15. go backpacking

When I wrote this list item, I think I meant that I wanted to go on one of those trips where you hike out to where you are camping and wear a big backpack with all of your supplies.

Well, screw that, me of the past.

On my trip to Ireland (yes, evidently you’ll be hearing a lot about this. Sorryish), I knew I would want to carry around a… bag of some sort. I bought this purse at Ross because I thought it would be big enough and was also cute. But then I hemmed and hawed over it for ages until I finally realized I couldn’t convince myself to like it and I should just return it. So I did. And in a stroke of sheer brilliance I searched for “day pack” on Amazon, and lo! I found a whole world of lightweight, durable, folduppable backpacks! I ordered myself a hot pink one and used it the whole time I was in Ireland, exclaiming to Niall at least daily “Have I mentioned how much I love my backpack?” and he would wearily nod his head.

See what I did there?

I still use it on the weekends now that I’m home. It’s excellent for shopping or errands because I can have my hands free, and it’s great for bringing an extra layer or several since I tend to get cold. It was also oddly comforting to have the other day when I went to my trauma survivors speakers’ board meeting; putting it on felt like I was getting a little hug. Or perhaps I really have gone insane. Whatever. We’re all just going to have to accept that Julia? Comes with a bag!

I’ve affectionately nicknamed it my pa-pack because that’s what my 2 year old niece called it. It’s… probably cuter when she says it.

4. milk a cow

I thought I had an idyllic childhood of excessive romping about the yard and swimming from dawn till dusk, until I saw where Niall grew up.

 

That’s his family’s dairy farm in Ireland. It's... pretty awesome.

When we went to Ireland in May for my vacation and his visit home-and-show-everybody-his-American-girlfriend trip, we managed to have a nice balance of spending time with his family and friends interspersed with doing touristy/travelly things for me since I’d never been there before.

We saw the Cliffs of Moher, dined and walked around at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, I kissed the Blarney Stone, we saw the Book of Kells, and drank a pint at the Guinness Storehouse. We also spent five days staying in holiday homes in Kenmare with his parents, sisters, and their kids and visited his extended family at the dairy farm. They are spread out in several houses on the farm property and we visited them all. I’ve never had so much tea in my life.

I embarrassed Niall by taking photos of the gorgeous scenery and we got to see his uncle’s fancy new milking machine. The lads were intermittently in and out doing chores and cutting silage. We visited the little calves and walked down to the lake.

In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that I... um... did not actually physically milk a cow, BUT I had a good long visit with Niall’s grandmother, aunties, uncles, and cousins on the Irish dairy farm. And I’d much rather do that than announce hey it’s been nice talking to you all but I’ve got an item to cross off a list so can somebody point me in the direction of the nearest cow teat. It’s a scavenger hunt, not a checklist. There’s no prize crossing off each item; the fun part is the experience.

Especially if the experience includes getting Niall to stand awkwardly in front of things while I take his photo.

93. kiss the Blarney Stone

Blarney Castle

The stone is allll the way up there?

 Climbing...

 To the top...

Annnd...

Mwah!

It was a bit rainy that day, but a few lads I had met told me that the locals sometimes like to go and pee on the stone, so I was happy for the weather (even though I did fall down a flight of the slippery castle stairs).

Potpourri: Recently

Today marks one month since I started my new job. And can I just point out that from an external perspective of someone who perhaps doesn't know me that well or read my blog, it might appear that I graduated, took my test, and WHABAM had a job within days. I'm thinking of reframing my memories and living in THAT reality. Because I am still pretty excited that I have this job.
This is my last week of training before I go solo with my responsibilities next week. I am nervous. I told my sister that and she said "Eh, don't worry. In six months you'll feel like you've been there your whole life."
Thankssss.... ?
I really like my job, so far. There are some quirky things about it that I particularly enjoy and since I'm not going to talk about my patients (hi HIPAA!), I'll share them:
- You can't eat anywhere except the conference room and there are usually people working or having a meeting in there. So a couple times a day I open the door, step in and stand there awkwardly eating my emergencheese (the cheese sticks I carry in my pockets for emergencies. GET IT? Emergencheese for emergencies!). People sometimes ask "Uh. Did you need something?"
- There is a passcoded, locked door that opens to, no joke, a six foot drop into the street. It's not a loading dock. It's not an exit. Or, at least it's not an exit NOW. It might have been one at some point when they were planning to build stairs.
- My office is the size of a stall shower. I actually like it. It's more of a nook. It doesn't have a door. With a six foot drop or otherwise.

