happy holidays y'all

good wishes from my family to yours
peace and love into the new years

returning

it seems with every trip i take comes the dreaded night before traveling. that might not mean anything to some people, and it would make more sense if it meant nothing to me, given my comfort and ease with the actual process of traveling.. but the nights preceding trips continue to bear on me like a third carry-on.

it isn't something i understand that well (not like i've tried very hard, anyway), but it's even been when i'd be returning to worcester from new york, or vice versa, or like the time pat and i went to the pacific northwest. and definitely about every trip i've taken to another continent i definitely spent the entire nights before packing. ever. so. slowly. and distracting myself with bike videos or music because i'd be stressed the fuck out. it's like whenever i'm about to go anywhere further than a few hours, i get an anxiety about uprooting, leaving my home, finding a new one, if even for a few weeks.

in august i probably had the worst time ever. because that time i really was uprooting. and taking with me whatever i could carry, really. having my bike shipped later was just a necessity for sanity. otherwise it was me and my bodyweight in luggage. trying to find my place in the bay.

tonight i pack again for the west coast. i've been living there for four months now, and while i still can't call it home, i look forward to returning. and only three days ago i was tripping like i didn't want to leave new york again! now i've been here for two weeks of bitter, cold winter and have gotten a solid reminder of why i moved in the first place. the weather, the people, the opportunities for exploration. if i really am finding myself, this is probably a good place to start.

so while i haven't gotten anything together in my bags, i realize all i really brought was a couple shirts, my laptop, and my camera gear. on top of that i think are few things my folks will probably ship for me. maybe there is a loose end here or there that i can pick up and tie in the morning, but for now, perhaps i will actually sleep tonight. after a nice hot shower in MY bathroom. which i'm going to get to now.

well, i guess i'll see you in california?



..or back here in new york. you know, my ultimate return. ;)

through the trees

on the mountains by the sequoias.

where the heart is

returning to the city this time around
this time from across the country
even if only after a few months
i've never felt a stronger belonging
to the streets, and to the people
a belonging that empowers me
i draw energy from the city
and the city draws me home

in the japanese tea garden

that month went by fast

much like this entire year, now that i take the time to look back on it.
has it really been that long? i ask like, did i really jump that far?

anyways this past month...
antonio (bona's bf) went back to brasil indefinitely.
bona (my best housemate) went to toronto for thanksgiving.
she left max and nina (her dogs) in LA with a friend.
jeff (another housemate) brought another dog to the house.
jude (jeff's pitbull) is only a puppy, so she needs attention and training.
bona, max and nina have all returned, so they've all met and are acclimating.
it's already a bunch of strange interpersonal dynamics, now's it just more of em.
all these house matters may become moot to me, as i may be moving.
haha. we'll see about that.

interesting stuff i've done...
i went to sacramento with a few friends and met some serrada escrima dudes.
getting to train a bit with guys with experience was fun and refreshing.
i got sick and was a sniffling mess for a few days, but spent more time
anticipating the sickness and trying to prevent it, and then recovering.
i rode my 3rd san francisco critical mass last night and had a great time.
it went on for nearly 5 hours, was faster paced with fewer riders (still hundreds)
and there were at least 3 sound system bikes. so there were always jams!

december has the potential to be way more exciting,
with friends visiting and my short trip home.
so i'll definitely be taking way more pics,
and can hope to make up for this wack month of entries.

happy holidays.

riding around

rolling through downtown oakland today,
i took a different way home and found some neat stuff.
like a ghetto ramp setup under the freeway.



plywood on hay bales! you'd never see this in new york.
it was in a weird space too, where it seemed like there had been construction.
there were pipes laying all over, and tool boxes, and crates full of nails.


(sorry it's blurry, this was handheld and it was getting dark fast)

anyways, i spent a bit of time there, nice little spot, and kept rolling.
happy i now had a decent default spot to session.
then i came across this little dude.



poor fella, thrown out with a bunch of other junk.
i felt bad, so i took him home. and his friends.



i guess i'll get them a fishbowl, or aquarium or something.
oakland is funny.

the perks of the job

this is what a million dollar view in san francisco looks like.
from the roof deck of the 22nd floor's southeast corner unit.
that goes for 2.8 million.


