Tag Archives: adventures

looking up *_*

Posts, , , , ,

I have had kind of a tough time lately. I lost my bike and had to quit my job due to health problems but I realize that I have so much to be thankful for that there is no reason to dwell on that. The last few days have been fun and friends nearby and online have reached out to cheer me up and wish me well. I am happy because I feel loved and hopeful for the future.

Yesterday Neko and Jason and I went to the laundromat together and played Mario Party on the DS. It must have been cute because we were all squished together on one bench giggling and cheering at our hand held gaming toys. Afterwards we adventured through Berkeley by car and saw some really neat areas. We stopped for lunch at a taqueria in the Epicurious Garden and ate outside in the sun. Next I took them to the Rose Garden and Codornices park. It is located on the hill and the view from up there is great for looking out over the Bay. We took so many photos and walked around the area. Later I spent lots of quality time with maiki and he shared Beard Papa eclairs that he had brought from the city. They are so delicious!

Today has already been wonderful for me. I slept great. Woke up and went for a walk down to 4th street. I bought some compfy green pajama pants on sale from Anthropologie (so I can stop borrowing from my roommate!) and found an amazing collection of design books at the Builders Booksource. I didn’t buy any books today but sat down in a chair to study a stack of them. They were all so inspiring, especially the Japaneses produced ones about icons and signage. They are beautiful to me! I picked up some fresh vegetables from the Pasta Shop and came back to C9th to make lunch for maiki and I. We had tofutti covered everything bagels with lox, tomatoes and red onion. Now I am enjoying a nice cup of earl gray lavender tea. Lunch was better than anything I could get in a restaurant—seriously I never know why I waste my money eating out with such a restricted diet. I have some paperwork to deal with today but I know that I can relax because I have done lots of cleaning and organizing as of late and can now enjoy the fruits of my labor. Yahoo!

friends & food in santa cruz

Posts, ,

Saturday maiki and I took the train to San Jose where Colin picked us up and we made the journey over the hill. The weather was so warm and we went for a walk along the coast when we arrived. Made a trip to Marini’s on the wharf to get Jolt colas and I had a caramel apple. We walked through the arcade and then downtown. I traded in my old Reefs for a new pair at Pacific Wave then got some real food at the Taqueria Vallarta. Next we met up with some friends for drinks at 515. I had never been to 515 before and really enjoyed the atmosphere — they played the Squirrel Nut Zippers! We sat in the upstairs lounge and I ordered a raspberry lemonade martini. It was an amazing drink and the glass was rimmed with sugar. I was in heaven. ^_^

The next morning we went to the Bagelry, the best bagel place evar. I got a bagel with onions and lox and we purchased lots of jalepeno bagels to eat and share with C9th. Next I walked around Pacific, taking pictures and looking in all the shops. It was warm and felt like summer. I picked up the fourth volume of Sgt Frog at Borders then met up with Colin and maiki again at Lulu Carpenter’s for a chai. We all had our laptops out and sat in a nice shady spot by the Octagon. maiki and I shared a veggie sandwich and soup from Zoccoli’s then prepared to pack up for the journey home. One more stop at Marini’s for Jolt to for the road and I got a chocolate covered banana. It was extremely delicious but it almost made us miss the 17 bus. We ran back to the metro with Colin following behind hollering “Stop Banana Thief” and giggling as we hurried past the crowds of people. Thanks to maiki (who has long legs and wasn’t wearing flip flops) the bus driver saw us and we got on without any trouble.

On the ride back over Hwy 17 I reflected on how wonderful it had been to take a break and get away for a couple of days. I thought about all the fun touristy things that I wanted to come back and do. I will definitely return when the semester ends and go to the beach and the boardwalk. The trees were so lovely and cool and I would love take the Roaring Camp train and walk through the giant redwoods. I miss them. As fond as I am of Santa Cruz was I was so ready not to live there anymore and am quite settled here in Berkeley. Luckily I have many friends there that I can visit!