Although I’m settled down now sometimes I wonder what it would be like to move somewhere new. If you had the opportunity to relocate where would you choose to live? Would you move somewhere more urban or rural? Another Bay Area city? Leave California completely? Years ago, before I moved here I considered Portland. I wonder what my life would be like had I moved there instead.
Photo by Flickr user web-stark
This month has been a terrible time with numerous wildfires raging throughout Northern California. The air quality throughout the Bay Area has been awful, with various events being cancelled such as Oktoberfest in downtown Walnut Creek. I’ve heard from friends and coworkers of families who lost homes and those who had to evacuate to other cities. It’s a sad situation up in the North Bay. How have the NorCal fires affected you?
The Safeway Foundation is hosting an in-store fundraiser for the affected communities and GoFundMe has a page listing various fire relief donations one can contribute to. Check out the page here.
There are so many interesting podcasts out there, lately I’ve been listening to Origins with James Andrew Miller, about Larry David’s Curb your Enthusiasm show which I’m enjoying. What are your favorite podcasts?
Earlier this week we learned that Porcelanosa Kitchen Bath showroom is opening soon in downtown Walnut Creek. Premier Bath & Kitchen opened a few blocks away earlier this year and Douglah Designs expanded their showroom late last year in Lafayette. With all these new kitchen/bath showrooms opening up, are you in the process of or planning on remodeling anytime soon?
This week we learned that Baygreens Gourmet Salads is coming to downtown Walnut Creek and Lettuce is expanding a few blocks away. A couple of years ago Veggie Grill opened up nearby. What is your favorite vegetarian restaurant?
Photo by Flickr user ektogamat
The other night I stopped by CVS to pick up something and while waiting in line I noticed a middle-aged man with a big bag of potato chips and a six pack of beer waiting in front of me. As someone who has experienced digestive issues I imagined him eating this when he got back home and cringed. Then I noticed he also was buying a big tub of TUMS and I felt really bad since I think eating TUMS may be masking issues he may be going through which may lead to serious consequences. When he then reached for a bag of M&Ms at the counter… Of course he may have bought this to share with his family throughout the week, who knows? It made me wonder what unhealthy habits I could work on. Like getting off my butt and walking around more instead of sitting in front of my desk all day at work.
What unhealthy habits do you have?
Photo by Flickr user furniture-san-antonio
With the brutally hot weather we’ve been having the past few days it seems like it would be worthwhile to have air conditioning. On the other hand it does cool down quite a bit at night and the heat waves seem to only last a few weeks through the summer. Compared to growing up on the east coast where humid summers were the norm with no let up at night maybe having air conditioning here is overkill. Do you have air conditioning or are planning to get one in the future?
I recently started using an auto-reloading Clipper card to ride BART instead of a paper pass and have been very happy with it. I can even leave it in my wallet when passing through the turnstiles. I can’t believe I waited this long to get one. Do you use Clipper? Are there any drawbacks?
Summer is my favorite season. It’s great to be able to stroll around in sandals and shorts with the warm sun beating down from above. (As long as it’s not too hot!) Now that summer is wrapping up, I reflect on all the fun things I did this time around as well as summers past. Hiking the Mist Trail in Yosemite was a highlight this time. What is your favorite summer memory?
Photo by Flickr user sallypics
I always knew that homelessness on the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Area is fairly prevalent but I have recently been going to San Francisco more often and as I walk from Powell to Embarcadero and elsewhere I have never seen so many homeless people in my life. Usually I walk by with no issues but occasionally I feel the need to stay clear for safety. I can only imagine what goes through the minds of tourists as they stroll downtown. I don’t encounter this when I walk through New York. Do you think homelessness is increasing in the Bay Area?