This past week I am excited to say I had my first guest, and guess who it was, one of my best friends, Natalie! She flew up from Orange County for a few days and hung out with me in the new digs. It worked out well that she could bring her photography work with her and do it while I was working. We had fun exploring the Mission a bit, eating lots of Mexican food, going on an adventure with her Holga (excited to see how the pictures turn out), and last but not least, heading to the California Academy of Sciences for Nightlife at the Museum.

When the museum recently opened I read a lot about it in the California Alumni magazine and was fascinated by the “Living Roof” and how eco-friendly/green the entire building is. Every Thursday night they open up from 6:00-10:00 for a 21+ crowd. You can visit the exhibits (including the aquarium, rainforest, roof, and planetarium), grab a cocktail if you so please, groove to the DJ’s tunes, and just enjoy one of the unique things Golden Gate Park has to offer!

Thanks for visiting, Nat, wish you could have stayed longer! So who will my next guest be?

Caitlin, Nat, and I on the Living Roof — That’s light from the rainforest shining out!

That’s a tall giraffe

Starfish and Sea Anemones, the view from above

Checking out the very large Bass

A Sea Apple, cousin of the Sea Cucumber — Looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland

After being in the new apartment in a new city in a new neighborhood for a little over two weeks now, I feel I am beginning to settle in and must say that I am totally loving it!  I haven’t had as much time to explore as I would like, but I’ve enjoyed going on some jogs around the surrounding blocks, taking mental notes of the awesome restaurants and shops to return to, meeting the local barista at the corner cafe, and sampling the dinner specials at the neighborhood Irish Pub.  On Sunday I went cafe hopping (one of the things I love best about San Francisco) and discovered this gem, Ritual Coffee Roasters. I just may have to try my luck working there, maybe an un-discovered startup can give me a job!

I also ventured out to the Mission Branch of the SF Public Library and got me a card and everything! Isn’t it cute, with a local student’s artwork on it. Much better than the one I had from the Orange County Library for probably 17 years, although my first grade printing of my name on the back was  quite endearing.

We, as in the three roommates and I, have been diligently compiling a list of things to do during our tenure in the city, and by diligently I mean whenever we think of something totally random and completely awesome that can only be done in San Francisco, we add a sticky note to the board. We thought the “Did” side looked rather lonely, and luckily we were able to fulfill one of our “Dos” this weekend when we had a lovely housewarming party. Seemed as though lots of friends were out of town for the occasion, but we are excited for dinner parties, tea parties, and of course, costume parties!

Tonight we received a special treat from our awesome neighbor, Matt, who lives in the flat above ours with three roommates. Can you guess what it was? Ok, you cheated and looked at the picture below. Freshly baked, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and they were even still warm. Deliciousness. I have to say Kara and I were a little concerned when the doorbell rang at 9:30, but it was an excellent, tasty, and friendly surprise.  Next on the agenda, reciprocate with a backyard BBQ of sorts for the three flats. Neighbor bonding!

This weekend we are all heading back to the Lair of the Bear for a staff reunion that happens every five years. I’m sure I’ll have much to report when I get back. Go Bears!

While I have no video to accompany this post, I have some BIG news!  Last week I decided to take a leap of faith and do something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.  I will soon be able to call myself a San Franciscan!

That’s right, I’m officially moving!  After a trip up to the Bay Area, a visit to the Lair (my second, or maybe third or fourth, home/Cal’s alumni summer camp), and a wonderfully fun weekend spent with a few of my best friends, I decided I had to make the goal a reality no matter how scary it might seem.  As luck would have it, those other three ladies were all looking for new homes as well.  The result?  The four of us, well the three of them (thanks guys!), found a great flat in the Mission.

I haven’t yet seen the place, but I have no doubt that it is fabulous.  It could really be a hole it the wall and I think I’d be just as excited.  It is the people, my soon-to-be roommates, who really matter and are going to make the next year one for the books!  Caitlin, Claudia, and Kara (yeah lots of C sounds to keep straight), I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of friends.

