Weather just doesn't want to be normal

Today's weather alert, brought to you by the weatherchannel.com:

ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT PRESENTLY EXPECTED THAT IT WILL GET AS HOT AS IT DID DURING OUR BRIEF HEAT WAVE ABOUT A WEEK AGO... IT WILL NONETHELESS BE SIGNIFICANTLY WARMER THAN HAS BEEN CASE THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS... AND OVER THIS SUMMER SEASON IN GENERAL. PLEASE DO REMEMBER TO NEVER LEAVE CHILDREN AND PETS IN AN AUTOMOBILE... BEAT THE HEAT CHECK THE BACK SEAT! 

First of all, it's going to be 90 or so where I am, and I think that's only in the direct sunlight.  It's damn cool in the shade (well, it was last week).  I understand that if you go further inland, it is hotty hot hot everywhere, but it's not here, and that annoys me.

Second, who wrote this?  Maybe it's just me (probably), but the way all of this is phrased just strikes me as funny.  The temperature is going up! But not as much as it did almost a week ago in what we will call a "heat wave"!  And also it will be warmer than it has been since the days after the heat wave not so long ago!  Or all summer!  I can only speak for the 3 weeks of "summer" we've experienced here, but they have been so far from summer that I have gotten used to it and I am actually enjoying it being fall-like.  It makes for less sweaty biking experiences, but also fewer swimming excursions.  People, there is a 5 dollar admission pool in a place called Strawberry Canyon, and it's my goal to get all sweaty riding my bike up there at some point this summer just so I can actually go swimming.  I have not been swimming all summer.  And this was a horribly humid mess of a summer in NY.  Woe is me and what a cruel world we live in.

I'm not complaining, except that I do get frustrated when it's supposed to be 65 on Sunday.  That's my weekend, Mother Earth.  I need some warmth.

Shhhh

They have to rest, then chill in the fridge overnight. If they are half as good as they are made out to be in this recipe, I shall be a happy woman.

Noise then vs. Noise now

Noise then was the C-Town (town town) delivery truck pulling in at 11 pm and idling for an hour.
Noise then was the garbage truck for C-Town pulling in at midnight and idling for another 1/2 hour.
Noise then was the occasional MTA subway cleaning machine, or something with an MTA logo that made a noise like a steam cleaner for a subway track.
Noise then was the occasional group of drunks arguing about nonsense.
Noise then was the occasional potential domestic violence happening over the phone.
Noise then was the B-61, then 62, and B-48 buses screeching at the stop light, the MTA never bothering to get buses with quiet braking systems.
Noise then was the clanging of the pipes all winter when the heater didn't actually give us heat.
Noise then was the old fridge buzzing on and off at regular intervals.
Noise then was constant.
Noise then kept me up all night.

Noise now is a kid shouting for someone next door.
Noise now is the blaring of a TV upstairs at 2:30 in the morning.
Noise now is Matthew coming to bed after staying up to finish his 900 page summer reading book.
Noise now is sometimes the dishwasher, when it's full enough to run.
Noise now is the kitty in the backyard saying hello or running away.
Noise now is the washing machine and dryer running at 7 am when I'm working from home.
Noise now is the couple upstairs having a chat in the morning before heading out for the day.
Noise now is bearable.

But I still want to complain and wear earplugs, because really, it's 10:45 and I'd like to get some sleep tonight, and if the TV stays on all night I won't be happy or able to wake up in time to make the train that is supposed to arrive at 6:59 so that I can leave work when the sun is full blast and with enough time to make it to a 5:30 yoga class.

That's one thing I hate, all the noise, noise, noise, noise! But it's about 100% quieter now than it was then, so I guess you can keep your TV on. Maybe you have insomnia. Maybe you are afraid of the dark. Maybe you really like late night TV. Maybe I am just a grouch. Maybe I'm exaggerating the amount of time I was kept up last night. Maybe I'm still getting used the place.

It's-it!

Yay, we're all moved in and we have a home in Berkeley!

Things that are good:

Backyard
Afternoon sunshine
Cheap bear
Bearflag wine (I know it's from CA, but we used to buy it at Dandelion Wine, and it's good, and it's about 4 dollars cheaper here)
Closets
Offices
Bikes
Bike lights that look like aliens
Multiple varieties of tomatoes at the grocery store (we'll see if that's still the case after tomato season is also over in the tri-state area)
Movie theaters with comfy couches
Movie theaters with proper stages where there's just a huge projection screen
Bay views
The dishwasher
Finishing work with most of the afternoon left over
It's-its (I'm sure you can find these back East, but I never looked because I want to maintain the illusion that this is exclusive because it is just so darn tasty. NY has Yeung-Leung (sp?), so I'm going to pretend. Just let me pretend. Thanks. http://www.itsiticecream.com)
Other things, maybe we haven't discovered them yet! It's only been two weeks!

