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Monday, 8-30-04. Perpetually overcast and cool.
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The hill has been defeated. My apartment building is located just a hair before the top ridge of a rather formidable hill. Today, for the first time, I managed to ride my bike to the top without stopping... 30-degree slope and all. For some, this might not be such an accomplishment, but I haven't been doing very much bike riding for quite a while and am pretty out-of-shape.
By some miracle, I finally also managed to whittle my to-do list down to a single page today. Something tells me this phenomenon won't last long, unfortunately.
German word of the day: vollenden - To accomplish
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Sunday, 8-29-04. Perpetually overcast and cool.
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Today felt like one of those typically lazy days, but I actually managed to get quite a few things done. The most notable of these tasks was being able to finally and completely set up my desk and CD rack, which now means my desk area is void of boxes and miscellaneous crap... a good thing. I also forced myself to do the dishes for the second time since I moved in, and I actually managed to travel outside to do a few errands. I have the first phase of a project due tomorrow in my basic design class, a photo montage representing 3 pre-designated words from a recent vocabulary list. It's been odd, but I think I have a few good ones that will help the rest of the crap shine. I also have a plethora of layouts to draw for my perspective drawing class on Tuesday. Homework this term is rather dense, but enjoyable.
No more moving, ever. Yesterday, my father and I spent the entire day helping my sister move. The packing took forever, the unpacking not as long. My hands feel like someone rubbed them with tabasco sauce for an hour.
German word of the day: Soße (f) - Sauce
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Wednesday, 8-25-04. Weather varied depending on location.
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It was one of those days. After sleeping through my alarm (though I luckily woke up just 4 minutes after the fact), I though I'd have some generic cheerios for breakfast. I'd expected milk to pour onto the bowl of eager, dry cereal I'd prepared... however, a cottage-cheese like substance poured out instead. This wonderful experience was followed by a luke-warm, though mostly cold shower, thanks to the guy upstairs, whos every footstep I can hear through the ceiling like a parade of tympanies and cymbals erupting at once. After class I went out with some of my classmates to take photos for a project we all have to do for basic design, but the weather in the rest of the city was roasting, and I'd dressed for the usual foggy 60-degree-high of Ingleside. All in all, however, I took a lot of great photos, then came home to a much-needed nap. To try and weave another rare grain of positive news into this entry, my landlord has decided to hard-wire all the units... this means no more multiple days without internet access due to horrible reception. Unfortunately, I'm still without a job, and I still haven't found a place that sells organic milk or the bags for my vacuum.
German word of the day: Organisch - Organic
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Monday, 8-23-04. Perpetually foggy and cool.
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I spent this past weekend up at Tahoe with the fam. It was a brief and badly timed trip, as I presently have a couple dozen items on my to-do list. However, regardless of my situation, I still would've gone without question. Yesterday morning I went on a charter fishing trip out on the lake with my dad and grandfather for half the day. The last time I'd gone fishing was actually also with the two of them, over 10 years ago, somewhere up the MacKenzie. It was pretty interesting, and together we caught 5 trout. It was a pretty special time, particularly to have my grandfather there.
German word of the day: Geduld (f) - Patience
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Wednesday, 8-18-04. Perpetually foggy and cool, then oven-like.
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Due to my late drive back last night, I managed to only scrape up a couple hours of sleep before heading to my first class this morning. It was good, a very friendly and open environment... not at all what I'd been subject to in past classes, and very much appreciated.
After class I jetted north and finished up the last of the cleaning at my old place. I met up with the complex manager and handed over the keys late in the afternoon, fed some bread to the ducks for the final time at Howarth Park, got a nice haircut at my old salon shop, and departed Santa Rosa with no hint of fanfare. This move was, up to this point in my life, probably the most difficult decision and process I've ever had to put myself through. I'm giving up a lot, but I'm hoping and planning to gain much more. If this doesn't work, I fear nothing will.
"Cheap gas" is becoming an impossibility in terms nowadays, as the least expensive I've been able to find is $1.95 a gallon for regular, and that was at my favorite station up in SR.
German word of the day: Grabmal (n) - Tomb
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Tuesday, 8-17-04. Sunny and warm.
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My internet access situation continues to worsen, and today I finally talked to the building owner about it. She seemed pretty genuine about looking for a solution, so hopefully something will materialize soon.
I somehow managed to finish all the cleaning requirements in my old place today, with the exception of the kitchen sink (as I'll need it to run water for some things tomorrow). On my way up north I bought a bucket and a car washing mitt, as I haven't washed my truck since sometime in early spring. It's beyond filthy, and all the highway driving I've been doing lately hasn't helped. I also picked up new burner pans for the oven, as the old ones had been subject to some nasty spills and I was unable to clean a couple of them. On a sadder note, I've tried repeatedly to uproot and grab the little plant living in the crack between the curb of my parking space and the sidewalk at my old apartment, but the roots are too embedded into the concrete. I'll miss it's little microscopic violet flowers. Yet again, I ended up driving home at midnight and I never had any dinner. Could life be more grand?
