while I was at a stand still waiting to get onto the bridge. Shattered my side mirror in my face and knocked my back bumper. BONUS: He didn't notice he hit me and didn't have plates yet (the car was a week old) and so I had to chase him through San Francisco until he finally stopped. FARMER'S INSURANCE (aka. The Worst Insurance Co I have ever dealt with) almost didn't cover him because his policy was so new.

6. Rear ended in New Orleans. I got the extra insurance on the rental so we didn't stop. Troy and Nate were scared.

7. Back window broken to steal my stereo in Jill's hood.

8. Backed into at the Benicia Bridge toll booth when the guy forgot his change.

9. Was backed into by a VERY senior couple while I was having my interview at Bank of the West.

10. The front end of my car was clipped by the suspect in a high speed chase through Pleasant Hill.

11. Someone stole my muffler off of my car (but hey, they put the little support straps back on). I didn't notice until I had to have a guy come out to jump my battery. I asked him if he could take a look and see if he knew why my car was running so loud. Could the muffler be broken? (I am not car savvy okay?) He looked under my car and said, "You don't have one."

12. I rear ended a lady. My bad...

13. Someone "Zorro'ed" the side of my car with their keys.

14. Someone side swiped my mom's Pathfinder on Masonic while I was borrowing it.

15. A little old man backed into my car in his minivan in the Villas.


Pretty sure I have forgotten one or two. You get the gist. Send me good vibes! We don't need anymore incidents!

ATLANTA, GA?!

Today my list of destinations in March has added one more. This brings my total to five locations that I will be visiting for at least a night.

The list begins with Japan. I will be there from March 10th to the 24th. Since I am yet to really sit down and decide where I want to go in Japan, they are being clustered into one location.

Then for my drive across country I will be visiting Yosemite, Las Vegas and Albuquerque from March 28th through the 31st.

Towards the end of my trip I was going to be stopping into Atlanta to visit a friend and some family that I have never met. Aunt Roz is my Grandma's cousin on my dad's side. Knowing my grandma makes me very excited to meet Aunt Roz. When my mom contacted her to see if she would be available the day I will be driving through, Aunt Roz told my mom about how she wish I could be there for her 90th birthday party on March 2nd and be able to stay for a couple of days. So as an extra bonus my family is now flying to Atlanta March 1st to the 3rd to surprise her.

For fun, and to add to my madness, I decided to look up all of the time differences I will be experiencing in the month of March. Here's how it goes:

San Francisco to Atlanta, March 1st, +3hours
Atlanta to San Francisco, March 3rd, -3hours
San Francisco to Nagoya, March 10th, +17hours
Nagoya to San Francisco, March 24th, -17hours
San Francisco to Yosemite, March 28th, 0hours
Yosemite to Las Vegas, March 30th, 0hours
Las Vegas to Albuquerque, March 31st, +1hour

And by the time I reach Arlington on April 8th I will be another 2 hours ahead. I have a feeling that no matter my travel before the month of March (Europe, Virginia, Florida...) I will be not even remotely close to prepared for the jetlag that is to come.

Destination Virginia (change of plans)

There are a few of you that think this blog will contain the news that I am not leaving after all (Todd...), but in fact I am posting this to tell you just the opposite. I am leaving sooner.

As some of you know, my friend, Lisa, who I was going to be staying with when I moved in August, recently was offered a job (that she had better be gushing with pride over) in England. While this is a wonderful opportunity for her, it was the first wrench in the works for my plans. She leaves in May, and I wouldn't be moving until August.

Next up is Rob, a friend of mine in Colorado, who decided he just had to get married three days before I was scheduled to depart on my big cross country adventure. This would require a three day trip to Colorado before returning for my long ass drive.

Last, but not least, was Jackie who is getting married mid August here in San Francisco. Since the original plan was to take a month to drive across and really get to see this country of mine, I was going to have to find a way to fly back half way there.

Of course I could simply postpone my trip, or ditch the weddings. In my mind neither were an option. A little discouraged, and ignoring the signs that were telling me to hold off on this giant leap I have been so antsy to make, I kept planning.

A little history for this next part:
My landlord is damn useless and has not cashed any of our rent checks for the past six months. Why? Who knows? She doesn't return any phone calls. She doesn't fix what is broken and she won't clean the damn graffiti off of the front of our building.

Skinner, my roommate, wants to get her own place after I leave. Realizing that we are living month to month in our apartment, I suggested that we start looking for a place for her now and simply share the room (and save some cash) before I leave.

The original plan was based on the false-impression (created in my head of course) that I was stuck in my lease until August. With the above events, I realized, I was indeed not stuck anywhere!

Today at work I talked to Patrick, my manager, about my last day. I had planned it around my trip to D.C., to find a neighborhood to shop for an apartment in when I moved out, and the big 2-5 birthday trip to Hiroshima. I wanted my last day to be March 6th and he suggested February 28th, the last day of the month. With this I had to shift everything. I had every intention of getting a job at Whole Foods upon my return to transfer with to VA, and couldn't have an extra week without work because of the change. So the entire trip was bumped up a week.

Now this is where all of the pieces are going to come together. With my trip to Hiroshima ending on March 24th, and without a lease to keep me in San Francisco, why not leave sooner? I could avoid the costs of flying to D.C. before Hiroshima. I could avoid having to deal with getting a new job here and dipping into my savings before the cash flow came. I could move to Virginia with Lisa and David still there. (They haven't heard any of this yet... so it should be a hoot!)

So new plan everyone. March 28th is my date of departure. The route has been cut down quite a bit. So for those of you that I get to see on the way, pay attention :)

March 28th: Drive to Yosemite for the weekend. (Any and all are welcome if you are able to find a campsite. I have not yet.) I am hiking the backside of Half Dome on the 29th and then leaving on the 30th for...

March 30th: Las Vegas! It is only an overnighter but I am so excited to see Sarah, Shanon and the twins!

March 31st: Leave for Albuquerque. This is going to be a great trip. It is my grandma's birthday and I think that driving through the desert with her in my thoughts could be just what I need before reaching my destination. I will be spending the first of April with an old friend. I haven't seen her since she went to New Mexico and I think I will find peace in seeing her resting place.

April 2nd: Austin. That's right Mark, you can't get rid of me that easily! I'm still coming out to crash on your couch. Very exciting, you get me until the 4th... get ready!

April 4th: Nashville with Megan and Panama!! I just recently touched base with Megan again and I am so excited to see her city and her new sweet babe! I get to hang out there (if the new schedule works) until the 6th.

Mid-trek stop: Some of my grandma's cousins live in Atlanta and so I am hoping to stop in for lunch and to meet some family.

April 6th: David, Laura, Sierra and Luna. I'm stoked to see the new house all done up and hang out with a couple of my best friends and their rascally pups for a couple of days.

April 8th I leave for my final destination. Lisa and David in Virginia. I can't wait to see them.

Alright everyone. There you go.