2003-10-16, 2:38 p.m.

30 October 2003

6:59pm The oysters (with a sourdough baguette and some cheese we brought) were perfectly briny and delicious. Being a girl often has its advantages--the oyster man gave us some extras and shucked them because we were too scared of slicing our hands open. A little further down Highway 1, we stopped at a shack for BBQ oysters on their back patio, strawberry lemonade, homebaked bread, and a small cup of clam chowder. The drive (with me driving) made me a little carsick, but those oysters were damn worth it. Next time, I'm bringing some tabasco, pepper vodka and bloody mary mix. Crossing the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge with a clear view of downtown, I was reminded again why I love this city. And good news--an old coworker called to let me know that my references are being checked. Pending a fair offer, unemployment could end soon. I have mixed feelings.

Reason #7642 I love unemployment: drinking coffee at whatever hour I want from my French press. When I'm working, I can only drink coffee in the morning, otherwise I can't get to sleep at an appropriate hour without waking up to the alarm in the morning ready to shoot myself. This also relates to Reason #7640 (Going to bed whenever I want), and Reason #7639 (Waking up whenever I want).

11:45am I am hoping this isn't the last we've seen of Indian summer, but who knows. In any case, a few more scarves to add to the collection: The Fuzzy Fall Scarf, The Textured Rib Scarf, and The Random Striped Scarf.

Second interview went well yesterday, I think. Also, an interesting interview set up for next week with a wine importer! Today, however, it is off to eat oysters at Hog Island Oyster Company. And maybe a stop at the Pirate Store.

P.S. My nose won't stop running.

28 October 2003

3:32pm Dim sum, used books, cheap fresh fruit, frozen shrimp balls for my ramen...all on one block. If I wanted to, I could have also gone to an Irish bar or picked up some boba. Yum.

27 October 2003

6:32pm

• The neighbor's dachsund never stops barking. They also don't pick up its shit.
• I called my mom this morning at 5:30am and told her I couldn't take my aunt to chemo. I didn't want to risk getting her sick. I feel guilty, but there's really nothing I could have done differently.
• Last night I made Cool Curry Cauliflower Soup. Sounded good, but I wouldn't recommend it. Cold soup is a strange concept.
• Got called in for a second interview with a company that seems interesting. Better yet, the manager is the first person I've interviewed with so far that I think I could REALLY get along with. We'll see. However, I still really like not working.

26 October 2003

9:20pm Throat still hurting, so I'm definitely sick. Unfortunately, tomorrow I have to take my aunt to chemo. I really don't want to get her sick...we'll see.

I spent the afternoon basking in Indian summer eating popsicles with some friends. Despite being sick, I'm happier than I've been in a long time.

11:07am Agh. My throat hurts. Not sure whether it is because I'm getting sick, I stayed out too late trying to talk over the thump of the speakers, or if it was because I stayed out even later singing karaoke. But either way, my throat hurts. Tea soothes.

Not everyone understands my need to be alone. Sometimes hanging out with myself is a lot more fun than hanging out with other people. At least J understands. What I don't understand is people who can't be alone.

Saw Lederhosen Lucil on tour with Kid Koala last week. She's a hoot and really worth checking out. I also like DJ Jester, who has really creative mixes, including 50cent over polka.

Looks like another ice cream day.

21 October 2003

5:55pm I hope the weather continues to be this nice. Waiting for my friends to show up for lunch, I sat in my wife-beater warming in the sun. I can't continue to emphasize how much I love my life right now. The further I get from work, the less I want to go back. Of course, that is a little unreasonable. I know this can't last forever, but I sure wish it could.

I've been trying to read One Hundred Years of Solitude for the past two weeks and even got to page 300. This morning, I decided to abort the book, despite really liking some of his other work. Three hundred pages and nothing had happened. All of the characters had the same names so it was difficult to keep them straight. I gave it a chance, but reading was becoming laborious. Usually, I will suffer through to the end, but it usually ends up stalling my reading process. Thus, time to abort. Since I didn't see anything on my bookshelf that I felt like reading, I went to Green Apple Books this afternoon and picked up The Corrections and Celebration.

10:07am Drinking on a Monday afternoon (into the night and Tuesday morning) without having to worry about waking up for work the next day. Hooray to that! I've been thinking about getting a part-time job and extending my unemployment. Some (new to me) places yesterday:

• Cafe Abir for a $2.25 glass of beer on tap.
• Fly for $3 sangrias (wouldn't recommend either the red or white sangria if you've had the stuff at Andalu. It just doesn't compare). 1/2 price pizza ($4) was a tasty appetizer! A lot of Santa Barbarians on this corner of SF, though.
• Tsunami for some sushi. Surprisingly fresh and tasty, as I was quite skeptical because the sushi chefs weren't old japanese men. If I had room, I would have had some of their sake. I love sake.
• Finally, The Attic. When we walked in, the DJ was surprisingly good...then someone else stepped in and it turned into a strange mix of drum n bass and hip pop from six years ago. There were some dirty shenannigans happening in the booth next to ours. And all the boys looked the same: hooded sweatshirt, dark hair, trucker hat, and black frame glasses. There were at least five of them, and I couldn't tell them apart. Oh, the indie irony!

16 October 2003

2:38pm I've figured out my pattern. When my life gets too predictable, I quit. Last time, I got through 3 years of college and almost quit. I withdrew from school and went to Vietnam. There, I realized I only had a year left and decided to finish my BA. When I wasn't in Vietnam, J & I slept in, played video games, and partied. It was one of the most fun times in my life. This time, I got through 3.5 years of a responsible adulthood confined to a cube and quit. I'm sure I'll end up back there pretty soon (as soon as someone wants me), but it is a nice break.

I am starting to wonder when I'll get a job, whether or not I'll have to move back to the East Bay, but for now, I'm content. Last night we celebrated J's last day at work (heehee, bad influence). Today I bought Vietnamese sandwiches and had lunch with my cousin out by the Berkeley Marina--a beautiful view across the bay of my city and the sun warming my shoulders.

I have some work to do this afternoon.