I turn 27 years old in about an hour. If you want to get really technical I could ask my mom what time I was born, but I’m just going with ‘it’s an hour till midnight’ and then it will be August 25th, which is the day I was born.
26 was full of many huge life changes. Huge. Some painful, but mostly I have my memories of meeting and falling in Love with Justin. So I’m rather fond of 26, everything turned out all right in the end, and I’m wondering what comes after the surprise happy ending?
This next year will also bring some big changes, but these are a little more planned. We’re going to wrap up our last 5-6 months in Korea. We’ll be moving back to the states, probably to California. Justin will be going to school full time and I’ll (hopefully) have a job. We’ll be closer (super close) to family. It’ll be our second year of marriage, we’ve both heard mixed things about what happens after the first year but I’m optimistic, and actually so is Justin.
Personal growth-wise, I hope to be more of the writer I want to be. I do feel a little bit like a fake most of the time, but I’m reading a book that says all writers of worth feel like fakes often, so I’ll remain hopeful. I also want to be a better cook, a planner in the kitchen, someone who makes food that people really look forward to eating but is also good for you (I can dream, right?). I also want to find a new social niche. Justin and I are newly weds, and will be new in the area so it’s time to dust off those friend making skills (if I ever had any) and make some friends. I mean, this is California, there have to be some cool people around here somewhere ;)
The other things I want to do, like spend time with my parents, will come with our proximity. We will most likely be living in the same house (that will be interesting). And thank heaven, Justin and my parents love each other. It’s so easy to be married to Justin, I hope I show enough appreciation for that.
Also, I usually go overboard with shopping for my birthday. I’m trying to remember what age I started shopping for myself, but I can’t. I do know one day I realized that if someone didn’t give me what I was hoping for, for my birthday or Christmas or something, I could just buy it for myself! It was such a freeing revelation! A little too freeing, I tend to over indulge, but I try to limit myself to those times of the year (August and December). This year I defiantly got some various things for myself, but I have yet to find that 'something'. Some years, I don’t find it. But you know, that big gift that you tell people about when they ask what you got for your birthday (or Christmas). Maybe I’m out growing that...probably not, I want things still, they just aren’t toys anymore. More like home decorations or kitchen things, or clothes, (okay, and some toys. What? I like cute thing).
Anyway, the thing that I’m most excited about is our family vacation to Hawaii. I’ll finally have my husband, parents and brother all in the same place. We’re one of those awesomely weird families that like hanging out and we have a great time together. Besides that, I’ll be SO happy to have Justin with me in California in about (exactly) 12 days.
I guess that’s what I really want, to be close to my family and the people I love. Someday I’d really like to have my own house too, but I’ll be happiest if it’s near them.
PS I just remembered, 7 is my favorite number. yay!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Micro Climates
My family would visit California in the past during traditional school breaks, which lead me to believe the Bay Area had pretty much one climate: cold.
During Winter break, it was cold because it was December. During Spring break in March, it was cold because apparently the fog does something to keep it that way. During Summer break, when one would expect the weather in California to be sunny and warm, it was-you got it, still cold. I remember once being so cold they put me in bed wearing a sweater, a pile of quilts and with a cup of hot chocolate. I was still cold. It was June.
So for the first time in a while I’m visiting home when it’s the very end of Summer going in to Fall. School starts about now so we wouldn’t have visited during this time of year. It’s been a long time since I was here for this season; which is mild? I’m not going to say warm, but I’m getting to that later. You can see how I would be confused by the weather. I brought warm clothes but I’ve really only needed a light jacket, I even still wear flip-flops.
Besides the quirky Bay Area weather, there is also the extreme micro climates of our house. Now, nearly every single room has huge glass windows, some of them floor to ceiling. They were built about 60 years ago so they are single pained and pretty basic for windows (which are getting super technical these days). My bedroom for example, gets the most direct sun in the evening. It turns my room into a sweltering sauna. You have to close the curtains and open the doors and it’s still hot in there. On the other hand, the living room with it’s three walls of windows it usually chilly, no matter the weather.
