california

i'm back! these two weeks of recouping / funemployment in between my big trips have been perfect, and california has been a most gracious host.

the days since i said goodbye to the snow in boston have been filled with time to yawn and stretch, get hot at bikram, paint, play music, and eat.

i've had a lesson both with aaron redner (of hot buttered rum string band) and chen zhao (of sf symphony).  it was lovely to catch up with both of them and to so immediately be able to plug into the music scene here (like having a lesson in the bowels of davies symphony hall just a phone call away). 

i've been exploring san francisco a whole lot- it really is a very romantic city, which i don't think i ever realized before. i applied to an apartment in lower nob hill, and i walked around the neighborhood at night to check safety (perfectly safe!) and at the top of the hill, near the cathedral, you could see all the way down those steep steep streets right into the bay with all of the shimmering, twinkling lights below.  there is a little oyster bar on a nearby corner. can't you just imagine, sitting on that corner on a summer night, by the bay and the gentle lights and in good company and with good music?  just thinking of that makes me glow. i think i'm going to like living here. 

i really feel like i've come full circle, in a way.  it was definitely necessary for me to move far away, and get really confused and struggle and figure things out about myself and the world, as cliche as all of that is. of course we all continue to figure stuff out and struggle forever- but for now, coming back to california- i can let out a little sigh, enjoy, recoup, reconnect, and rediscover why i so loved growing up here.