Laa-la-laaa-la-laaaah! (procrastinating)
I'm procrastinating. I should be studying for my exam. But at the library we have these cute computers in our little wooden cubicles. When I finish a calc problem, I peek to see who commented on my blog or Flickr. (to see if I got the right answer, or somethin'??) It's such a wonderful waste of time!
One more thing.... I'm out of minutes for the month on my cellphone. Wow... this is two months in a row! So I can't talk to you unless it's over the weekend or after 9pm EST. But if you're a Verizon subcriber we can talk all we want... so call me and keep me company!
Things are going much better!
Thanks to all of you sweet, sweet souls who've rubbed my back from afar. Yesterday, I got a card in the mail from Hiroko that made me laugh and smile so hard it made my cheeks hurt. I went to genetics class that night and found myself sitting amongst the California transplants. It's funny how we all ended up in a bunch on one side of the classroom. So, I actually met a few people and also one of the guys who sets routes at the climbing gym on campus.
Two additional synchronous occurrences:
1) I heard from my SF climbing buddy
Bert, whom I had thought of multiple times yesterday, which is random because she and I have been out of touch, since we both started lead climbing in SF over the summer!
2)Plus, I got a funny message from JD's friend Denise, whom I wrote yesterday. This is too much:
> hey denise.... > > i was writing a message to meesh (whom i've > never met, but was invited to camp with at PDF, > because i'm new to the area) and saw that you > know her AND my good friend JD, in San > Francisco!! with all the coincidence, i decided > i should send you a message! plus, i can't > believe you're in philly because i just moved > here from SF, for school. so, i wanted to say > hi! :) are you going to PDF? do you want to meet > up and grab drinks sometime? > > audra
Well, today she wrote me back and said:
Audra, You must not have gotten my email inviting you out a few weeks ago :( I just figured that you were really busy from moving and stuff, and thinking 'why the hell is this weird girl who I don't know inviting me to a fringe show??' So, I'm glad you contacted me. I LOVE JD!!! He is so freaking cool, and has always extended himself with great vibes- seriously...... etc.We'd obviously get along because we both agree that he's pretty rad. So basically, I'm trying to point out that the world works in mysterious ways and when it rains with synchronousity, it pours. I never saw the email that she initially wrote to me. I can't believe she actually contacted me first. And here, I thought I found this amazing coincidental friend connected through JD and another online stranger. It was probably JD all along, pulling strings and finding connections... an angel. Thanks again, JD!
Things just continued to get better. I was up at 7am; I made my latte in my boudoir, watched the morning news, studied, then I went for a run and ended up going twice as far as usual. I actually hit that euphoric point where it just felt so damn good.
YES! Oh I love that!
Then, I got back and did an hour of yoga, thanks to
Kristie Home. She wrote up a couple of cards for me to follow, from when we were working together one-on-one, last year.
Awe... friends! After my work-out, I had lunch thanks to my dear, wonderful, sweet mother. I've been eating
so well... fresh food everyday since her visit last Friday. I haven't touched ice cream since I left San Francisco, which if you know me, that's unheard of for me to go so long without ice cream! I studied some more, then went to campus to check out the climbing gym. I miss MC's in SF, where all the hot guys walk around without shirts. This is
definitely not that. Here, if they're not climbing in a polo shirt, it's a clean t-shirt. And everyone still has that first day of school, fresh haircut. Very cute. Oh well! The guy from my genetics class was there, so I got belay tested and tried out a few routes. It felt good, but my arms pumped out quickly. Everyone at the climbing wall was very friendly, so I met a number of peeps who climb there a lot. I'm hoping to hit the Gunks with some new climbing connections, so I'm thrilled to have caught onto this great current of energy! I'm feeling pretty beat; it's been a long, but wonderful day! Love to all...
Having fun, but a little bit lonely!