Also in the back yard, if you sit in the sun it’s too hot, if you sit in the shade it’s too cold. The side porch it’s a similar problem of hot and cold, but with a breeze. Some rooms are too dark, no matter where the sun is or what it’s doing, other rooms are blindingly bright. The kitchen is an odd combination of both blinding bright and dark, you have to be standing in the right place to get the perfect light.
I’ve noticed that people here are probably used to the blinding sunsets. I’m not talk about the lovely colors, but when the sun is starting it’s slanting decline to the horizon. You can’t even look west without being literally blinded for a moment (or more).
My parents said they got used to the sunlight, but it’s still painful to me. It’s not like Texas’s sun wasn’t bright, you’d stand outside too long and get a burn, but something is different. The California sun is blinding but cool (unless you’re in a glass room). While Texas’s sun is hot but not overly bright. It’s like the difference between a 60 watt bulb and an LED light.
Now, for me, I tend to be a little colder in general, but I can get too hot in the sun. So I like to try and dress in layers. Here I can almost get away with moving to different areas of the house instead of layering up or down.
Then there is also the factor of where you are in the Bay Area which will determine the climate. We live up near the top of a hill, which is always cooler than the flats below us. But if we went through the tunnel it would be much warmer on the other side. It’s nearly impossible to dress for the weather, I seriously end up bringing the opposite of what I’m wearing just to cover all the bases (ex: if I’ve got on warm clothes, I bring flip-flops and a lighter shirt. If I’ve got on light clothes I bring shoes and a jacket). And I ask where we will be going to determine the warmth that I’ll need to dress.
But I Can say, at least it’s not humid and gross. Which makes this funny weather a win in my book.
During Winter break, it was cold because it was December. During Spring break in March, it was cold because apparently the fog does something to keep it that way. During Summer break, when one would expect the weather in California to be sunny and warm, it was-you got it, still cold. I remember once being so cold they put me in bed wearing a sweater, a pile of quilts and with a cup of hot chocolate. I was still cold. It was June.
So for the first time in a while I’m visiting home when it’s the very end of Summer going in to Fall. School starts about now so we wouldn’t have visited during this time of year. It’s been a long time since I was here for this season; which is mild? I’m not going to say warm, but I’m getting to that later. You can see how I would be confused by the weather. I brought warm clothes but I’ve really only needed a light jacket, I even still wear flip-flops.
Besides the quirky Bay Area weather, there is also the extreme micro climates of our house. Now, nearly every single room has huge glass windows, some of them floor to ceiling. They were built about 60 years ago so they are single pained and pretty basic for windows (which are getting super technical these days). My bedroom for example, gets the most direct sun in the evening. It turns my room into a sweltering sauna. You have to close the curtains and open the doors and it’s still hot in there. On the other hand, the living room with it’s three walls of windows it usually chilly, no matter the weather.
Also in the back yard, if you sit in the sun it’s too hot, if you sit in the shade it’s too cold. The side porch it’s a similar problem of hot and cold, but with a breeze. Some rooms are too dark, no matter where the sun is or what it’s doing, other rooms are blindingly bright. The kitchen is an odd combination of both blinding bright and dark, you have to be standing in the right place to get the perfect light.
I’ve noticed that people here are probably used to the blinding sunsets. I’m not talk about the lovely colors, but when the sun is starting it’s slanting decline to the horizon. You can’t even look west without being literally blinded for a moment (or more).
My parents said they got used to the sunlight, but it’s still painful to me. It’s not like Texas’s sun wasn’t bright, you’d stand outside too long and get a burn, but something is different. The California sun is blinding but cool (unless you’re in a glass room). While Texas’s sun is hot but not overly bright. It’s like the difference between a 60 watt bulb and an LED light.
Now, for me, I tend to be a little colder in general, but I can get too hot in the sun. So I like to try and dress in layers. Here I can almost get away with moving to different areas of the house instead of layering up or down.
Then there is also the factor of where you are in the Bay Area which will determine the climate. We live up near the top of a hill, which is always cooler than the flats below us. But if we went through the tunnel it would be much warmer on the other side. It’s nearly impossible to dress for the weather, I seriously end up bringing the opposite of what I’m wearing just to cover all the bases (ex: if I’ve got on warm clothes, I bring flip-flops and a lighter shirt. If I’ve got on light clothes I bring shoes and a jacket). And I ask where we will be going to determine the warmth that I’ll need to dress.
