i been drinkin' all night long
yesterday was my first going-away luncheon (apparently i'm special enough to get two - or at least popular enough to have people not confer over luncheons they're planning). we went to a really popular pho restaurant. it was packed and noisy, and we were packed and noisy, too. it felt like a personal slice of heaven - to be completely surrounded by happy, jostling people, and then even more surrounded by good food and people dear to me.
the afternoon was a wash after that - i spent most of it just chatting with patrick and kelly. i will miss having them there to answer all my most random questions. after i left non-work i went to the student art show gallery opening with andrey. i was surprised by what a huge deal it was - an intense crowd of people, and the gallery was really tastefully done. it felt surreal to have my little pear on display and having all these people looking at it. we ran into a bunch of folks from my class (but not beka or elizabeth - sadness!), and even tracye, another one of my very favorite volunteers.
we made a quick exit, since my self-conscious level had peaked, and headed to cruisin' grand, a friday night tradition in escondido. basically they block off the main drag of escondido's small-town downtown store fronts and everyone with a cool car brings it and shows it off. i'd never been - and now i regret not doing it all the time. it was great to see escondido displayed as such a vibrant community - also great to see san diego's (apparently) only professional elvis impersonator.
we had dinner at a wine bar (a first for me) and ordered little plates of cheese/figs and salumi/cheese (another first) along with a bottle of syrah. so that was fun, too! by the time we left, though, the show was over and people were driving away.
anyways, this morning i'm having a stimulus overload - i'm glad i stuck with my plans and didn't cancel anything, because the last couple of days have been incredible, but i'm dragging.
the afternoon was a wash after that - i spent most of it just chatting with patrick and kelly. i will miss having them there to answer all my most random questions. after i left non-work i went to the student art show gallery opening with andrey. i was surprised by what a huge deal it was - an intense crowd of people, and the gallery was really tastefully done. it felt surreal to have my little pear on display and having all these people looking at it. we ran into a bunch of folks from my class (but not beka or elizabeth - sadness!), and even tracye, another one of my very favorite volunteers.
we made a quick exit, since my self-conscious level had peaked, and headed to cruisin' grand, a friday night tradition in escondido. basically they block off the main drag of escondido's small-town downtown store fronts and everyone with a cool car brings it and shows it off. i'd never been - and now i regret not doing it all the time. it was great to see escondido displayed as such a vibrant community - also great to see san diego's (apparently) only professional elvis impersonator.
we had dinner at a wine bar (a first for me) and ordered little plates of cheese/figs and salumi/cheese (another first) along with a bottle of syrah. so that was fun, too! by the time we left, though, the show was over and people were driving away.
anyways, this morning i'm having a stimulus overload - i'm glad i stuck with my plans and didn't cancel anything, because the last couple of days have been incredible, but i'm dragging.