Things that are...eh:

Getting to the work office here costs $7 round trip
Trains only run until midnight (and taking a cab to Berkeley is apparently expensive)
It's so cold, so so cold
I have a vague sense of homesickness, but usually that goes away when I remember that this is home now
Do not get me started on bagels. I'm considering lobbying to have them called rolls-with-holes.
Other general things people complain about in the Bay Area

I shouldn't complain because we just got here, right? Because I'll have plenty of things to complain about in the future, and I don't want to start all of it now. On a more serious note, I think the complaints things are covered. Probably the things that are good. I mean, the majority of people I talk to either say that they moved here to start a grad program and dragged their S.O. along (or were married or somehow legally bound to the person) or they followed their loves here. It's not like we moved to somewhere out of the ordinary. In my yoga class the other day some guy was hollering about leaving for New York. For Brooklyn, no less. So basically our situation is a dime a dozen, and that's fine with me, but can't there be some kind of support group still? Misplaced people who aren't sure what to say when they're asked where they live because they've lived a few too many places in the last couple of years that they'd rather just make it simple? Matthew's got that one a lot harder, what with the accent that only some people recognize, some recognize as Australian, and some just ignore but he still isn't sure what to say when asked "Where are you from?"

In summary, life here is pretty ok so far. I mean, no revelations on the awesomeness front, but it's also not like we moved to the bottom of the ocean or to the tip of a volcano or to a place that sometimes has devastating earthquakes...oh wait. No, I'm fine about that, really. I've only had a few moments where I've thought, "Damn, this building could collapse and I'm in it! What would happen then?" These are thoughts that also existed in (I almost called it the city! Not anymore! To me, at least) Brooklyn, but they were more varied and included thoughts on zombies, swine flu, nuclear attacks, being pushed onto the subway tracks, being struck by falling cranes, being struck by taxi drivers, being struck by angry passers-by. Here, my biggest fear is earthquakes. If I say it enough, maybe it won't happen. Earthquakes. Earthquakes. Earthquakes. Shaky, shaky, shaky!

I will post pictures of the new digs someday, maybe not though, to avoid stalkers, because I have a huge readership, I know.

Also, pictures of the whole trip will get posted somewhere maybe someday as well.

Now it's time for enjoying the afternoon.

Back on 80, towards San Francisco

The scenic route is highly recommended, who wants to be on one road the whole way?

Remains of easy coast biscotti

I made this in Randolph before we set out. It was a great way to snap out of highway hypnosis.

High season camping

Lake Tahoe is a busy camping destination? Really? No vacant no-hookup tent sites? Oh, an overflow area with no picnic table or fire pit, no, that should be fine..

Somewhsere around 50 miles to Reno we thought about booking a tent site. Of course we'd forgotten it was Friday in the summer, so there wasn't much luck calling every campsite we could. The exchange above took place with a woman at the KOA in South Lake Tahoe, who talked us out of making a reservation.

We felt pretty good about doing that, and the drive in was great. We definitely need to go back there without our apartment behind us. Looks like it's a good place for fun outdoors adventures.

The camp was pretty full when we pulled in, but I was confident about the overflow area, which was supposed to be clearly marked with a sign and on the map. There was, naturally, absolutely no indication of any extra area to camp, and we took the truck around the very tight path to look at the sites. There were a few partial and full hookup sites, but nothing for just a tent, which was already pricey for camping.

There wasn't any service in the area, so the phone was useless for looking for other lodging. Matthew parked and ran to look for a guy in a campsite sweatshirt. This turned out to be the best idea, thank goodness, because he showed us to an open site! Sure, it was on a slope and terrifying to pull into, but it was a place to sleep. There was even a picnic table.

After heating our soup and having a beer (probably not allowed, but no one was looking), we crawled into a very cold tent. I woke up shivering not long after falling asleep, then woke up bursting for the bathroom, but scared to go out due to the possible furry beasts that could be sniffing for dinner. When I finally got enough courage, Matthew requested the other blanket, in the front part of the truck, at which point I mentally wrote a giant thank-you note to Wall Drug, where earlier this week we impulse bought 2 "Indian" blankets. They're made of acrylic, which U don't think grows much on the plains.

When I got back to the tent, there were some very loud snores coming from next door. Matthew said he wouldn't have let me go if he'd heard that before I went out. I said it sounded like my dad, who is not a bear, and so I was pretty sure I had been safe.

Once the sun came up we warmed up enough to get out from under the covers. After settling the bill and getting some coffee, we opened the fortune cookies we'd gotten at the registration desk. Guess it was a Christian camp, because the fortunes were Bible verses. We were blessed to find the place I guess.

Back on the road, I was behind the wheel over and around the mountains around us. I pulled into a For-Sale restaurant, then a convenience store type place where the sign made it look like a diner, which was not going to do for breakfast. Finally pulled off in Camino, off 50, and found a little coffee shop run by a husband and wife who set up shop after many years in the Bay Area. First people to be amazed that we were coming from New York, and also to say that one eventually tires of the Bay Area. They were excited to hear Matthew's accent, because they have an adult child living in England, and at first it sounded like maybe where he grew up, but that was just them being confused about the name of the town. Nice folk. That being said, everyone we've interacted with, save the woman at the tollbooth on Chicago, has been pleasant and friendly. This is a pretty nice country, at least on the route we took.

We are still driving, and have just pulled through a patch of traffic outside of Sacramento. Berkeley is so close! Moving into a new apartment this afternoon after nearly a week on the road. It feels like we just left and it's amazing we are already this far. Now we have to figure out what the new version of real life is, but first order of business is getting there (and a shower).