Yay! Last day. I’m definitely ready for this writing exercise to be over. As much as its been nice getting to write again (it has!) it’s also time consuming to remember and write about each day in a timely manner. Last post! I’m not sure how representative this week is because I think I had more planned that I usually do, but I also did kind of want to capture this super busy time at work.
Summary: walked around Land’s End, Korean lunch, Botanical Gardens to listen to piano, Vietnamese dinner
People I talked to: 5 people from work I’ve never met before, my two mentees, Joseph, Joel, Monica, Vinita, Igor, Katie, Sarah, and Chris
Foggy, chilly day at Land’s End
The crew
Day 7, Saturday
7:??a. Maybe earlier. I couldn’t help but wake up early anyway. But willed myself to stay in bed for as long as possible. I know I did go to bed early though.
8:00a. Alarm goes off. I finally get out of bed and waddle to the kitchen. I fix the very last of my leftovers and eat it at our sad kitchen table.
8:21a. Brush my teeth and slowly get ready for the day. Slowly.
8:47a. Trying to pack everything I think I”ll need for the day and not doing a great job at everything. I’m meeting some people and their mentor’s for work for a “hike” at Land’s End. It’s actually just a short walk on a trail near the coast. But it is really pretty and one of my favorite places on a sunny day.
9:00a. Ugh, panicking. I should really call a car by now if I’m going to make it on time. I would bike but I’m really afraid about leaving my bike there because I bet it would get stolen.
9:03a. Call the car but it’ll be 6 minutes. Buh.
9:10a. In the car on the way. We drop off two people a head of me.
9:35a. I get there, late. But I’m actually not the last one! There are two other people we end up waiting until 10am for! Woo. My interns are there and I say “hi.” We’re all poking around the visitor’s center trying to look mildly interested so they don’t kick us out or something.
10:02a-11:30a. The rest of the people arrive and we start our walk down to the sutro baths. Then we follow the coastal trail up and then back down to see the labyrinth, which I’ve never seen before. It was a little underwhelming. I’ll admit.
Me and my interns.
11:32a. In the car on the way to Japan Town to get ramen and ice cream.
11:59a. Park and arrive in the Japan Town peace plaza. There is some event happening in the square. There are a handful of people dressed in costumes, a band, and some outdoor stands selling some Japanese trinkets (and Pokemon plushes).
12:00-12:09p. I takes a surprisingly long time to find everyone in the busy square even though we’re all standing next to each other. It turns out everyone else crossed the street to the other part of Japan Town. Whoops.
12:10p-1:25p. The two Japanese restaurants we try are super full so we end up going to a Korean restaurant. The second time in one week! Surprising considering I almost never get Korean food otherwise. It’s a super big restaurant, but they only have one waiter and for our party of 8, it’s kind of a lot for her to handle. Especially since, after we come in more people pile in. There’s a good lunch special and I get the salmon, because usually I try not to eat that much meat.
1:25p-1:38p. We’re all done eating but it takes a long time for the waitress to clear our food and then we have to organize a 8 separate bills. They don’t want to do it (understandably), but they do anyway and are pretty nice about it. I don’t know why people don’t want to just venmo each other, but I don’t think them that well and probably will never see them again so don’t want the hassle on myself either.
1:39p. On the way to the crepes place there is a small cart giving out Hagen Das ice cream. Yes, please!
1:42p. We get to the Good Belly Ice Cream which serves cute ice creams in the shape of bears inside crepes. But I don’t have any cash and now I’ve already had my ice cream fix. We linger in line waiting for people to order and finish their ice cream. It’s super crowded from the festival too.
2:02p-2:30p. We leave the mall and drive a girl to a place in SOMA, on the other edge of town. we make a wrong turn and almost get on the interstate and she gets out of the car to walk back since we are quite close.
2:30-3:00p. There is a lot of traffic and it ends up taking us while to get back and find parking, which we finally do inside the the park. The botanical gardens is hosting an event called Flower Pianos where they have 12 pianos throughout the park to be performed on during different times, but the public is welcome to play at them when there’s not a performance there.
Taken from my phone
3:00-4:00p. We catch an 80-piece concert orchestra playing at the main fountain, but it’s a little hard to hear in the open air. Joseph, Joel, and eventually Monica meet us at the park to and I start chatting with them.
4:00-4:30p. We end up wandering around the park to other places to catch performances by the other pianos.
4:38p. My interns leave to do their own thing, separately.
4:56p. The thin people are getting cold and crave warm soup. I suggest pho and look up a place that is walkable called Yummy Yummy. My phone is about to die.
5:04-5:15p. Even though we’re there early, we’re surprised that it’s crowded and we have to wait a bit. We also take it as a good sign that it’s crowded though.
5:15-6:30p. Order and enjoy a rare steak pho and lots of green tea.
6:35p. Joel calls a car for me since my phone is dead. We all part ways. Joseph will take Joel back on their scooter for whatever cute night activity they have planned. Monica is going to see Ghostbusters. I kind of feel like napping….
6:59p. Get home. Finish formatting the post form yesterday, publish it, and write today’s.
8:25p. The time is now, as they say.
8:26p. I think I bum around on the computer a little more, talk to Igor. Debate eating more even though I already at more than the other people at the restaurant. Eating is the best.
8:44p. I guess I take shower. Mostly so that I can then move this rodeo to the bed.
9:02p. I end up shopping for shoes and furniture only. I only buy something for the kitchen and a swimsuit bottom because I don’t trust buying anything online shoe-wise. And I need Matt’s approval for any furniture that enters my life. I’m thinking side tables. I’m also half-heartedly looking on craiglist.
9:43p. I watch three episodes of Broad City.
11:38p. Pretty admirable late-o-clock for me! I think I can go to bed so that my sleep isn’t thrown out of wack for Monday. There is a really loud party downstairs and I wonder, as I drift off to sleep, what it would be like to be one of those people who file a noise complaint.
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Alright guys! That was the last post of this little experiment! It was fun but I’m glad it’s over—it takes a lot of time to update this every day.
But here’s another fun fact: On the July 12th it was exactly a year since I moved here. So nothing more appropriate than telling you all what my life is like now, right? Hope you enjoyed it!