(open in a new tab to see full length, it doesn't fit in the template, and i'm too lazy to try and figure out an html fix)

okay so it's not that impressive scaled down for the net.
but standing out there, seeing all the way down mission to the water,
turning around and catching the fog crawling over the hills,
it's pretty ill...

otherwise, work sucks in general. boooo.

another week

begins tomorrow.

halloween came and went.
my birthday came and went.
the weekend came and went.

on saturday i rode my bike around,
thru oakland, berkeley, and emeryville.

and then i went to yeshi and becca's party in the city,
that brought me the strange realization
that there are SO many kids from clark out here.
and many within the last couple months or so.
i am having a SUPREMELY UNORIGINAL EXPERIENCE.
as it turns out. oh shit.

haha just kidding.
ok, i'm going to take some pictures
when i take wednesday off from work.

oh wait, the other day, coming home from work,
i was on the train reading kafka on the shore,
and when i got to my stop i decided to stay on,
to continue reading, and look out the window.
this is what east oakland looks like from the train.





sometimes i forget all about it; i moved to california, didn't i?

changing moods and shaking houses

i was so ready to write a grumpy, mad entry tonight,
about how work sucks, and i'm trying not to get sick,
and there was glass on the bike path,
and one light was green for only 3 seconds,
and just general bitterness i'm feeling this week..

when i arrive home to packages from my mom and dad.



now, care packages i got at college were one thing,
always great chinatown snacks and homey things,
cause they knew i missed home badly when i was at school.
but these 2 packages could not have come at a better time,
and could not be any sweeter. i had tears in my eyes..

my dad had sent me biking gloves i'd asked him to,
and had added all the signature "det" goodies,
that i could receive anonymously and still know he sent.
a bike light, special toothpicks, a couple pens,
a chinese photography magazine, a raw food bar,
trail mix, an 8gb! usb drive, and money in, get this,
a "north american hunting club" wallet!
the F-ing best, det, the F-ing best.

and my mom, bless her heart,
she sent me my birthday gift and card early,
i'll open it when the time comes,
and SELF-ADDRESSES STAMPED ENVELOPES
and PAPER to write her with.
note the pretty flower stamps too.
i couldn't believe what i saw.
if you've met my mother you know,
she is the sweetest little lady ever.

*begin note to parents-
i really want you two (ma and det) to know,
i love you both so very much.
more than anything in the world.
you give me such a wonderful life.
-end note*

so, as they requested, i finally took a picture
of myself in my room.



just kidding.
that's a model unit in the building where i work.
i go through checking off checklists of defects
and blemishes in the construction of the units.
it's called punch-list and back-check. blah.
there are only a few apts furnished like that,
to show potential buyers and leasers,
the rest are bare bones and much less glamorous.
it can get boring, but i do get to wear a hard-hat.

but these are my real digs.



it's simple, but it does me all right.
i sleep fine at night, and have enough room to breath.

sorry for the long-winded post.

oh and soon after i shot those photos,
i felt my first west coast earthquake!
the house shook for maybe 4 seconds!
thankfully nothing fell down. crazy!

anyways, peace, love, and sun coming through the clouds.

the place

so i'm living in west oakland.
this apartment on 14th by mandela parkway has been home for nearly a month. it's still pretty bare, i have a bed/futon, a couple lamps, an open closet, a bamboo shade, all from ikea of course, and my bikes and plants in a corner. there are three windows, two face the yard and are really nice. here's the biggest one.



the nicest thing about living in oakland is its familiarity,
because for so many reasons, i feel like i'm in brooklyn.
it's one stop on the train across the water from the city.
it's more laid back and much homier than the city.
it's much easier and more pleasant to ride through.
the city is like the city, and it's cool like that,
but i guess i'm more of an outer boro type cat.
at least to come home in the evening to.

here are my plants, i like them.



work and bike update to come.
i'm working two jobs these days...
and riding two bikes too. that's nice tho.

hello holler

i started a new blog!
i'd love to start out with a compelling, thoughtful, interesting post,
but it's 3:16 in the morning and i'm still trying to figure out
why i started a new blog. i have xanga, but i barely wrote
and people barely read. i could just keep a journal instead.
which i do.

anyways, i may have figured it out.
to break it down, for myself and others,
this blog will be an east coast to east bay experience log.
all my close friends back in nyc and boston and wherever else,
will perhaps be convinced to come out here and join in on the fun.
or stay where they are or go somewhere else cause it's cooler.

the point is, it's a wonderful thing to travel,
and explore, and experience new places.
a full life is very difficult to live out
on the same dozen or so square miles.
and the world is vast, and offering, and welcoming.
maybe.