Thursday, November 30, 2017

Catching Up: Life Since RNR San Jose...

Okay, you get ONE full length post. I started it about a month ago, but everything in it is still true, so...

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The weather here in San Francisco has suddenly gone quite autumnal lately. Up until a couple of weeks ago things were warm and bright and summery; then the time changed and suddenly everything got dark and rainy and cold.


The view two blocks away. SF looking moody & brooding

My early evening runs are not done 100% in darkness yet, but enough to warrant breaking out the reflective vest.


On the other hand, running in the dark does have its perks. I finally got a chance to see the fancy lights on the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park:


Conservatory of Flowers

As is seasonally appropriate, I made butternut squash soup, and my friend K slaved diligently for 48 hours to bring us homemade ramen.



The week after the race was pretty horrific, with all the Napa fires & terrible news coming out daily about the damages & various directional changes of the fire. We had friends and winery acquaintances in Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rosa, and other friends closer to home with family in the path of the fires, and a few beloved wineries were destroyed. The winds were insane which was a big part of what caused the fire to get so out of control so quickly.

The winds also wreaked havoc with our air in San Francisco & elsewhere in the Bay. For several days breathing outside was downright uncomfortable, sort of like standing next to a campfire, and our evening skies became weirdly red for a while (though of course these were very minor inconveniences compared to the tragedy people were dealing with in the valleys).


We are still living in our (extremely generous & wonderful) friends' condo that they are not currently using while our renovations continue, so in many ways we are extremely fortunate & every single day of my life I am grateful for a) owning a house in SF that b) we are able to do massive renovations on while c) staying in a very very nice condo just a few blocks from our house.

Still, it's a little disheartening to be out of your own space for an extended period of time, and the amount of time I've spent working and traveling and whatever else hasn't left me much bandwidth for doing all the nice little things that make you feel at home somewhere.

Witness the running clothes coming right out of the laundry & going straight into a pile in a cardboard box because who has time to fold things that are just going to get sweated on:


Photobombed by: The eternally half-packed suitcase.

Speaking of suitcases, I was excited to be invited back to speak at the California Math Council SoCal conference in Palm Springs again this year (twice!). It's a little cheesy but I have to admit that I kind of love Palm Springs.


Nothing like a sunrise run in the desert

Speaking of NON-work travel, in late October Don & I made our fall visit to Paso Robles to taste some delicious wine:


Buy all wine from Herman Story immediately.


L'Aventure, arguably the best French-style wine being made in the US today.

Decorative gourd season was clearly in full swing!



Escoffier dinner at Lone Madrone #centerpiecegoals

For Halloween, Don had a brain wave & dressed up as the Fourth Doctor. I was expecting to be out of town & so didn't bother coming up with a costume, but then unexpectedly I WAS there, so Halloween became a game of "What is in my house right now that I can turn into a costume in 20 minutes?"

Wednesday Addams it was.


Trying so hard not to smile...

November's been a bit of a blur but one of the best parts of being home for Thanksgiving was getting to hang out with my newly six-year-old nephew at his birthday party, and also having my entire immediate biological family in the same room for the first time since, geez, I can't even remember when. (My parents have been divorced for a very very long time & don't generally hang out together.)



Me & Middle Sister


SIX!!


Auntie cajoles the birthday boy into a selfie

Also I figured you could use more pictures of my childhood treasures.


You guys my head hasn't grown since I played T-ball in 2nd grade.


Those sponsors tho. Nothing says "I support Youth T-Ball" like quality meats.


My first 10K! My best friend & I ran(-walked) it together & I think it took us about 2 hours. We ate an entire box of strawberry Nutri-grain Bars after.


My activities during marching band may have been questionable.


So. That's what I've been up to lately, along with a moderate amount of running. How 'bout you all??

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