ARDIRI

White-Coated!

(Left to right: John's mom, Myung; me, John, John's brother, Jeffrey; John's dad, John)

Friday night was John's White Coat Ceremony at UCSF and it actually was a rather nice event.  Usually with ceremonial events, one can expect boring speakers who fail to grasp the fact that public speaking is, in essence, a type of entertainment.  However, this event had some rather competent speakers who made the event quite enjoyable--especially the "senior" pharmacy student, Troy Drysdale, whose speech emphasized the importance of  balance in one's life.  (Boy, oh boy, could I certainly use to take that advice when I find myself toiling away on work-related tasks till 11 pm on weekday nights!)  The Dean of the Pharmacy School, Mary Anne Koda-Kimble is as cute as a button, yet a powerhouse of a speaker (and, I imagine, a powerhouse in all she does).

We switched the celebratory dinner from Eos to Zazie as Eos' is a " small-plate" type of restaurant and we wanted to ensure that each person had their own entree, rather than sharing tiny, artistically-presented, delicious servings fit for one person.  Nevertheless, we all ended sharing most of our food at Zazie's (except for me, in that I didn't partake of the mammals).  We were all set to have dessert (which Zazie rocks), but had to leave in quite a rush for John and I to get to the San Francisco International Airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles.

Yes, LA!  Anaheim specifically for the NCPA Conference that John is attending. 

From my experience thus far with this area of LA, otherwise known as home of Disneyland, I've decided to call it Scheisterland!  Hello, could I asked to be ripped off just a bit more by car/taxi drivers?  I took a chaufeured car (which the hotel recommend, hmmm?!) to a nearby shopping area and was to be charged $10--agreed on up front--when I arrived and went to pay with a $20, the driver claimed he had no change but a dollar bill.  R-i-i-i-i-ght.  Sure, I am going to tip you 100%.  He then instructed me to ask a nearby taxi for change, which, of course, the taxi driver refused flat out.  I turned to the chauffeur, pulled out the small bills I had in my purse and told him that there was absolutely no way I was going to give him double the rate,  then I stuffed the bills (4 or 5 dollars) in his hands, he shrugged  a mopish OK, and I left.  Honestly, if you are providing a driving service--taxi or car--you should have change for a twenty, especially when you know ahead of time where you are taking someone.  I,absolutely do not feel bad for how much I paid the driver; he should of had change.  Unfortunately, we've encountered a few experiences like this since we've been here.  Ugh.

We went to a nice party that the conference put on last night--complete with free good wine, mojitos (my fave mixed drink), and loads of food.  There was a live band that played and an entertaining hypnotist.  Here is a quite unfocused picture of us (and one that makes me realize that a reddish background only makes me look more pink!):

Today I am fighting between studying for my class and going to a museum.  I am not much interested in going to Disneyland itself as it is pretty pricey and I don't think it can live up to how much I loved it as a kid!  I do believe John and I will be going to Downtown Disney to meet up with one of his UCSC friend's, Roy, for an early dinner.  Then it'll be back aboard a plane and homeward bound.

All Packed and Ready to Go!

I am heading home to the Sierra Nevada mountains to visit my parent's and brother for a few days.

And, apparently, so is Zoe:

A Return to My Childhood Hometown

~~N.B.  Scroll to the bottom of entry for knitting pictures.~~

It is always feels so peculiar to return home. “Home” in this case means the house and town I grew up in. I don’t remember how old I was—maybe my early twenties—but I do remember feeling a deep sense of loss the first time I returned home and realized that “home”—my parent’s household—was no longer my true home; that I had grown up and established my own home.

Here are some pics of my childhood hometown. Both my parents and my brother each still live in Big Creek (in their own households).

Kerchoff Dome (similar geologically to Half Dome in Yosemite):

More and More Rocks and Trees (although there used to be tons more trees, but there was a pretty horrific forest fire in my town in the summer of 1994):

 The Store (CANDY! ICE CREAM!):

The Blurred-Through-the Window Picture of the Public Library Taken  (one of my favorite places as a kid)

My Brother and his Dog, Harriet:

The View from the Seats Harriet and Ronnie are sitting in:

The Parental Unit:

My Parent’s Dog, Sami:

Slice of Americana Pie (A recently remodeled/repainted cabin):

The Tennis Court (I never played tennis!):

Some Tents at the Fourth of July Picnic in My Town:

 And Noro Squared:

 

On the Rails, Again

On Saturday I took  the Amtrak home to visit my parents and brother.  I watched movies and knitted like a lunatic.  I've not had much time to post since I am currently trying to teach my mother how to use her laptop and especially how to navigate the internet.  I will not be able to resist posting soon since I've made at least 7 or 8 mitered squares since starting my noro throw project on Tuesday.

Still Life with Noro Square and Computadora:

The view from my Amtrak seat: