The Norm

Accidental Rallies and Bus Stop Adventures

I have been living in NoPa (stands for North of the Pan Handle...and yes, I do realize how pretentious I sound, but I live in California now) where  for approximately two weeks. I've always heard a lot about how different California is from the rest of the county(the east coast especially) but I never fully understood what they meant until I moved to San Francisco. This is a place where naked gay men run through the streets of the Castro,  where intoxicated men pass out on the back of the bus (he's ok guys, don't worry), where being offered "medicinal" cookies in the park (only a dollar a piece) is completely accepted, where traffic is constantly being rerouted by huge rallies, and where there are more dogs than children. This is a place where literally everything is organic, where everyone runs outside, a place where it's sometimes hard to tell if someone is homeless or hipster, and where there are three different trash cans (one for compost, one for recycling, and one for land fill). But none the less this weird place, filled with hippies and hills, is beginning to feel like home. The house and the people living in it are becoming familiar and I find myself, after a long day comforted as I round the corner of Lyon and my big blue house comes into view. Wiley and Son's has a new intern as of Monday. I will be up on the twelfth floor at 9am sharp, getting settled into my very own cubicle. Free Jazz club to follow our first day of work, followed by homework, followed by sleep. I almost forgot I actually take classes here, better get on that actually.
So brief overview: San Francisco is weird, the people are weird, the weather is weird, my roommates are weird, this house is weird, the food is weird(organic). But I like weird.
Until next time, my faithful followers(family members)

love you.

Arrival Time: 9:50am

This morning I woke up in my uncles town house in a Philly Suburb at the crack of dawn (literally) and by this afternoon(3:00pm eastern time) I am sitting under a tree in Golden Gate Park typing up this message. Across the country in five hours; not bad if you ask me.
So about my journey. It all started about two months ago when my friend/fellow English Major handed me a pamphlet and said I should check it out. San Francisco Urban Studies Program: spend a semester in Sunny California learning about the city of San Francisco, participating in an internship (HarperOne: cross my fingers!), and take a varieyt of courses. As you, my loyal followers, have probably figured out, I was hooked. And within the next three days I had my application filled out and sent through cyber space. And as they say, the rest is history (or present, considering I'm less than halfway through my first day).
Today: today I woke up at approximately 4:15am, rolled out of bed, and headed to the airport. Hiccup number one: Rachel forgets her nose ring (surprise, surprise) and reacts a little two strongly. Sorry for my choice words in the car dad, I blame lack of sleep. Anyway, I guess we should count it a miracle I managed to remember everything else. Check the bags, say goodbye, go through security (Note to self: do not wear boots on an airplane), get on airplane, sleep, pee, watch movie, read, pee, sleep, eat, pee, i-pod, pee. Exist plane and enter San Francisco. I'm fairly certain I left this life and entered another (heaven perhaps?) because this new, magical land is warm, sunny, clean, warm, rainbowed, dread locked, warm, pierced, vegetative, wonderful, and warm. Which brings us to the present- me sitting under an enormous tree writing this post, finding a bathroom in the very near future.
Stay tuned for more exiting updates.....