But I Can say, at least it’s not humid and gross. Which makes this funny weather a win in my book.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
TDY San Antonio
If you recall, Justin got the opportunity to go TDY to San Antonio a few weeks before our upcoming September vacation. I was then faced with two options.
One) Stay in Korea until our planned vacation at the beginning of September and miss Justin for two weeks while he was on TDY.
OR
Two) Go to San Antonio with Justin on his TDY, then go on to California for the remaining three weeks that Justin had to go back and work in Korea.
It came down to me being alone for TWO weeks in Korea, or without Justin but with my family for THREE weeks in California. I couldn’t be alone in Korea again. Justin had another TDY earlier this year to Denver and was gone for 8 days. I thought I would go crazy. So while we both Hate being apart, ultimately, it would be better for me to not be alone for so long. Plus Justin would be working 14 hours days (on night shift) for most of those three weeks back in Korea.
In a perfect world, I would just fly with Justin to wherever he had to be, but with a limited budget (like most people have) I could only fly back to the States once. While Justin’s TDY trip to San Antonio was paid for by his work and his second trip to the states in September was on our dime.
We had a great trip/mini vacation in San Antonio (“mini” because Justin still had to work). I felt oddly at home in our hotel room with almost nothing familiar around me. That paired with how strange I felt standing in our old house, in my old room, and realizing that I really didn’t live there anymore. I started to wonder where I felt most at home.
I’ve moved around a lot in the past year; San Antonio, Berkeley, Seoul. And while I have been a very materialistic, home-nester in the past; each move resulted in me having less stuff. I guess I’ve had to redefine “home” and the ways I feel comfortable and settled-in.
I’m in California, my San Antonio mini-vacation is over. I’m very happy to be with my family again, and very happy to be with all the animals(The two cats get along, I’m so relived). But I miss Justin.
When people talk about their spouse being their best friend, they really are. It’s different then your best friend you had growing up. But it comes down to the same thing, you really like hanging out with this person and you want to share everything with them from; how your day went, meals, chill time, adventures, basically your whole life. Plus all that awesome “etc” stuff that grown-ups get to do.
When someone is that important to you, they become an inseparable part of your life, and they become your everything. My home is where Justin is.
Justin is my home, my life and my love.
One) Stay in Korea until our planned vacation at the beginning of September and miss Justin for two weeks while he was on TDY.
OR
Two) Go to San Antonio with Justin on his TDY, then go on to California for the remaining three weeks that Justin had to go back and work in Korea.
It came down to me being alone for TWO weeks in Korea, or without Justin but with my family for THREE weeks in California. I couldn’t be alone in Korea again. Justin had another TDY earlier this year to Denver and was gone for 8 days. I thought I would go crazy. So while we both Hate being apart, ultimately, it would be better for me to not be alone for so long. Plus Justin would be working 14 hours days (on night shift) for most of those three weeks back in Korea.
In a perfect world, I would just fly with Justin to wherever he had to be, but with a limited budget (like most people have) I could only fly back to the States once. While Justin’s TDY trip to San Antonio was paid for by his work and his second trip to the states in September was on our dime.
We had a great trip/mini vacation in San Antonio (“mini” because Justin still had to work). I felt oddly at home in our hotel room with almost nothing familiar around me. That paired with how strange I felt standing in our old house, in my old room, and realizing that I really didn’t live there anymore. I started to wonder where I felt most at home.
I’ve moved around a lot in the past year; San Antonio, Berkeley, Seoul. And while I have been a very materialistic, home-nester in the past; each move resulted in me having less stuff. I guess I’ve had to redefine “home” and the ways I feel comfortable and settled-in.
I’m in California, my San Antonio mini-vacation is over. I’m very happy to be with my family again, and very happy to be with all the animals(The two cats get along, I’m so relived). But I miss Justin.
When people talk about their spouse being their best friend, they really are. It’s different then your best friend you had growing up. But it comes down to the same thing, you really like hanging out with this person and you want to share everything with them from; how your day went, meals, chill time, adventures, basically your whole life. Plus all that awesome “etc” stuff that grown-ups get to do.
