Thank you, thank you, thank you....
I'm struggling with my "thank you" notes from my wedding right now. Blech. I'm sick of them. I see the boxes of fresh, unopened boxes of thank you cards sitting on our coffee table just taunting me. Of course, I'm very grateful for all the gifts we received, but I'm just sick of writing them en masse. Yesterday, I broke a personal record by doing 25 in one day. And did I mention that I'm doing some of them in Korean? The Korean thank you notes take twice as long and my korean handwriting looks like a 6-year-old's. Oh well.
On another note, I'm really getting bored these days. Especially since the weather has turned back to being gray and in the 60's. We had some nice weather last week because it was a "heat wave". A San Francisco summer heat wave apparently means blue skies and 80 degree heat -- perfect weather! Of course, the heat wave had more serious consequences just a half hour outside the city where the temperature reached over 100 on a daily basis. Microclimates are weird.
I'm looking forward to the weekend (even though every day is like a weekend for me). We have a party to go to on Saturday in Sonoma and then visitors on Sunday and Monday. I get to play tour guide! There's supposed to be this cool walk in San Francisco where the trees are full of parrots!
Speaking of visitors, my sister RBK says she's coming to visit in September with her husband and GMK. I'm very excited! Woohoo!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Ikea, BB&B, etc.
We've been in San Francisco now for about 3 weeks and we're pretty much settled in. But this is only after a lot of elbow grease. The previous tenants left the apartment a mess, so we did a lot of cleaning, painting and even floor replacement. Why not let the landlord take care of this? She's been out of town for most of the month, and we couldn't bear to live in squalor, so we took care if ourselves.
The last room that needs an overhaul is the bedroom. At first we thought about painting the walls, but I don't think SK or I have the energy for it. So, all we really need is to put the bed together (as opposed to leaving the mattress and box spring on the floor) and buying a dresser.
On my trip to Ikea this morning, I was *this* close to just picking out a dresser and bringing it home. But I just wasn't sure if the dresser would match the bed frame (oak) and then I wasn't sure if anything would fit in the car. So, I came home empty-handed. I think SK will be disappointed. We're both sick of picking our clothes out of suitcases/boxes.
I don't know if you've been to Ikea recently, or even Bed Bath & Beyond, but the display designers are evil people. There's absolutely no rhyme or reason in the flow or organization of their furniture/product displays and you end up looking at all sorts of things that you could imagine in your home.... I always end up with more at BB&B than I came for. And today at Ikea, I was able to focus on dressers, but found myself making a mental checklist of items that I thought we might (but probably don't really) need in our place.
We've been in San Francisco now for about 3 weeks and we're pretty much settled in. But this is only after a lot of elbow grease. The previous tenants left the apartment a mess, so we did a lot of cleaning, painting and even floor replacement. Why not let the landlord take care of this? She's been out of town for most of the month, and we couldn't bear to live in squalor, so we took care if ourselves.
The last room that needs an overhaul is the bedroom. At first we thought about painting the walls, but I don't think SK or I have the energy for it. So, all we really need is to put the bed together (as opposed to leaving the mattress and box spring on the floor) and buying a dresser.
On my trip to Ikea this morning, I was *this* close to just picking out a dresser and bringing it home. But I just wasn't sure if the dresser would match the bed frame (oak) and then I wasn't sure if anything would fit in the car. So, I came home empty-handed. I think SK will be disappointed. We're both sick of picking our clothes out of suitcases/boxes.
I don't know if you've been to Ikea recently, or even Bed Bath & Beyond, but the display designers are evil people. There's absolutely no rhyme or reason in the flow or organization of their furniture/product displays and you end up looking at all sorts of things that you could imagine in your home.... I always end up with more at BB&B than I came for. And today at Ikea, I was able to focus on dressers, but found myself making a mental checklist of items that I thought we might (but probably don't really) need in our place.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
My sister EK was here to visit this weekend for a last minute vacation. It was great to see her and I hope she had a good time. We really had a packed weekend -- shopping, Fisherman's Wharf, Ferry Building, Napa, hiking, and even a Giants baseball game (thanks to a friend with some extra tix). We had some pretty awesome seats behind home plate and sat behind Barry Bond's family. Mrs. Bond was sporting some pretty serious bling.
Overall, we did some serious eating this weekend. Thai on Thursday, gourmet fast food at Taylor's on Friday, wine and cheese on Saturday, Korean food and garlic fries last night. One of the things that worries me about San Fran is that there is some really great food here -- which means some extra poundage for me. There's a diverse variety of restaurants (including some excellent Asian food) and the produce is just so good! All the fruits and veggies I buy at the market are fresh and delicious.
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On Sunday after church, SK and I went on a hike in Marin County with some of his co-workers. When we agreed to go on this hike, it was billed as a leisurely stroll through Muir Woods. But the parking lot was full and the shuttle was full, so on the suggestion of a stranger, we decided to try a more challenging course called the Dipsea Trail. Our leisurely stroll turned into a 7-plus mile hike, the first two miles of which was almost completely comprised of a series of steep wooden stairs. Another part of the trail was wiped out by a landslide so we had to pick our way across. Then there was the middle part of the trail that was called "Cardiac Hill"....
