A friend of a friend was filming a documentary about skipping and needed some participants so a bunch of us volunteered. It was really fun and we skipped around Berkeley for a bit. I’m only in it for a split second, but whatever. Skipping Mockumentary

Things have been really hectic and stressful at our house lately. We have to deal with our crazy landlord and it’s starting to wear me thin!

Jim stole me away for the afternoon yesterday and we had a great time eating in the Gourmet Ghetto and then bowling $1 games at Albany Bowl. We ended the night with dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house in the Oakland hills. Their house has an amazing view of the city and we arrived just in time to take in a beautiful sunset.

The whole afternoon and evening was a much needed break from the chaos that is the CouchSurfing house. The drive home was a nice transition from small intimate dinner in the hills to crazy raucous family in Berkeley. When we walked up to the house I could hear a lot of people in the kitchen talking and laughing and it made me smile. To realize that although I get burned out on being together all the time, I also miss it a lot when I am away.

I couldn’t help but get a bit warm and gooey inside when I walked in and everybody was together cleaning the kitchen and having a great time. It made me realize how lucky I am to have such a cool family to come home to. It’s really amazing that we have so many people living together in this house and, somehow, we all get along. Nobody fights and there isn’t one person who is passive aggressive. How did we compile a group of such amazing people from around the world?

I am back in Berkeley, thoroughly enjoying the weather. It’s a balmy 60 degrees here while my family and friends are freezing in -20 temperatures in Alaska. Sorry guys!

The post holiday come down has been nice and relaxing. There are only three of us at CouchSurfing BaseCamp this week and it has been lovely having the place to ourselves. Jim and I have decided that we are probably going to be here for another three months so we have started getting settled in. Before December I wasn’t sure if I was going to go to the Costa Rica collective or not, but if I do, it won’t be until March. Since I lived in Costa Rica during college I think I would rather save my money and go to the next collective, especially if it is someplace that I have never been before.

So with that in mind Jim and I went to the Berkeley Public Library and got Library cards. We also applied and were granted financial assistance at the YMCA. I am really excited about working out there. It’s a really nice facility and they have three pools! I’ve been feeling so lumpy and out of shape lately. I can’t wait to start feeling fit again!

I am also coming to the realization that if I don’t make an effort to actually do the things I want to do while in San Francisco, they will probably never happen. With that in mind, I have been hounding Jim to walk the Golden Gate Bridge with me for a week. The weather was finally sunny yesterday so we drove into the city. Of course, it happened to be sunny and a Saturday so the place was packed. Luckily, we found a free parking lot and walked a little through the park and then up the hill onto the bridge.

The view from the bridge was fantastic. It was nice and warm with a bit of a breeze. We walked half way across the bridge dodging pedestrians and bicycles. Took a couple photos and contemplated what it would be like to jump. We recently watched the documentary The Bridge in which a camera filmed the bridge 24/7 for a year and captured various people committing suicide. The director interviewed the families who talked about the victims.

Being on the bridge and looking over the railing to the water hundreds of feet below made me think about how desperate those people must have been feeling. Just looking over the railing made me nauseous. I can’t imagine any person having the guts to climb over and let go.

Jim and I were wondering how long it would take for a person to fall so we started spitting over the edge (immature, I know). It took the average spitball about 11 seconds to hit the water and when it did, it had picked up enough velocity to make a noticeable splash. I can’t imagine knowing that you are going to die for 11 seconds! It would feel like eternity.

Luckily our day was a bit more lighthearted than just contemplating the affects of jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove through Golden Gate park, which is beautiful. We stopped for a few minutes to check out the Dutch windmill that is sitting next to a lawn of poppies. It was all very beautiful.

I am trying to come up with our next adventure. I’m sure there are some other activities that one must accomplish when living in the Bay Area.