Ok... it's happening. I'm begining to feel a little bit socially cut-off and things are just too quiet! After settling into my new apartment and getting into the groove at school, I'm ready for the next phase of total social integration! Yay... But, I do miss my friends. I miss having people nearby to meet on a whim. Moving to a new city has been very exciting and I've enjoyed the thrills of learning new places to go. But I feel impatient. I wish I knew more people! The silence of having my own space has been liberating. I've occupied my time doing things that I like to do, which is so much fun! I've enjoyed it immensely. But now I'm in the mood to *poof* magically transport myself to SF, to play pinball or photo hunt at Molotov's with a few friends!
It's just a matter of time, right? I just have to be patient... But in considering my friend Bud's advice today, I will be present and accept it... and enjoy the quiet, because it will get "noisy" again, soon enough. :)
Meals... home cooking from Mom!
Check it out! My mom stopped by for a 24-hour visit and stocked my freezer with 10 home cooked, double portioned meals... two styles of chili, beef burgundy, chicken fricasee, lasagna and chicken breast, that my parents smoked themselves. Woo hoo! It's nice to be close to home again. Five years on the West Coast and see how much
more they love me now? ;)
My mom and I had a great visit, though it was short because I ran off to class and hid-away to study for a few hours. But dinner last night was outstanding. It was so nice to see my mom and have her close enough to Philadelphia that she can drop in every so often!
*heart*
Am I hot or not?
Welcome to my game of the day! Today, I've posted pictures ot two lovely ladies
(1) &
(2) and you get to decide whether she's hot or not (as in the classic internet game we all love so dearly:
www.amihotornot.com)
I always attributed San Francisco with representing a lot of diversity. And it's true, there are a variety of different types of folks from everwhere. (haha... I said folks) But this campus has got a diverse crowd like no other. There are people of all nationalities in my classes and it's really very interesting and great to be amongst. I'm remembering one of the things I loved about Fall semester at RIT returning to school, is that everyone is out wearing summer clothes... and lots of skin! It's hot and you have to prepare for it. When the weather is gorgeous people really appreciate it, and today is an incredibly pretty, picture-perfect day. It's impossible to be in the library studying and the lawn is littered with students today.
And now back to the game. Please visit
www.flickr.com/photos/akay to participate in the, Am I hot of not game! Thanks for playing!
Cuba Libre with Jenn and Tammy
Finally, Jennifer and I met up last Thursday night to go to a party at Penn's Landing on a giant ship, here in Philly. She and I worked together in Walnut Creek, we went to Tahoe once (see my
Flickr set) and now we both go to similar programs in Philly, but at different schools.
Tonight, we went out to
Cuba Libre, a nice Cuban place for Restaurant Week. The food was very yummy! I'm not much of a mojito girl, but I had the best mojito ever, tonight. Yum! It was great to see Jennifer and have a California girls' night out with her and Tammy, a So-Cal friend from Jenn's program. It was just what I needed after a boisterous evening in Calculus. Though honestly, this is the most fun a person could have in math class. Our teacher is very funny. I was laughing through a great deal of class tongiht. I left class in the best mood... very upbeat, happy and then went off to meet Jennifer and Tammy for our 9:30pm dinner reservation in Old Town. And it was a glorious evening! We sat outside on the sidewalk porch and had a late, leisurely dinner. I can't complain... though I'm sure I will when I have to get up early to work on Statistics homework.
Settling right in.... Week #2
It's been one week since I arrived to Philadelphia. So far, I've gone out and done a lot, plus learned my way to, from and around campus. Last night, I went to a great bar-b-que and didn't come home until past 1am on a Sunday night... shame on me! I had a blast. I met some cool friends and relaxed in the hot tub. Philadelphia and I are gonna get along jus' fine!
This morning I continued my morning routine of jogging along the river. I stopped the neighborhood cop for a little chat and asked him about safety. He seemed like someone who would know about those kinds of things. I'm glad to have some place near my house where I can excercise during the day. That helps! As a result, I've been very active. I feel like a million dollars!
My classes so far are all great. I've got a ton of reading to do. Calculus is fun. I'm digging the visual aspects. Friends have always told me I'd enjoy it. So far, so good! Genetics class was a total review tonight. That's reassuring since it means the six chapters I must read over the next seven days will mostly be review. Statistics is going to be a good class, too.