Our fearless leader (one of SK's co-workers) was clearly in shape and pressed on ahead, seemingly without regard for anyone's else's level of physical fitness. I was starting to get pretty bitter, especially since she was the only one wearing hiking shoes and well-equipped with nuts and a water bottle in a dorky hiking fanny pack. The rest of us were a rag tag group wearing sneaks, some in jeans, and SK carried our water bottles in a large plastic Bed Bath & Beyond bag slung over his shoulder like a sack.
But then we caught a view of the Pacific Ocean and the trail leveled out and ended at lovely Stinson Beach. And after a fresh meal at a local cafe, the bitterness washed away and the pain all seemed worth it.
Overall, we did some serious eating this weekend. Thai on Thursday, gourmet fast food at Taylor's on Friday, wine and cheese on Saturday, Korean food and garlic fries last night. One of the things that worries me about San Fran is that there is some really great food here -- which means some extra poundage for me. There's a diverse variety of restaurants (including some excellent Asian food) and the produce is just so good! All the fruits and veggies I buy at the market are fresh and delicious.
-----------
On Sunday after church, SK and I went on a hike in Marin County with some of his co-workers. When we agreed to go on this hike, it was billed as a leisurely stroll through Muir Woods. But the parking lot was full and the shuttle was full, so on the suggestion of a stranger, we decided to try a more challenging course called the Dipsea Trail. Our leisurely stroll turned into a 7-plus mile hike, the first two miles of which was almost completely comprised of a series of steep wooden stairs. Another part of the trail was wiped out by a landslide so we had to pick our way across. Then there was the middle part of the trail that was called "Cardiac Hill"....
Our fearless leader (one of SK's co-workers) was clearly in shape and pressed on ahead, seemingly without regard for anyone's else's level of physical fitness. I was starting to get pretty bitter, especially since she was the only one wearing hiking shoes and well-equipped with nuts and a water bottle in a dorky hiking fanny pack. The rest of us were a rag tag group wearing sneaks, some in jeans, and SK carried our water bottles in a large plastic Bed Bath & Beyond bag slung over his shoulder like a sack.
But then we caught a view of the Pacific Ocean and the trail leveled out and ended at lovely Stinson Beach. And after a fresh meal at a local cafe, the bitterness washed away and the pain all seemed worth it.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Hello blogging world. I've just moved to San Francisco, home of fog in July, cable cars, the iconic red Bay Bridge, Ghiradelli chocolate, and that carbo-licious mealtime treat, Rice-a-roni.
I guess I'm starting this blog because 1) to record my observations of left coast living and 2) I’m bored. Until I get a job, I have a lot of free time on my hands. I've always wanted to live out West having spent all my life on the East Coast.
So far I like it, except that it's cold. I went to a dinner party on Sunday and learned there are 40 microclimates in the Bay Area. Which means that when we went to Marin County (20 minutes to the north of the city) for the party, we basked in the 80-something degree heat. But as soon as we crossed the Bay Bridge heading back into town, we hit a wall of fog and the temperature dropped 20 degrees. No exaggeration (I'm a former reporter and that's against the rules).
Another observation: people here are very friendly. Random strangers will not hesitate to start conversations on the street or while you're waiting in line for anything. I had a 15 minute conversation with a woman at Jo-Ann Fabrics about the $0.79 star-spangled cellophane bags she had just snagged. Drivers will actually let you into their lane when you signal! Four-way intersections actually become more dangerous because everyone wants the other driver to go first! These are the kinds of things that happen in San Francisco! It’s a topsy turvy world. ;)
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On Sunday, my hubs (SK) and I went to a church we've been trying out -- City Church. It follows the Redeemer formula so it's comfortable for me and so far the sermons have been good. This Sunday, SK ran into some old acquaintances from his med school days. While he was catching up, my eyes panned the room and I saw a guy that looked a lot like a Hollywood superstar (star of Dead Poet's Society, Good Morning Vietnam) in profile. I interrupted an annoyed SK and made him go look. We weren't sure if it was really our beloved teacher from Dead Poet's Society because he looked a lot smaller than we thought he would. But I suppose that's how all movie stars are like when you see them in person -- larger-than-life on screen, regular Joe in person.
Anyway, we dismissed it as a coincidence, until we sat down for service and lo-and-behold! -- the Robin Williams look-a-like sat down next to SK. We were both still skeptical until we heard him read out loud and recognized his distinctive voice. SK kept his cool and didn’t drool all over him, and got to shake his hand during the meet-and-greet-your-neighbors part of the service.
For anyone who is curious, we were surprised to find out that Robin Williams drives this car. A Volvo. Not very Hollywood of him. By the way, we were NOT stalking him. We just happened to bump into him in the parking garage again after service! His California license plate number is ..... just kidding.
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