–Kara giving the thumbs up to the new home! (Sorry I don’t have a picture of the outside yet)–

For those who don’t know, the four of us all staffed at the Lair, Camp Oski, together.  We have been tent-mates, teammates, and just plain mates. Now we will be true roommates!  It is going to be a wild and crazy time, and there is no one I’d rather share the ride with :)

One of many team pictures to come…my hair is short now…and not red

Anyone following my blog knows that I’ve been looking for jobs for a few months.  The only not so peachy part of this plan is that I have yet to find one.  Luckily I will be continuing my current position remotely from the Bay until I am able to find full-time employment.  So ::hint hint:: if anyone has a lead hit me up!

In all seriousness though, I am looking forward to this new chapter of life.  It is both terrifying and thrilling and I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way.  I will be sad to leave friends and family at home, but it is something I know I want and need to do.  I am also sad to leave behind my Producer role at LIVE.  I know I have learned/gained a great deal over the past 6 months helping out on the show, and I have met some awesome people who I won’t soon forget.

So July has been an extremely busy month for me, actually the past 4 months have been pretty crazy now that I think about it. I honestly feel like I haven’t had time to step back and realize everything that has been happening. It has been like working three full-time jobs with my paying job, my “recreational” job (as my parents refer to it), and probably the most important job, looking for a new job.

I’ve realized living in Southern California again for the past year, and visiting all of my friends still in the bay area how much I really want to be up there working and living. It’s not that I don’t love the sunny weather and vibe of Orange County, but every time I head out for a quick weekend trip to San Francisco (which has been more of a detriment to my bank account than I’d care to admit) I again realize how much I love the city and the lifestyle it provides to those who live there.

For those who’ve been following my life, I had an interview in Mountain View with a great company called Tiny Prints. They are a start-up company in the online stationery business. I love the quality of their products and the effort they put into them, but more than anything they have an incredible appreciation for their employees and I could really tell that everyone was happy to be at work. It made me realize how much I value that in a work environment.

When you think about spending 40 hours or more of you life each week somewhere, you really want it to be something that you enjoy, something that is fulfilling, and something that keeps you learning. I would love to join their team as a Site Manager and start the career phase of my life in the bay area, however if it doesn’t fit this time, I know there is something else waiting. With each experience I have I feel like I learn a little bit more about myself. One of the greatest parts about this often awkward phase somewhere between student and grown-up is the act of growing. Like the quote says, “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”

This turned out to be a little more reflective than I thought it would be, but reflection seems to be a common theme among my friends right now. People going through break-ups, big moves, major adjustments, culture shock, and altogether life changing experiences. It is often hard to know how choices affect our lives especially when they are major ones. In the end you have to take a step back and be grateful for all you have and trust that you will end up where you are supposed to when you are meant to.

I recently got two of my best friends into blogging. The three of us were roommates while we studied abroad in Rome. And despite being on opposite sides of the world all pursuing different passions we have managed to remain close. Chiara just graduated from UCLA and was crazy brave to head back to Rome by herself, with nowhere to live, and start an internship with the Associated Press. Follow the adventure of her life and read her incredibly well written insights on politics and Italian Culture on The Clarity Post (Chiara means clarity in Italian).

Lauren, who we more commonly refer to as Valdez (since we were both Laurens living together), just graduated from Cal and is pursing her passions in architecture and solving global poverty. This is one girl who I can say without a doubt, will change the world. She has crazy stories about meeting Al Gore and Bill Clinton, and working in South America. She’s currently working on a sustainable project for an island in French Polynesia and is ready to up and leave to move to Bolivia afterwards to continue a project she started there last year. I just helped her get a site started and you can follow her adventure at LaurenVeronica.com.

Phew, if you aren’t exhausted by now, I present a video of my recent San Franciscan adventure:

PS. I just got my new Mac Book Pro and had fun playing around with the new iMovie making this video. Forgive that I didn’t have much video to work with, but I’m heading to San Diego this weekend and still have lots of video from a recent trip to Vegas which will surely be posted soon! Check back for that :)