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| Dusk from Berkeley over SF from train station. |
When Erin got home on Friday, we went straight to the Golden Gate to walk across it. It was such a gorgeous day - perfect for walking the bridge (briskly, as it was slightly chilly with the wind). I got some cool pictures of a sailboat below us. It looked like so much fun - minus the fact that if I'd been on board I would've been puking my guts up as the water tossed and turned it like a bath toy. On the walk back, the sun was setting off the opposite side of the bridge, but we weren't allowed to walk on that side because it was bikes only. I was bummed because the rail impeded our sunset view. It was still nice though. When we got back in the car we called Kerri and arranged to meet her at this little alley with these authentic European restaurants along it. The alley was draped in white twinkle lights and had outdoor tables with umbrellas and waiters trying to get you to choose their restaurant (in their French, Spanish or Italian accents). We ended up going with a French restaurant because they had Beef Bourguignon which I had not had since making it from Julia Child's recipe with Uncle Tom a couple winters ago. It was divine!!
On Saturday Kerri's mother arrived at the house and the three of them left for Sanoma. Mike couldn't pick me up from the train in Berkeley until about 1 p.m., so I just left a bit later and took the bus to the train station.
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| At the top of my run with the city of SF behind me. |
Mike picked me up but soon thereafter had to go back to a day-long technology conference on campus. I ended up working on applications and then was supposed to go to a park with Mike's friends Julie and Ashi, but Julie's car battery died and she had to call AAA. Mike's other roommate Fred had a friend visiting - Joanna - who was supposed to come with us to the park, so while we waited and both Mike and Fred were doing school-related stuff, we walked to the grocery store and a Halloween store so I could get something for the party that night. I had a black dress, so I got a fun looking witch's hat, some red nail polish and lipstick, gray and maroon eyeshadow and fake eyelashes with some red shiny stuff on the tips. I was excited to try it all on that night as I've never been anything "scary" for Halloween in my life. Meanwhile, I really enjoyed spending time with Joanna as she was original from Barcelona and reminded me of my friends Carmen and Enrique from Spain. She was a really sweet girl and I much enjoyed her company.
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| Erin at the beginning of our bridge walk. |
As soon as we got back to Mike's, Julie called and said she'd gotten the car working and came to pick us up. We got a little lost in the park - which is really big and up in the mountains above Berkeley - so we ended up just finding a big field and laying down a blanket. Julie and Ashi were studying accounting while I read and Joanna tried to help them (as she had gotten her MBA a couple years prior). We didn't have much time before the sun started going down, but it was nice to be outside for a little while as the weather was lovely.
When we got back, Mike was already back and dressed for the party - even though it was only about 5:30. lol Mike and I worked on applications until it was time to actually get ready for the party, at which point I tried to put on my fake eyelashes. They said they were self-adhesive...but they lied. They did not stick. So, scratched that, but did up my makeup and nails very dramatically and it was almost shocking looking in the mirror with so much makeup on. I didn't feel like me! Joanna also had a necklace that worked perfectly with the outfit that she let me borrow.
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| Walking on the Golden gate. |
All the house residents and Joanna dressed up as rugby players. One of their neighbor's offered to do Mike's black eye for him, but when we were ready to go to the party after the light had faded, it was hard to see. As I finished my makeup Mike came over and said, "Umm...can you make this darker?" Luckily, my dark gray/maroon eyeshadow was perfect when blended together to create a very convincing black eye (with just a hint of shimmer lol). He actually had several people ask him if it was real. I was quite proud of my artwork. ;)
We left the house about 7:50 and walked to the campus where all the MBA students were supposed to meet before walking to the club where their private party was being held. There were quite a few good costumes including a whole group of people dressed as The Simpsons who even painted their arms/faces yellow.
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| Oldest building in California - used to be an inn. |
At the club, there was a band who played/sang a lot of Halloween songs and were amazingly good - especially after hearing from Mike that they were all students in the program! How they had time to practice and prepare was beyond both of us. By 11:30 it was hot and crowded and we were both pretty much done. We left and tried to get a taxi back, but it only took us about three blocks because it said it was already reserved for someone else. Thankfully, I brought a pair of flipflops along with my heels, so walking the rest of the way back wasn't bad at all. The night didn't feel as cold as it had earlier and it's always nice to walk outside after being in a crowded, hot place with loud music for a while. Mike and I felt kinda lame leaving so early, but whatever. We got plenty of sleep and still made it to breakfast and church in the morning! lol (And no earthquakes! haha).
After church on Sunday we went to Trader Joes to get food for lunch and dinner. We decided for dinner we'd make spaghetti squash, which I'd assisted my friend Angela in making once over a year ago, and was really good.
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| The boat in the water. |
For the rest of the day, we worked on applications (and watched Step Up 3 which had some great dancing but
terrible acting). I found out when sunset was and found a place 10 minutes away that had this big rock you could climb up and watch the sunset over SF from. We stopped our working to drive over there and the view was definitely worth it. While it was somewhat more foggy than it had been on previous evenings, it was still beautiful and I got some great shots of sunset over the Golden Gate. It really was the perfect end to my trip. When we got back we cooked the spaghetti squash, which (unbeknownst to me when we bought it), Mike had never made before. It took longer than expected, but he did a good job! (I can't really say "we" because I wasn't much help. I did insist on washing the tomatoes we added though. lol). After dinner I packed quickly and Mike brought me to the train which went all the way to the airport. My plane left at 10:45 p.m.
