And suddently it's November...

When did that happen? I forgot how nice California "winter" is, where anything below 50 is "SO cold". It's good to be back.

It's a little troubling when pictures crop up online which you have absolutely *no* recollection of having taken. Note to self: be more careful, especially when surrounded by strangers and without the luxury of having a close friend watching over you (man, I miss college sometimes...)

Things have been quiet since Halloween, but I'm gearing up for D's visit next weekend and the pre-thanksgiving kegger hosted by lovely Flo and Helen.

Heading up North for Thanksgiving, from Wednesday night through Monday morning. Drop me an email or give me a ring if you'll be around and want to meet up!

Rock it.

Two nights of Halloween down, spent at two very different places. On Friday Helen and I hit up a bar/club in Hermosa, and on Saturday Billy and I went to an underground party in downtown. Girls between the ages of 20 and 40 loved the Rainbow Brite costume, everyone else had no idea who I was.

Still yet to come: West Hollywood Carnaval, and maybe one last Halloween party next weekend.

Back to the bay

The weekend was over before I could blink. Flew in Friday evening, dropped some stuff off at my mom's place, and hopped on the train to SF.

D's birthday party was ridiculous. Good music, good drinks, and good company; what more could you want? My decision making definitely left something to be desired, but what's life without risk? Thumbs up to catching a ride on the back of a motorcycle to the afterparty (thanks, Kip!), but thumbs down to the sketchy guy who tried to lure me into a bathroom when the party was winding down. I was thoroughly impressed by D's biking skills- I was convinced there was a 100% chance we were going to bite it when he insisted on riding double on his mountain bike down hilly SF streets to get back to his apartment at the end of the night. He got us there safe and sound, though, dodging the sleeping homeless guys with astonishing ease. Impressive, especially considering the time of night (or morning, depending on how you count it) and our lack of sobriety.

Unsurprisingly, we didn't get to the bluegrass festival the next day until late afternoon. The musicians were incredible, and the weather was unbeatable. Things were going great until I attempted to head to Berkeley for dinner. Let me tell you, navigating public transit on a packed bus when semi-drunk and unsure of where you're going is not a good time. In the end it all worked out, even though I was an hour and a half late and inconvenienced the entire dinner group by having them pick me up at a farther away BART station so I wouldn't have to transfer trains. It was great to see Mo, Katie, and Justin, even if it was only for a little while.

I hauled myself out of bed early Sunday to get dim sum with my grandma in the Sunset District. It was good to see her, even if she was overly concerned about my lack of a boyfriend. "When I was your age, I already have *three* daughter..." Thanks, Grandma.

Hit up the bluegrass festival again on Sunday, and before I knew it it was time to catch the last train back to my mom's place. D insisted on driving me home, though, so we shared a leisurely dinner in SF before heading south. I felt pretty guilty about having him drive all the way to Palo Alto just to drive back to SF, but I enjoyed spending more time with him before I had to hop back down to LA.

Gotta keep the good times rolling and post a strong finish to the Best Year Ever: Next up is Decompression, followed by San Diego for a weekend and then it's my first LA Halloween. Down time? Who needs that...

Friends and more

Last night I ventured out to a Beach Burn in El Segundo organized by a group of local burners. I heard about it on tribe.net, a site I've been checking out since coming back from Burning Man. I didn't know anyone that was going, but I figured that since I didn't have any other plans for the night I had nothing to lose.

The people were welcoming, and it was nice to sit out on the beach and just chill for a while. There was an interesting array of characters that showed up, ranging from vegan raw food enthusiasts to drugged-out cougars in playa wear to middle aged techies.

I didn't have an instant connection with anyone, but it was good to get out and meet new people even though it put me a little out of my comfort zone.

I'm nervous and excited for the upcoming weekend adventure to SF. So many people to see, so little time. It'll be interesting to see how everything unfolds.

A life less ordinary

I just realized it's practically October. Where the hell did this year go?

I'm heading up to the Bay Area on the 5th for the weekend. Not sure if I'm forcing something that's not there or not worth it; my sister warns me that people can be completely different in real life compared to how they are on the Playa. I figure I have to go and see, though.

Goals for fall:
- Get finances in order
- Make friends outside of work
- Get out of South Bay more often and explore LA

Burning like a virgin

Words can't describe... but I'll try, anyway.

It was beautiful and overwhelming and tacky and obscene. I ended up not spending too much time with the boys I drove out with; They're my friends and all, but we were there to do different things. Luckily, I hooked up with a camp just down the street who were awesome and welcoming.

It was amazing to see the capacity that people have when they really invest themselves in something. Yes, the whole event did seem a little bit like Disneyland, and yes, there did seem to be a lot of vapid people just looking to party. Despite all that, I still loved it. At times it was all a little too much, but there were moments last weekend that I wouldn't trade the world for. I don't want to sound too unhinged-hippie-new-age-crazy, but there were points when I was completely content and relaxed, and simply myself. No pretense, no faking, no trying to be what others want. Just me. It was amazing.

A purple moon and rainbow fire. Incredible.

Since coming back, I've been reflecting a lot and thinking about where I am right now with relation to where I want to be. LA has suddenly lost it's shine, hopefully that's just a temporary over-dramatization, though. One thing's for sure, certain people I've met down here are not the type of people I need right now. It's not a matter of who is good and who is bad or who is right and who is wrong, it's a matter of who fits with what I need. Suddenly, I find myself missing the Bay Area like never before.

Before I left, I had planned on this being my only Burning Man trip- I would put in a ton of time and money this year, go, and then I would have "done" it. Now that I've been there, I'm already thinking and planning for next year. Only 357 days to go...

Burn, baby, burn

A half-finished blog entry has been sitting in my account for over a month now. When I first started it back in July, it was optimistic and upbeat, and since then it has slowly become more subdued. Summertime in LA has been fun and exciting, but tiring as well. At first the nightlife and drinking and beach and boys were more than I could have hoped for, but now reality is setting in and I think it's time for me to retreat from the scene for a bit to collect myself and my thoughts.

We're leaving tomorrow for Burning Man, which is going to be *awesome*. I've been wanting to go for the past 5 years, but in the past school has always conflicted. Our group is growing, and I'm a little worried about how prepared some of them will be, especially those who are deciding to come along at the last minute. I haven't had as much time to prepare as I would have liked, but I do have the essentials- water, food, tent, fuzzy clothes, and fuzzy bike. Off to the desert we go...