Soakin' Up San Francisco

October is officially here, being that it's already half-way over. The leaves have changed... to crispy, and brown-ish. The smells of pumpkin spice, my fake leather boots, and damp Los Angeles air both remind me of the old days (trick-or-treating, going to the football games) and remind me of last year (Starbucks runs, taking those same boots off to cuddle). Something about these smells today reminded me of former loves. October has been quite packed with awesome amounts of new ness, a lot of emotion, a large amount of friends, several coastal road trips. Little physical intimacy. I've already relocated my entire bedroom to NP and my entire childhood into storage. I've traversed the southern third of the CA coast to see John Mayer in the flesh with one sister; I've also journeyed north along my favorite ocean-side drive to cuddle with my other sister, as well as our kitten-babies. Stepha turned 25, as Emily did today. Nela fell in love. We were terrified at our ...

Exactly thirty days ago, I wrote that When September Ended I'd be in quite a new place in my life, in my living, in my career... in my Coryhood . That day has come, don't ask me how. I'm sitting on my cushy queen mattress, on the floor in my old room in Newbury (since it's too late and my limbs are too exhausted to have built my Ikea bed). The belongings most precious or pivotal in the day-to-day are here with me; I currently "lease" a storage space nearby, which is a psuedo-adult step for me. The amount of clothes I own has shrunk slightly in the past 48 hours of cleansing, though I still counted thirty dressies that hang on the oh-so-neglected left side of the closet for the rare occasion or girly summer day. 30. Isn't that ridiculous? I love my new role as a Manager. I get to help lead the vision of our days, our fiscal quarter, our time at this Admired company. I inspire a team of anywhere from 7 managers to 92 employees to [half-that] Red Zoners whe...

September is already in full swing. Labor Day weekend has come and gone, which means that summer is also trying to end - though the weather doesn't indicate as such. The fall solstice is approaching, Fantasy Football is taking off, USC has its first home game of the season on Saturday, and this month's the marker of the final third of the year 2013. Where is the time going? All I know is that I'm dead-set on making the most of it. To have accomplished my writing goal for this month will mean that I've written 19,500 more words down that I have at this very moment (in case you're not as quick at math as I obviously am, that means 750 words a day). Taking a stab at morning pages each day, like I currently am, will help me get there. Made coffee and an omelette, showered last night so that I could optimize my morning, splurged on a coconut water to stay hydrated, and planted myself in front of the AC so I'd face no excuse or distraction. How are you ever going t...

Thursday, Aug 8th - bedtime On this eighth day of the eighth month this year, I'm overcome by gratitude. My summer has been jam-packed so far with adventure, I've shared it with countless friends, it has allowed for plenty of relaxation (i.e. lounging in the Santa Monica sand with Mom last Thursday) , and there are still exciting plans ahead. Because of this, I thought the least I could do was splurge a little on some overly-fancy cards to make my gratitude known (teaser below): Friday, Aug 9th (my half-birthday) on my lunch break The gratitude continues to an insane extent. I am exactly halfway through my twenty-fifth year on this Earth, summer is in full-swing, and I'm surrounded by friends, family and brand new acquaintances who continue to bless me with generosity and unconditional love. What did I do to deserve this? [Friday] morning, Honda of Woodland Hills (across the street from my new work) graciously took my car in for an oil change with about...

Ahh, how I've missed my MacBook Pro. It's been at least two weeks since I sat like this, drafting up a packing spreadsheet to ensure that I was prepared for a week-and-a-half of adventure, relaxation, exploration and celebration in New England. Now, I'm paralyzed with disbelief that the trip has come and gone. I'm glad that I decided to invest in my iPad mini the day of my departure for my trip. It was a handy tool, that I definitely didn't even maximize, for a bit of reflection when I had down time at Jill's or a relatively early night in with one of my many hosts. From the Marriott courtesy of Em and Nick, to Jill's in DC, to Jake's in the East Village, to the other Marriott set aside by Bram and Sarah (thanks Aunt Betty), to Mom and Dad's sofa at the same hotel, to Bram and Sarah's couch in New Jersey, I was very much blessed and treated with hospitality, comfort, convenience and almost cosmic perfection when it came to how smooth...

Friday was my first true day of official vacation. Alice and I both arrived a bit after 6am East Coast time, and I only awoke a few moments before that from my in-flight nap. I clearly needed it, based on the little amount of sleep I had Wednesday evening - after driving Simba to SB and returning to LA for a long day of work and travel. It was marked by a great last day of work, a bittersweet farewell to a longtime fruit colleague, and a spontaneous decision to splurge, treat myself, fulfill one of my consumerist goals for this year and finally buy an iPad mini - hence the in-flight journal entry (being written during my Sunday flight from Boston to DC). I love it so far! Friday, I got off my plane and headed straight to baggage claim to find my hefty travel partner (his handle had already broke by Day 3 of my trip). Then, I found the signs pointing toward Rental Cars; this really only indicated the pick-up spot for a shuttle that would take me to pick up my Thr...

S unday morning of June 23rd, 2:20am Despite my post's title above, this is not another one of my early- and amateur-career blogs centered around my own experience as an intern. It's about someone else's. Yeah, it might have been fictional - but I'm certain that it was based upon very much truth. The Internship was my favorite of the movie blockbusters on my seen-list this summer. I'm so stricken, and inspired, that I'm at a loss as to where to start. I've got glasses, a to-read paperback, and a single unlit candle on my nightstand. There's an empty pewter picture frame, matching silver earrings, and a travel-y diary journal that goes under-used. Everything's feeling meant to be. I see, next to me, that I collect what inspires me - including friends, like tonight's companions Stepha and Nel - and I collect experiences:  by saying yes, living with intent.. and rallying, when necessary. Tonight, I had a break after work and am glad that it...