When someone is that important to you, they become an inseparable part of your life, and they become your everything. My home is where Justin is.
Justin is my home, my life and my love.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Texas Heat
All of the weather forecasts for Texas and San Antonio were making me not excited about visiting (103 F, 102 F, 104 F, 101 F, 100 F, etc). But it’s not as bad as I remember it being.
In Korea right now, it’s humid and pretty hot. So anytime you put one toe outside you’re sweating and it’s really gross. But in Texas it’s SO hot that there is hardly any humidity. It’s kind of like being under a heat lamp, but strangely enough I’m not a gross sweaty mess like I was expecting to be. There are also no mosquitoes as far as I can tell (trust me, they’ll find me if they’re alive).
The nights are particularly nice. When it finally gets dark, around 9pm the sky is a dark blue and the moon is bright white. The air is warm, but there is a breeze and it’s just kind of lovely. It makes you want to sit outside and watch the sky.
That being said, I guess I didn’t realize HOW hot it was, mostly because I wasn’t sweating. In reality I’m probably sweating like normal but it evaporates before you are even wet. Yeah, it’s that hot. (If I was outside running laps, yeah I’m sure I’d feel the sweat. But compared to stepping outside in humidity and being gross immediately to stepping outside in ultra heat and feeling hot but okay, hot is winning.)
So the first few days Justin and I would wake up, do stuff around San Antonio, come back to the hotel and fall asleep at 4pm. I’ve never slept like this before. It’s the sleep of the dead, where you just crash on top of the covers, fully clothed and all the lights on, only to wake up 5 hours later and feel like you just closed and opened your eyes. So, we started drinking water all the time even if we weren’t thirsty. It’s helped.
Even though you have to be extremely careful with this kind of heat, I prefer it to the humidity that I associate with summer. I really hate the humidity. Turns out, the heat I actually kind of like.
In Korea right now, it’s humid and pretty hot. So anytime you put one toe outside you’re sweating and it’s really gross. But in Texas it’s SO hot that there is hardly any humidity. It’s kind of like being under a heat lamp, but strangely enough I’m not a gross sweaty mess like I was expecting to be. There are also no mosquitoes as far as I can tell (trust me, they’ll find me if they’re alive).
The nights are particularly nice. When it finally gets dark, around 9pm the sky is a dark blue and the moon is bright white. The air is warm, but there is a breeze and it’s just kind of lovely. It makes you want to sit outside and watch the sky.
That being said, I guess I didn’t realize HOW hot it was, mostly because I wasn’t sweating. In reality I’m probably sweating like normal but it evaporates before you are even wet. Yeah, it’s that hot. (If I was outside running laps, yeah I’m sure I’d feel the sweat. But compared to stepping outside in humidity and being gross immediately to stepping outside in ultra heat and feeling hot but okay, hot is winning.)
So the first few days Justin and I would wake up, do stuff around San Antonio, come back to the hotel and fall asleep at 4pm. I’ve never slept like this before. It’s the sleep of the dead, where you just crash on top of the covers, fully clothed and all the lights on, only to wake up 5 hours later and feel like you just closed and opened your eyes. So, we started drinking water all the time even if we weren’t thirsty. It’s helped.
Even though you have to be extremely careful with this kind of heat, I prefer it to the humidity that I associate with summer. I really hate the humidity. Turns out, the heat I actually kind of like.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Airplanes: Wine in a Plastic Cup
As you know, I flew in from Korea on Tuesday and arrived in California in the afternoon. I got the cat settled, repacked for San Antonio, had dinner with a good portion of my family and went to sleep (kind of, see previous entry). The next day I flew to San Antonio (via Oakland to San Diego then San Antonio). The first leg was a short flight, like an hour, and the second leg was about 3 hours.
I usually wear my head phones the whole time and/or read when I’m on an airplane. It’s just easier to ignore the people around me and the fact that I might freak out if I think too much about how airplanes work (or potentially don’t work).
The flight was completely full and I was on southwest (a choose your own adventure seating airline). I like to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible, and always in front of the wings (otherwise it’s just too bumpy). Like I said, it was full, so I grabbed the first open seat I could find, which was a middle seat between two white guys. It’s not my first choice to sit next to guys, I prefer little old ladies (they’re usually smaller, friendly, and don’t care if your butts touch in the cramped seating). But like I said, my first priority is sitting close to the front. And this was the only seat.
