a real post
leslie... what's a walkman? - one of my students
+++
ive done tidbits here and there, but i think my recent vacation warrents an actual post.
bbg and i went to yosemite for 5 days, 4 nights. it. was. AMAZING. PERIOD. there were very few people around the park since we were there in the middle of the week.
we left sf around 11am, hit up a target somewhere in the middle of nowhere... somewhere before tracy, bec we thought we were in tracy, and then we drove through tracy right afterward. we bought some snow appropriate pants for bbg.
we rolled into the park by late afternoon, drove to yosemite valley, checked in around 4pm. chilled in the room, checked out the lodge. dinner, sleep. next day, woke up around 10am, breakfast... hit the yosemite falls trail by 11am. we hiked up to the top of yosemtie falls - a 2500 foot climb over a billion steep switchbacks and snow (!!!!!). took about 3.5 hours to get to the top and it was hella worth it. :) we hiked in sneakers and jeans when most people we ran into were wearing hiking boots, snow pants, and using hiking poles. one woman said, "you guys are so brave!" which translates to, "you guys are insane!"
so that was the whole first day. wednesday we took it easy and toured some cool spots. we saw the entire valley floor. checked out the (disappointedly) close and cold curry village, yosemite village, lower yosemite falls, mirror lake/meadow, and the happy isles. amazing. hardly anyone out and about. thursday we hiked to the top of vernal falls along another snow covered trail, but one that wasn't as steep and treacherous as the yosemite falls trail.
last day we did a quick trip to the ansel adams gallery (more or less a glorified gift shop), the actual gift shop, and a short 1/2 mile walk to the base of el capitan. all this before noon and were out the el portal exit and off to santa cruz.
drove through the valley and confirmed that yes, it indeed sucks. made it to gilroy to drop some stuff off at my aunt's house. ended up in a 45 minute conversation with her before heading home. dinner with the parents at pink godzilla, one of the best japanese restaurants in the county.... with the best t-shirts.
hung out at home for the night with my parents and their ginormous tv. hung out saturday watching more tv, visiting with one of my bff and having a large family dinner at coco's for my dad's cousin's daughter's 10th birthday. made it back to sf by 9pm. back to the grind monday morn.
+++
the trip reminded me of many things i already knew but seemed to have forgotten in the past couple years. firstly, i fuckin love nature. i was in awe the entire trip of the mountains and their massiveness. i loved being away from cars and buildings and people. in fact, when we left on saturday, i was surprised to see so many people in the park since i was used to having everything all to myself. god people are obnoxious.
b of all, i miss home. i really do love being home in la selva, at my house, with my family. i went from loving it, to being semi critical of it, to being apathetic, to loving it all over again. being gone for so long, i forgot how awesome it was. i miss driving too. sunday was amazingly sunny and warm, driving with the volume turned all the way up, windows down, sun roof open... that's the life.
and now im back in the city, this urban place that is fast paced and crazy. ah well.
+++
Old friendships fade away, love falls apart
And you've not spent a single day outside my heart
+++
i am glad to be back at work. i needed a break, for sure, but i did miss work. sorta. well, i liked being welcomed back. for example, "leslie! you're back, finally! what took you so long???" or just a simple "welcome back" was nice. nice to know they noticed i was gone.
+++
dst sucks.
+++
SUNSHINE!
+++
ive done tidbits here and there, but i think my recent vacation warrents an actual post.
bbg and i went to yosemite for 5 days, 4 nights. it. was. AMAZING. PERIOD. there were very few people around the park since we were there in the middle of the week.
we left sf around 11am, hit up a target somewhere in the middle of nowhere... somewhere before tracy, bec we thought we were in tracy, and then we drove through tracy right afterward. we bought some snow appropriate pants for bbg.
we rolled into the park by late afternoon, drove to yosemite valley, checked in around 4pm. chilled in the room, checked out the lodge. dinner, sleep. next day, woke up around 10am, breakfast... hit the yosemite falls trail by 11am. we hiked up to the top of yosemtie falls - a 2500 foot climb over a billion steep switchbacks and snow (!!!!!). took about 3.5 hours to get to the top and it was hella worth it. :) we hiked in sneakers and jeans when most people we ran into were wearing hiking boots, snow pants, and using hiking poles. one woman said, "you guys are so brave!" which translates to, "you guys are insane!"
so that was the whole first day. wednesday we took it easy and toured some cool spots. we saw the entire valley floor. checked out the (disappointedly) close and cold curry village, yosemite village, lower yosemite falls, mirror lake/meadow, and the happy isles. amazing. hardly anyone out and about. thursday we hiked to the top of vernal falls along another snow covered trail, but one that wasn't as steep and treacherous as the yosemite falls trail.
last day we did a quick trip to the ansel adams gallery (more or less a glorified gift shop), the actual gift shop, and a short 1/2 mile walk to the base of el capitan. all this before noon and were out the el portal exit and off to santa cruz.
drove through the valley and confirmed that yes, it indeed sucks. made it to gilroy to drop some stuff off at my aunt's house. ended up in a 45 minute conversation with her before heading home. dinner with the parents at pink godzilla, one of the best japanese restaurants in the county.... with the best t-shirts.
hung out at home for the night with my parents and their ginormous tv. hung out saturday watching more tv, visiting with one of my bff and having a large family dinner at coco's for my dad's cousin's daughter's 10th birthday. made it back to sf by 9pm. back to the grind monday morn.
+++
the trip reminded me of many things i already knew but seemed to have forgotten in the past couple years. firstly, i fuckin love nature. i was in awe the entire trip of the mountains and their massiveness. i loved being away from cars and buildings and people. in fact, when we left on saturday, i was surprised to see so many people in the park since i was used to having everything all to myself. god people are obnoxious.
b of all, i miss home. i really do love being home in la selva, at my house, with my family. i went from loving it, to being semi critical of it, to being apathetic, to loving it all over again. being gone for so long, i forgot how awesome it was. i miss driving too. sunday was amazingly sunny and warm, driving with the volume turned all the way up, windows down, sun roof open... that's the life.
and now im back in the city, this urban place that is fast paced and crazy. ah well.
+++
Old friendships fade away, love falls apart
And you've not spent a single day outside my heart
+++
i am glad to be back at work. i needed a break, for sure, but i did miss work. sorta. well, i liked being welcomed back. for example, "leslie! you're back, finally! what took you so long???" or just a simple "welcome back" was nice. nice to know they noticed i was gone.
+++
dst sucks.
+++
SUNSHINE!