winding down before gearing up

I haven't updated in a long while, mainly because I actually haven't been doing anything worth updating you all on. I've been going to work, coming home, taking naps, etc. My mother and sister are back from India and came laden with delicious things and as a result I have abandoned all healthy eating practices that I had picked up from working at a heart center. That job, by the way, has come to an end. All that is left is a conference on the 8th. I get to be the assistant of a distinguished guest physician, exciting?

I'm in San Jose for two more weeks before I head to London and I'm starting to get quite excited about going. I'm reading Mrs. Dalloway (and falling in love with it) and the descriptions of London are lovely. Watching films that take place in the city and the idea of being in London after the months in nothingtodosuburbia is a very welcome prospect.

I'm also very excited to finally start traveling on my own. I missed doing that this summer. This is the first summer in the last.....12? years that I've not been in a summer rainstorm. It was my fav. past time last summer at the orphanage to sit on the roof and watch the rains roll in (and stay there for as long as I could without the orphanage director tell me to come in before I caught my death of cold). I'm looking forward to rain, can you believe it?

Well, that really is all that is new. But I wanted to share two amusing stories with you all. The first involves shopping the Castro in SF with Jennifer and Isabel and the second involves sitting in front of Johnny Rockets with Rachael. Both took place a few weeks ago.

A few weeks ago I went back to San Francisco with Jennifer and we met up with Isabel there. The backstory to this story is that the night before I'd been talking to another friend about the abundance of gay men at NYU. From what I'd heard, NYU comparable to the Castro in SF (the Castro being SF's big GLBTQIA) and that the chances of finding a bf in NYU was the same as the chances of getting hit on (by men) in the Castro.

I had forgotten about this when Jennifer and Isabel and I went to frolick in the Castro. We wandered into a thrift store aptly called "Out of the Closet" and were pondering the purchases of an orange blazer when this man in oh....his 30s? dressed in a tight tight tshirt, biking spandex, and socks up to his knees calls out to us.

Guy: Hey girls, want my autograph??
Us: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no
Guy: Well can I have yours? And your numbers too?
Us: errrrrrrrrrrrr


I was utterly amused. First time I'd ever heard a pick up line actually used as a pick up line, in Castro of all places. I had been expecting to see people in costumes or full leather regalia but this was quite the winning "Interesting Characters" sighting.


Other funny story? One night and I were sitting in front of the Johnny Rockets at Westgate, having coffee and talking. A few tables away was a group of well dressed elderly people. Their accents revealed that they were British and being kind of a sketchy character, I eavesdropped.

It was hard to resist, their conversation was hillarious! One lady asked the other "So what is this big deal about beer pong anyway?" and the other replies "Well my son says it is the thing to do these days" and then she proceeds to demonstrate how it is played by shooting the lid of her water bottle into her empty coffee cup. At this, a small and funny looking man exclaimed "It is all in the wrist movement, really" which I thought was fantastically funny. Then they all proceeded to swish their wrists.

I love sketchy people watching.

Hope the move back to Amherst went well for those who are back, that the flights to foreign countries went/are going well for fellow go-abroaders, and that life at home/your respective schools is wonderful for every one else.

I love hearing from you, don't forget to keep sending me email :)