So I sat down and took out my ipod and kindle, preparing to ignore people for the next three hours. The guy in the window seat started talking to the guy in the aisle seat. Window guy had free alcoholic drink coupons that he was offering aisle guy, and since I was right between them, he asked me if I wanted one too (after he asked how old I was), he had a bunch. I said sure, thanks. Then the three of us started chatting (social convention when someone gives you something and/or buys you a drink). We talked about work and where people lived and such. Then window guy fell asleep against the window and it just left me and aisle guy to either continue talking or awkwardly peter off into silence.
I probably would have gone with awkward since, but at that point my white wine in a plastic cup arrived (and aisle guy’s wine came too). So we kept talking.
I should probably clarify that this guy has a son who is my age and we were just talking good naturedly about movies, tv shows, books and living in different parts of the country.
Now anyone who knows me, knows I’m not a chatty-cathy type what-so-ever. But it was probably a combination of wine, topics I was interested in and the fact that I’ve really only had Justin to talk with for the past six months. But I talked nearly the whole time, all three hours. My mouth was dry by the time we landed because I’d been talking so much.
It was weird at first because I usually only talk to people who are very familiar with me, and I tend to speak in short-hand with them, so I’m probably not very comprehensible generally. When I’m talking to someone I Don’t know I am forced to complete all my thoughts and sentences out loud and in a way that someone else could follow. It was like a brain teaser. PLUS when he found out I was a writer he wanted to know all about that (he does…something, but wanted to be a writer too, he just never did and was very encouraging). So I was thrilled to talk about me (who isn’t? honestly). AND I was trying to convince him and his wife to start watching my favorite show ‘The Big Bang Theory’. Also, I got to suggest one of my favorite mystery series ‘Aunt Dimity’ since he said he was sad he’d stopped reading and really liked Agatha Christie mysteries.
I felt a little bit like my mom, she always has the best time talking to people she meets on airplanes (or anywhere really) and that’s a trait of her’s I’ve always admired. Most of the time it’s just that conversation, but sometimes she’ll hit it off with that person so much that she’ll make friends. Since my goal when we move back to the states is to be more sociable and make friends for me and Justin to have a social life With, well, it was good practice talking.
Bonus: one thing I discovered was, when I talked about my writing, I became more inspired to write. So, thanks random guys on an airplane for a) giving me an alcoholic beverage voucher and b) getting me excited about my work again.
P.S. my life sounds Really Cool when I’m just telling people about it, but in reality, day to day, it’s pretty boring. The best part of my day is when Justin comes home and we get to make dinner together.
I usually wear my head phones the whole time and/or read when I’m on an airplane. It’s just easier to ignore the people around me and the fact that I might freak out if I think too much about how airplanes work (or potentially don’t work).
The flight was completely full and I was on southwest (a choose your own adventure seating airline). I like to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible, and always in front of the wings (otherwise it’s just too bumpy). Like I said, it was full, so I grabbed the first open seat I could find, which was a middle seat between two white guys. It’s not my first choice to sit next to guys, I prefer little old ladies (they’re usually smaller, friendly, and don’t care if your butts touch in the cramped seating). But like I said, my first priority is sitting close to the front. And this was the only seat.
So I sat down and took out my ipod and kindle, preparing to ignore people for the next three hours. The guy in the window seat started talking to the guy in the aisle seat. Window guy had free alcoholic drink coupons that he was offering aisle guy, and since I was right between them, he asked me if I wanted one too (after he asked how old I was), he had a bunch. I said sure, thanks. Then the three of us started chatting (social convention when someone gives you something and/or buys you a drink). We talked about work and where people lived and such. Then window guy fell asleep against the window and it just left me and aisle guy to either continue talking or awkwardly peter off into silence.
I probably would have gone with awkward since, but at that point my white wine in a plastic cup arrived (and aisle guy’s wine came too). So we kept talking.
I should probably clarify that this guy has a son who is my age and we were just talking good naturedly about movies, tv shows, books and living in different parts of the country.