German word of the day: Verschlecternung (f) - Deterioration
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Friday, 8-13-04. Sunny and cool.
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The infinite variables of weather in my neighborhood granted us a reprieve today, as conditions took a pleasant turn toward being sunny. I ended up heading to the old place later in the day to clean the blinds, as well as completing the task of hauling out the few remaining items that had been left behind. I've also discovered recently that the free wireless internet in my new place isn't all it was cracked up to be, as the signal strength in my unit is about as close to zero as it could possibly be. This will need to be remedied soon.
German word of the day: Unendlich - Infinite
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Wednesday, 8-11-04. Annoyingly hot.
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Most of today was spent unpacking the towers of endless boxes that appear to have colonized my studio. I finally managed to set up the large metal shelf, so I was able to get my plastic storage bins out of the way. I've discovered that I can hear every footstep and dropped fork through the ceiling from the apartment upstairs... joy.
Yet again, I headed to SR too late in the day and ended up getting stuck in horrible traffic. It ended well though, as I finished a game of Risk 2251 with Justin and his brother, and ended up winning. The win was mainly a strategic technicality, but that didn't detract from a great game. On the way home I packed up my bike (flat front tire and all), and a bunch of other miscellaneous items, to bring to the new place. It's been really odd, as the more bare I make my old apartment by carting out my junk, the more it feels like I never lived there at all. Even the original fresh paint smell seems to be slowly lurking back... it's really an odd feeling.
German word of the day: Säule (f) - Column
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Monday, 8-9-04. Perpetually foggy and cool, then perpetually sunny and warm.
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It seemed to become fall yesterday, as the neighborhood of my new place in San Francisco seems to be perpetually isolated from the sun either by clouds or a heavy saturation of a cool, misty fog. This morning I met with a counselor over at the college. For the first time in years I was able to get a semblance of a plan worked out in regards to my academic future. It wasn't entirely positive (long-term timescale-wise) but it's a start. I feel positive.
This afternoon I headed up to SR and met up with Justin and his fam for a good, relaxed evening. I fixed some small furniture and a drawer of theirs, then went back over to my old place to pack a load in the truck. I really need to head out sooner in future trips, as I ended up unpacking my gear around 3 in the morning.
German word of the day: Nachbarschaft (f) - Neighborhood
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Sunday, 8-8-04. Perpetually sunny and hot, then drizzling and cool.
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Today marked the beginning of the end of an era of my life. It was an era of wonderous opulence, shrouded in perpetual struggle, depression, and self-reflection. I spent my last night sleeping in my apartment in Santa Rosa this past evening. It was the same as it's always been.. bland, quiet, and relaxing as hell. I can only begin to fathom how much I'll miss this place.
This morning I took it easy on myself, allowing one last soak in the aura of the place. I listened to Car Talk and made banana bread, the late morning sun streaming in through the wide slats of my blinds into the kitchen and nook. Then began the mad rush to pack up all my belongings. In the end I surprised even myself, as I managed to pack my entire apartment (minus the kitchen) into boxes in about an hour. My friend Justin and my father assisted me in getting everything into the truck, then we had additional help unpacking everything here in the city. It was here the experiment began, bringing my chest of drawers in through a window, and cramming my couch on its side through my front door with millimeters to spare. After dropping off the truck and packing a few more things, my dad and I finally made it back into the city around 2 AM. Oddly enough, my first official night in the city will be at my folks' place, as I am too tired to set up my bed at this absurdly late hour. The adventure toward fulfilling some sort of destiny begins.
German word of the day: Sturm (m) - Storm
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Wednesday, 8-4-04. Perpetually sunny and warm.
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Life's been rather disjointed lately. I've been staying with my folks in the city looking for apartments for a few days. I had another one lined up, but decided against it at the last minute. For the money they were asking, it was just too small a studio.
Last Sunday I was looking down at the construction crew on the lot across the street from my folks' building when I noticed a guy driving an SUV turning the corner. Suddenly, a guy on a bike pulled in front of the SUV at the stop sign, touched his front tire to the guy's bumber, and stood there staring at him. The SUV driver yelled at the bicyclist, then tried to back up and go the other way, but the bicyclist was too fast for him and pulled in front of his bumper again. At this point the SUV driver got out of his vehicle and the two started fighting. After a struggle, the SUV driver managed to get ahold of the bicycle and started carrying it to the sidewalk, but the bicyclist grabbed the driver's keys out of the ignition and threw them under some parked cars. The bicyclist recovered his bike and took off, while shortly afterward the SUV driver found his keys and left as well. A dozen or so onlooking construction workers, as well as myself, were left baffled following the scene.
German word of the day: Elan (m) - Vigor
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