Eddie goes to Burning Man 2005
Here's one of my best buddies, Eddie (at) eddie (dot) com! He took me to my first Burning Man in 2001. He introduced me to flickr when we got back from Hawaii for NYE. He pretty much introduced me to half of San Francisco and the cool, wacky stuff to do. He's always got his pulse on the social-freak scene in San Francisco. Everyone loves Eddie! I love checking out his photos whenever he gets back from a trip. So, this is my public service announcment... If you ever get the chance, be friends with Eddie!
Post-mountain biking trainspotting
I just went mountain biking for the first time with my friend Josh! It was great, but scary. The trail went through these beautiful woods and down steep, rocky parts. I'm definitely not a natural, let's put it that way. Then the rest of the ride was on easy, breezy, beautiful Forbidden Drive. I can't wait to go again during autumn! The air smelled so good. The trail followed a giant creek and went by very pretty stone walls and great, old, handsome houses carefully positioned in surrounding woods. After almost a month of sitting around doing nothing but packing boxes, moving and unpacking boxes it felt therapeutic to get out and stretch my legs.
Church with my Oma
Today, I went to church with my grandmother. It's been almost four years since I had gone last. Last time was also with my grandmother while she was still living in Atlanta. The sound of the pipe organ! Now, there's an instrument you never hear outside of church. It's funny how even though I was never a huge church-goer growing-up, the act of going to church and sitting through a service is a really moving experience. If I had more time while in San Francisco, I would have liked to have gone to the Latvian church. It wasn't far from my house either. Because of hurricane Katrina, the sermon discussed tragedies in the long history of people and pointed out that we're probably not facing the end of the World! Phew.
My favorite part of the service is the sharing of peace. Because the chapel is part of the retirement community where my grandmother lives, the congregation is all senior citizens. Every single one of them was so sweet and interested in meeting me. It was fun to greet everyone and pass complements about dresses and scarves. Shaking hands and happily telling the person standing next to you, "Peace be with you", is a great thing! Though not every part of the service spoke volumes to me, there were moments that caused me to reflect on my own life and how I treat others. It's nice to have a reminder that we're all here on the same Earth and must share, support and love one another to a certain extent. At least, if we're able to do that, life promises more. Don't you think?
The rest of the afternoon was spent looking through albums that pre-dated WWII, when my grandmother was still living in Latvia. Her family and friends were beautiful. The parties they attended were lavish and everyone dressed so nicely. Some of the photos looked like storybooks. She would point to the cute girls in dresses or handsome guys and tell me who was deported to Siberia. Whoa! It's unbelievable the tragedy that some people live through. My grandmother escaped the Soviets with the album she shared with me and one single suitcase. She told me all the close calls and blessings bestowed upon her, like getting passage to the United States even though the Latvian immigrant quotas had been filled already. Her boss's wife while she briefly lived in Germany (she escaped Latvia and fled to Germany AND got a job, while living in a refugee camp) arranged her passage to the US because she had a sponsor in New York to receiver her. My grandmother spoke Latvian, French, German and English as well as studied Latin in school. She was well educated! My grandmother was pregnant with my mom while in Germany and left for the US without my Opa, who had to stay until passage was given to those "displaced" by the War. He came a year later because my mother was born as a US citizen. My Oma has always said she was carried in the hands of God throughout the War and when she made it to the United States. It's a very moving story and there are far more details than I can remember. She left her home in Latvia when she was 24 (I think) and returned about 50 years later, once Latvia was freed from Soviet occupation. I went with her and got to see where she had lived. But that's a whole other story!
It's nice to be back East and create new memories with my family. I remember where I come from and I'm lucky to live a life where I can chose things, like the city where I want to live. I do miss California though. I miss the wonderful places I would walk, the light in the afternoon, and the gorgeous countryside that's not far off. The heavy development in Virginia breaks my heart. It's very difficult to get over what has happened here. Such poor planning! Northern California is a special place. I'm not saying there aren't suburban uglies out there, too! I would rather be in Philadelphia than Northern Virginia. Maybe I'm a city girl! But I'm also a country girl. The open outdoors feed my soul. The suburban sprawl drains it.