Now anyone who knows me, knows I’m not a chatty-cathy type what-so-ever. But it was probably a combination of wine, topics I was interested in and the fact that I’ve really only had Justin to talk with for the past six months. But I talked nearly the whole time, all three hours. My mouth was dry by the time we landed because I’d been talking so much.
It was weird at first because I usually only talk to people who are very familiar with me, and I tend to speak in short-hand with them, so I’m probably not very comprehensible generally. When I’m talking to someone I Don’t know I am forced to complete all my thoughts and sentences out loud and in a way that someone else could follow. It was like a brain teaser. PLUS when he found out I was a writer he wanted to know all about that (he does…something, but wanted to be a writer too, he just never did and was very encouraging). So I was thrilled to talk about me (who isn’t? honestly). AND I was trying to convince him and his wife to start watching my favorite show ‘The Big Bang Theory’. Also, I got to suggest one of my favorite mystery series ‘Aunt Dimity’ since he said he was sad he’d stopped reading and really liked Agatha Christie mysteries.
I felt a little bit like my mom, she always has the best time talking to people she meets on airplanes (or anywhere really) and that’s a trait of her’s I’ve always admired. Most of the time it’s just that conversation, but sometimes she’ll hit it off with that person so much that she’ll make friends. Since my goal when we move back to the states is to be more sociable and make friends for me and Justin to have a social life With, well, it was good practice talking.
Bonus: one thing I discovered was, when I talked about my writing, I became more inspired to write. So, thanks random guys on an airplane for a) giving me an alcoholic beverage voucher and b) getting me excited about my work again.
P.S. my life sounds Really Cool when I’m just telling people about it, but in reality, day to day, it’s pretty boring. The best part of my day is when Justin comes home and we get to make dinner together.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
12 hours
I’m trying to calculate how little sleep I’ve gotten since Tuesday. Well, Tuesday starting in Korea, I’ve had two Tuesdays in a row since flying east.
Starting with Tuesday (the first one) I really only got the minimum since I went to bed at 1:00 AM (I was packing). And the cat woke me up at 4:30 AM to get fed (since Justin was gone). Then I really got out of bed at 9:00 AM or so. So I got two, 4 hour segments of sleep.
Tuesday all day we (Gambit and I) were on the airplane and I couldn’t get any sleep at all. My internal clock was at about 6:00 AM when I finally arrived at the Berkeley house. I took a short nap then got up for dinner. So, let’s say 1 hour. It was still Tuesday.
Then Tuesday night, I should have crashed out and slept forever, but I was up until about midnight again repacking for San Antonio. I was tired but not really sleepy. I finally went to bed at about 1:00 AM and again Gambit woke me up for breakfast at about 4:30 AM. And while I usually would be able to go back to sleep, I just couldn’t. So let’s just round that to about 3 hours.
So the grand total hours of sleep since “Sunday” night (my first Tuesday =Monday) with today being Wednesday is: 12 hours.
I feel it, but I can’t seem to get enough rest. I’m sure the lack of cat-alarm in San Antonio will help. I just hope I don’t sleep my way through my time in Texas.
Starting with Tuesday (the first one) I really only got the minimum since I went to bed at 1:00 AM (I was packing). And the cat woke me up at 4:30 AM to get fed (since Justin was gone). Then I really got out of bed at 9:00 AM or so. So I got two, 4 hour segments of sleep.
Tuesday all day we (Gambit and I) were on the airplane and I couldn’t get any sleep at all. My internal clock was at about 6:00 AM when I finally arrived at the Berkeley house. I took a short nap then got up for dinner. So, let’s say 1 hour. It was still Tuesday.
Then Tuesday night, I should have crashed out and slept forever, but I was up until about midnight again repacking for San Antonio. I was tired but not really sleepy. I finally went to bed at about 1:00 AM and again Gambit woke me up for breakfast at about 4:30 AM. And while I usually would be able to go back to sleep, I just couldn’t. So let’s just round that to about 3 hours.
So the grand total hours of sleep since “Sunday” night (my first Tuesday =Monday) with today being Wednesday is: 12 hours.
I feel it, but I can’t seem to get enough rest. I’m sure the lack of cat-alarm in San Antonio will help. I just hope I don’t sleep my way through my time in Texas.
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