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| Sunset from bridge over the Pacific. |
Riding on trains makes one think of many things. It reminded me of all the times I took the tube in London (which also went to the airport) and the way I feel different when I travel. It also brings up feelings of loneliness because inevitably, when you're on a long train ride, you're leaving someone or something behind. I remember riding on the tube to the airport when I left London after my semester there. I was all alone and headed to Greece, not knowing when I would see my beloved London again. The day was cold and wet, and with my forehead pressed against the glass, my tears mingled with the condensation on the window. I felt like the world around me was crying to see me go, just as I was crying to leave. Not that I wasn't excited about going to Greece - but I was already longing for a return to England. Part of me worried that it would somehow cease to exist as
my England by the time I returned - like it would have forgotten me entirely. I know that sounds funny - a place doesn't remember you - but for me, it sometimes feels that way.
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| Our costumes. |
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| Being ridiculous. |
As I sat on the train from Berkeley to SFO, about an hour ride, I couldn't help feeling a bit of that same feeling. The strangeness of being somewhere for 10 days and having a marvelous time and an entirely different experience from your everyday life, and knowing it is all about to end. There was also the leaving behind of warm weather and people I care about. This trip made me realize just how much I have in common with Erin and Mike. Erika, who I spent significant time with before she moved to CA, I already knew was like a soul sister. But, with Erin for example, there were so many little things that we did where it was like "How are we not blood related??" Even Kerri would laugh at the number of things Erin and I would say or do alike. And Mike - well who knew he was as much of a neat freak as I am (maybe more??). lol We also found out we are the same Myers-Brigg letters (INFJ) - which apparently, is only 1-3% of the population! Crazyness! It was really nice hanging out with him because even when we were working, it felt nice just to have a friend sitting next to me who was also driven to succeed but knows how to balance work and play. Finally, it was great getting to know Kerri better. She is pretty shy, but I got to know her much better this trip and I really enjoyed her company (she is also an excellent cook).
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| With new friends at the party. |
Back home, I find myself missing CA, but also being very busy with work and applications. I'm now applying to 13 schools because I went to Chapel Hill this past Friday and talked with two of my old professors and one of them convinced me I needed to add Stanford to my repertoire. Apparently, the reason I didn't know about it was because it is so prestigious it doesn't even offer a degree - it's just 2 years of intense writing and classes with some of the best writers in the country - and if you have that fellowship on your resume, you're golden. And guess what? Stanford is right below San Francisco! Haha. Not that I have a chance of getting in (well, about a 190 to 1 chance), but as my old professor said, "If you shoot for the moon, you'll at least land in the stars."
That's it for now. I'm so exhausted my fingers are falling asleep.
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| Sunset from Berkeley to Golden Gate. |
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| Using my automatic timer. |
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| Watching the sunset. |
The fall colors have really been amazing in Charlotte the past couple weeks. I have literally pulled over on the side of the road to photograph some of the scenes around me. A couple days ago, as I drove through Ballantyne, I noticed all these trees with bright yellow leaves. The trees were still yellow, but the ground also had a good dose of gold and I thought "what a fabulous place to take pictures!" Of course at the time I was on my way to somewhere else and couldn't stop. I thought "next year." But this weekend I'm babysitting for a family who lives in the Ballantyne area (I've been watching them since the girl was 1 and the boy was not yet born and now they are 12 and 14!!!). So anyway, the kids and I are driving through Ballantyne and about to get lunch and I decide we are going to have an alfresco lunch under the gold trees! (I should mention, they were not exactly thrilled about this prospect, as it was a high of 50 today). However, once we got there, their minds were changed. We took our Panera food and perched under a tree and Matthew was like "I've never eaten under a tree before." I told him, "Then this should be the most memorable lunch you've ever had!" It was sort of like a treasure trove in the middle of the city - truly feeling like a magical world. 
Thanksgiving is in a few days, and I'm very happy - it is my favorite holiday I think. You have all the decorations of Christmas (well, many people do), you have Christmas music on the radio, amazing food and the whole family gets together. It is the one holiday where big family dinners are a must-have. Christmas always ends up being just the nuclear family, and maybe a somewhat larger gathering later. But Thanksgiving, there is no choice. All relatives in a nearby vicinity (and sometimes not) must gather. This year, the show "Brothers and Sisters" was canceled. But I think my family should try out for a real-life version. Family dinners with my family are loud, laughing, raucous events where everyone is eating delicious food, kids are running and playing, jokes are being relayed; and after dinner, we bust out the board games. It just doesn't get better than that! The only sad part about this Thanksgiving is that I won't get to see any of my Bailey side of the family. Uncle David and Aunt Margie will be up in Williamsburg with their youngest sons, and the older two are staying in Florida, as is Grandma Bailey, Uncle John, Uncle Ben and Uncle Andy. We used to always go down to Tallahassee for Thanksgiving, so I miss that. 
