Sunday

[theatokos]

What a great day today is. Really. This whole weekend has been great. Making some decisions about my mental health has turned me around. I like it. Today B, Adam and I went to the park nearby to get out. It's in the 80s here - first hot day since fall. We witnessed BMX Critical Mass - 200 males on BMX bikes descending on the park. It was great! And then the Oakland Police showed up. This made me nervous. But everything was fine. No one died.

As I lay on my blanket I decided to make some lists about things I'll miss (and not miss) about leaving the Bay Area.


Things I'll miss: in no particular order, although caps to indicate emphasis!
*Redwood trees
*Easy weather year round
*Food: oh the food choices here are incredible, great Korean just down the street, MEXICAN (we cannot live without refried beans), sushi
*Friends
*Convenient public transportation
*A place easy and affordable enough to get to for friends and family to visit
*Californian wine and wine country
*The San Francisco OPERA
*FEAST BAY and the artistic community we've created (Sadie!, Down the street!)
*Being at the heart of things: Feri, food politics and American cuisine, technology
*Being professional, having a flexible job, being part of the Bay Area Jewish community
*Diversity
*Anything I could want is available
*Comic book stores
*PANTHEACON
*Living in a place relatively unaffected by the economic downturn
*YOGA everywhere
*Live music and movies (although, since Bennett's arrival we never go out for these anymore)
*Opportunities to sing with major groups - not that I took advantage of this while I was here anyway - my one regret

Things I will not miss:
*Pollution
*the crush of Cal students
*entitled Berkeleyites
*Berkeley drivers
*the homeless/mentally ill (I know, Jesus said they will always be with us, but who knew that 95% of them wanted to live here?)
*Noise
*Concrete
*There is always something to spend my money on
*The pressure to make/spend money
*The cost of living here
*The lack of friends "just down the street"

Comments

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

Do you live near San Francisco?

(*is geographically teh dum*)

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Yes! I live in north Oakland, work in Berkeley near the UC Berkeley campus (3 miles from my house) and Oakland is directly across the bay from SF (aka "the City").

Where do you live?

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

My MK alis_gravenil lives in Benicia (?) and keeps trying to talk me into flying out to see her with my kiddo.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Benicia! Yup, that's north Bay Area. Basically, I get on the freeway and drive north east for about 30-60 minutes (depending on traffic) and there it is! I've never been. Never had a reason to go.

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

She says it's boring with small-town drama. (Her dad's a cop so living there is like Cheers... WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME.)

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

Oh- and if you look at a map of MA, and you look at it as a flexed arm, I live in the armpit. RIGHT in the armpit. :)

About 30 minutes E of Providence and 40-50 minutes S/SE of Boston proper.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I used to live there too! :)

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

Currently living in downtown NB. :)

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I was in Kingston...maybe that isn't the armpit exactly, but it sometimes felt that way.

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

Where my dear IRL friend amyura is from. :) It's about an hour away.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I think everything is an hour away from that place. From NB, too.