My Happy Place

Hello blogging world,

I am currently at a Starbucks in Emeryville (a 5 minute drive from my house in Berkeley) and I am in my happy place.  Moving somewhere brand new, with no job and not too many friends can be hard.  A lot of times I can't shake the feeling that I'm out on my own...alone.  And when I get those feelings...like I did today, I have to admit that Starbucks is my happy place.  It is my home away from home.  When I was backpacking Europe this past summer, and I started to feel a little frustrated with being in the New and Unfamiliar all the time...Starbucks was there to make me feel for a brief moment, I was home.  Every Starbucks, whether it be in Spain or Mexico or Emeryville is all set up the same with the same menu, the same comfy seating, the same free Wifi! (pronounced WeeFee in Spain).  And I think that THAT, more than the coffee, is what is behind the Starbucks craze.  That it can be a home away from home.

Anyway else have an odd appreciation for the 'bucks?

A Walk Around Noe Valley

Sunday Brunch in the city is more of an event than a meal.  Little brunch cafes all over the city hold crowds of people meeting, talking, enjoying, reminiscing, laughing over egg scrambles and coffee.  Every brunch place has a wait and on a beautiful day like yesterday, hour long waits for outside seating.  After brunch at a cafe in Noe Valley, the boyfriend and I took a walk around the city.  Noe Valley is said to be a "village within a city."  Little shops, lots of babies and dogs, and a surprisingly quiet scenery.

Kitty in the window

How was your Sunday?

Dear Southwest,

This weekend I flew home to Orange County for Valentine's Day and I just have to take this time to talk about the best flight experience, ever!!

First, I had already printed my boarding pass on Southwest Online check-in and I wasn't checking baggage so all I had to do was go straight through security.  It took me literally 5 minutes!

Then I enjoyed bay views and Pete's coffee as I waited to board.  Who knew Oakland airport had such a beautiful view!?

We took off right at sunset, so I said goodbye to my picturesque SF city as the sun went down.

The Golden Gate is in that reddish blur in the middle of this picture.

And then our flight attendant was like a stand up comedian as he went through the usual flight attendant speech...he had the whole plane cracking up.  And because I was flying on Valentine's Day, Southwest gave me a free alcoholic beverage!  And to top it off we landed ten minutes early.

I was just so impressed with the experience I had to share and give Southwest a little promo.

I'll leave you with a little scene from my Valentine's Day.  How was your Vday weekend?

Sunset hike

 Today some of my roommates and I hiked to the hills behind Berkeley, and we timed it to watch the sunset. It felt so good to be doing something local with my roommates and being in nature.  Am I the only one who gets an automatic "de-stress" from being enveloped by trees.  And then we watched the sun go down right behind the Golden Gate bridge.  What a way to cap off Monday right?

That is the City across the bay and to the right. Ahhw love it.

Anyone else do something to ease their Monday blues?

Berkeley

On my walk to a coffee shop the other day I tried to capture what makes Berkeley...Berkeley.

 The local junior high

Often times, and besides the many "crazies" that inhabit Berkeley, I feel like I am walking around in a fairy tale.  Actually, I suppose there usually is a crazy or two in a fairy tale.  Anyway, Berkeley has a cottage like charm to it.  And I'm pretty sure it also has one of the highest Cafe to person ratios in the country.  But that just makes me love it even more.

"Heavenly" at Tahoe

It was our 2 year anniversary last Thursday and what better way to celebrate it than a trip to Tahoe.  One of the many benefits of my new location...a short 3 hour drive to Tahoe!!  It was so great to escape the huge stresses we're both under right now-- he is in the "busy season" for accounting right now...meaning 12-14 hour work days, and I am searching for a job in the Bay Area.  I've come to the conclusion that the world has made getting hired such a stressful and time-consuming activity to make you think twice before quitting your current job and looking for another one, thus keeping many people at their current jobs!

Anyway, we enjoyed a long day boarding at Heavenly Resort--which was "heavenly!" with a break for drinks at the "Umbrella Bar."  And then a long Jacuzzi that afternoon.  Unfortunately, I came down with a little cold so the next day we went to brunch and then I napped for a little.  We left that afternoon and stopped at a Pyramid Brewery to catch the second half of the Super Bowl.  I decided that we must be good luck for San Francisco because their amazing turn around started just as we started watching.

Such a great weekend, but way too short.  Looking at these pictures is even me jealous of myself!  I'm back to reality today--waiting to hear back on a few interviews and anticipating a phone interview in a half hour with "Yelp."  Jon thinks this week is gonna be a good week for me and I desperately want to believe him.  Cross your fingers everyone!  

How was your weekend?