San Franniversary

So the Sunday before I went home (August 12) was my one year anniversary in San Francisco.  I made a point not to blog while I was home, but now that I'm back I thought I'd take some time to look back and reflect on the year.

Apparently this is 710 Ashbury.  Field trip time.

To start with let's say this:

I think I made the right choice coming out here.  It's been a dream of mine since I was about 16.  Junior Year of high school, I wrote a report for my AP US History class saying that hippies in 1960's San Francisco were basically living in a communist society.  I thought it was so damn cool that the Grateful Dead gave free concerts in the park.  I've been enamored ever since.  That's the real reason I moved out here.  Now you know.

Let's add:

I don't know how I feel about it here. I don't know how long I plan to stay or when I plan to leave.

Now that that's out of the way...

This year has been completely out of control.  So much has happened, and yet it also feels like time has stood still (I blame the lack of weather).

First there was the drive.  God, I would suggest it to everyone.  Drive across America sometime.  This country is so big and diverse and beautiful.  I just keep thinking about Utah, it was hot and I had a fever and we went hours out of our way on this little "scenic" drive to Arches National Park, but it was SO worth it.

We listened to my Warbler's CD the entire time and I got a solid week of time to hang with my mom.  Who is wonderful.  Also, staying in Abigail's cabin and coughing all over her pillow has some pretty crazy consequences.  We hadn't really been in contact since college, but after we hung out that night we both remembered how much we liked each other, kept in touch, and good God, now that beautiful woman is coming out here!  To live in this apartment!  Guys, I'm so damn excited.

Lookers.  That's what we are.  Real lookers.

After the drive we landed in Berkeley.  I freaked out.  Immediately.  Berkeley is kinda scungy to start with and after spending the past year living and working in "rural suburbia", I was in total culture shock.  I hate Berkeley to this day.  I quickly dropped all plans of living out there and moved to SF.  Good choice, me.

Now when I moved here I had 3 specific goals in mind:

1. Job
2. Apartment
3. Boyfriend

I achieved them all within a couple of months.  And none of them worked out the way I wanted them to.  My job was (is... unfortunately) unchallenging, has odd hours, lacks young people, and is in Marin.  My apartment was full of passive-agressive, post-it noting hermits who treated me more like a boarder in a hotel than a roommate.

This is from the first time we hung out outside of class.
When he met my friends.  Halloween freshman year, we went to see
Rocky Horror and I  brought the dude in the dress.  I was mortified.
Everyone loved him , of course.  And he worked that outfit.

Notice how friends isn't on the list?  Me too.  I knew that when I made the list.  I honestly didn't think that would be a problem.  When was the last time I had to consciously think about making friends?  Junior year of high school?  I'm not that awkward anymore I swear. Or am I?  And that brings us to May.  

On the upside, that oversight has strengthened my relationship with Nate.  We haven't been this aware of each other's lives since college.  It's nice.  I like him.  We've been friends for 7 years.  He told me that the other day.  7 years.  We are so old.  So old. On my 25th birthday I started finding gray hairs.  Happy birthday Me.

Anyway, by May I was miserable because I was so lonely.  I hadn't met anyone that... lasted.  I was thinking about heading home.  But I had JUST signed a lease on the new place, and by this time Abigail was officially moving out here.  So I decided to give it another school year, and if I still hated everything I'd cut my losses and peace out.

In the meantime, I realized that I had been living in the city for almost a year, and knew nothing about it (except that Hardly Strictly is great and that I was really fond of an Indian restaurant in the Mission/Castro called KASA).  I made a point of getting a job in the city.  And man, sometimes all you need to do is take the reins and change your life.  Look at what's making you unhappy and fucking change it.  And it's that simple.  New apartment, new job, new people.  It was great.  Summer was great.  It was too short.  "And the leaves that are green turn to brown..."

So, on to next year.  I have high hopes.

Ways I have changed this year:

• I dress like a half-blind 20 year old hipster wannabe (my sense of style has always been a little questionable, but San Francisco has let it just go crazy)
• I drink less
• I no longer have any lingering aspirations to be like Brian Kinney
• I'm cleaner.  Seriously, my apartment looks great (thanks, bitches), someone visited the other day and said "You're super organized."  My reaction:

Hope this post wasn't too cluttered.  LOVE!