A Little Bit of Scenery

It finally stopped raining in time for the weekend.  Saturday wasn’t exactly gorgeous, but it was dry enough to head out for a hike.  It was a little on the gray side, and the sun was nowhere to be found, but I wasn’t discouraged.  The only unfortunate part was that it was freezing.  The pictures aren’t great, but we were actually trying to summit, so we were moving kind of quickly.

Of course we have purchased a few more fun things, so those got used too.

And of course the finished product! As a side note, it was actually not bad, but then again I was really hungry.

 

Finally! Hiking Weather!

The sun finally decided to make an appearance this weekend, and it was glorious! I needed to soak up as much vitamin D as possible. Living in Northern California has many MANY advantages (many downsides too, but we won’t discuss the traffic, the homelessness, the exorbitant rent, etc.) one of which is the plethora of outdoor activities just a short distance from the city.
To celebrate the suns arrival we decided to go for a nice hike and headed to the East Bay to Mt. Diablo. We have hiked here several times and I absolutely adore it. It’s just a short drive from the city but you really feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. It’s never been super busy when I’ve visited, and the scenery is breathtaking.

Of course, guess who couldn’t find her memory card for her camera? And who then immediately found it when she got home in her laptop bag. Yep, that’s right. A whole day of gorgeous scenery wasted. This tells me that I need to A.) Pick up a spare memory card and B.) Don’t put things in logical places because I will never look for them there. I swear to you, I looked under the bed for that card 3 times. It never occurred to me to look in my laptop bag. Ugggg.

A few months back I picked up a book that lists the best hiking in California so we are never short on places to explore. This weekends trail was one we’ve actually attempted before, but have gotten side tracked and ended up on other trails.  It’s called the Falls Trail Loop, and shock of all shocks, it takes you by several gorgeous waterfalls.

Alas, the only photos I have are of the crappy variety taken on my camera phone which don’t do them any sort of justice.

I’m always excited to get outdoors, but was especially looking forward to it this time, as I just got AWESOME new hiking stuff. Let’s be honest, sometimes getting the new gear is 15% of the fun.

Up first, my newest hiking shoes. These things are outstanding. More like a tennis shoe, but with tons of ankle support and a great amount of tread. They are incredibly light weight and are shockingly comfortable. They are also really breathable, dry quickly, and aren’t as ugly as they could be.

They are the Northface Hedgehog XCR hiking shoe.  Check them out if you need a pair.

Next up, my fantastic new day pack.  It’s perfect. PERFECT.  If only I could find a handbag that fits my needs this well, life would be perfect.  It has more than enough space for everything I could possibly need, in addition to a 2 liter bladder for water. I’m pretty in love with it.

Behold: The Deuter Trans Alpine 26 SL

Fingers crossed that this awesome weather holds and I can get out there again this weekend!

 

This is the weekend.

You know what heaven might be like? A bag full of books, a new pair of LONG Yoga pants that fit like a glove, a few good movies, Plans to grab a glass of  wine  (who am I kidding, glasses of wine), anticipation of great food, and a three day weekend.  The only thing that could improve is the weather (of course it’s raining).

I’m hoping the rain stops so I could get outside and get in some physical activity of some sort (walking to the mission to do some shopping could count), and I’d like to take my “big” camera out for some pictures.  Fingers crossed that the weather gods cooperate.

 

Buildings As Art

 

Woot!

So my throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks theory just might be working. Drum roll please…….

I have found a bookclub!

I’m pathetically excited about it.

Our first book is “The Omnivore’s Dilemma“.

The cynic in me hopes to find one or two more, just in case this one doesn’t work out, but it’s a start. A good start. Not exactly where I thought I would be five months in, but it’s better than where I was yesterday.

Seriously, had I not heard back from yet ANOTHER group I would have needed to resort of to the Stuart Smalley form of therapy, staring in the mirror and reminding myself I’m good enough. I might not become a crazy cat lady!

 

You Can’t Just Make a Playdate

I’ve never had to think much about making friends. Not because I was immensely popular, or had some sort of natural gift, it just happened. You went to school, you played on the playground, parents exchanged numbers, playdates were made, instant friend.  Things got a bit more complicated from there, but the basic ingredients for friendship were readily available. A captive audience of people your own age.

College was the same way.

Post college I was fortunate enough to remain close, both in proximity and attachment, to my college friends. My high school friends began to move home as well.

So this is the first time in my adult life that I’m attempting to make friends.

And it isn’t quite as easy as I remember.

You don’t necessarily live on the same block, or have  school to commiserate over, or live in the same dorm.

So where do you look? Where do you find people?

I’ve decided to try the internet. I’ve scoured Craigslist, looking for bookclubs, activity clubs, etc. The results have been mixed at best. I joined a bookclub. It met once and then crashed and burned.  I’ve tried to join others, but those haven’t worked out for one reason or another (well, with the exception of the Asian bookclub. Who knew they wanted Asian members, not Asian authors?).

I’ve attempted activities. Well, I’ve attempted to attempt activities. I signed up for a fencing class, but apparently it didn’t hold the same interest for others so it’s been moved back to February.

I think I’m just missing the one link. The spark that will introduce me to a group of people. I’m clinging to the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon theory. If everyone in Hollywood can connect to Kevin Bacon in 6 degrees, I should be able to find a friend or two by meeting one person, right?

So the goal of the month? Join as many groups as possible. Throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. Maybe start one myself.  I can see the posting now:

Wanted: Interesting people (or just people).

Do you have hobbies? Can you carry on a conversation? Do you leave the house (preferably with pants)? Are you human,  with a heartbeat? If so lets hang out! Me: Late 20’s (closer to 30 but whose counting? 7 months thank you very much!) New in town, generally well mannered and desperately seeking someone to lunch with.

Hmmm. It only slightly reeks of desperation.

But really, I’m optimistic. I’m settled in with the job, the holidays are over and people are sure to be looking to get out of the house. Either that or I’m going to be the crazy lady sitting on the corner trying to engage everyone who passes by in some form of conversation.