---

I went to Hawaii. HOT TIP: If your best friend says "Hey, I wanna go to Hawaii in March. You should come." You really should. Evidence:

The cool thing about the time difference is getting to the beach at 7AM when it is EMPTY.

We are SERIOUS about our sun protection. I don't stay this lily white by accident.

Gabey liked the pool best.

We snorkeled. I had to forcefully talk myself down from having a panic attack because SNORKELING IS FUCKING SCARY what with all the listening to my own heavy loud breathing and seeing the sandbar drop off into giant chasms and having to adjust my mask in the open ocean and swim back to shore AGAINST THE TIDE.

We got the feeling that people thought we were a couple on vacation with our adopted son. Because the first thing you think when you see two women and one kid together is never, 'Ah. They must be friends.'

I found a flower THE SIZE OF MY HEAD.

We swam, we lounged about, we got lost in our books, we loosely supervised Gabriel at the pool while he made friends with other kids and turned into a fish, we had fancy drinkies, we ate lots of chips and salsa.

I'd say that about sums it up.

---

Last weekend somebody asked me what I would buy if I had $500 to spend at Target. "Only at Target, though." he stipulated, as if that might slow me down. "Groceries!" I said, "New sheets! Nice towels! Bins for organizing my things! Packing tape! Wait... this makes me sound really boring. I don't care! Laundry detergent!" Best game ever.

---

Unrelated to any of the above: I bought myself a jackelope for Easter.

I got it from a flea market! Just kidding. It's from Modcloth. Sigh. That would have been the MOTHER of all flea market finds, wouldn't it?

---

I've found that I can basically get one productive task done per day after I get home from work. One day is cooking. One day is laundry. One day is vacuuming. One day is paying bills. One day is buying groceries. Today's task was blogging.

Vacation

Oh hai. I've been on vacation. Both literally and internettily.

I had been itching to get out of town and I had just passed my board exam, so I jumped on a cheap fare to fly out and visit my sister. I left for the airport on Valentine's Day, unintentionally dressed like a Valentine.

Not the best day for pink to be your favorite wearing-color.

I discovered that Valentine's Day is actually a great day to travel. There was barely a line at security, and I got a pat-down (which I requested instead of going through the creepy new X ray machines) from the most polite and respectful TSA agent I have ever met. The gate agents were cracking jokes over the intercom. My flight was less than half full and the flight attendants were jovial and friendly. AND I got a free drinkie, courtesy of Southwest.

Definitely a better Valentine's present than last year.

My sister picked me up at the airport with a cooler of what may or may not have been more beverages. And thus began my awesome vacation. It has been filled with... well... mostly just hanging out. I visited a couple of friends who live nearby. I read two books. My sister and I have gone to lunch and gotten pedicures.
I also helped my sister do some organizing. We bought bins at Target and sorted the downstairs closet and cleaned up the kids' rooms. Yesterday, I was helping my niece with her homework while my sister was organizing the playroom. When I came in, I found this:

My nieces don't mess around when it comes to Breyer Horses.

"Did you do that?" I asked my sister.
"Yep," she said.
"Wow," I said, examining the shelves. "Hey wait a second! You just wanted to organize the playroom so you could play with the Breyer Horses!"
"Maybe..." she said.
I was really just sorry I had missed it.

I've also gotten to spend lots of quality time with my nieces, which has been great. I've watched them at their martial arts and vaulting and riding classes (they have the coolest hobbies). We did some baking and cooking projects.

I've picked them up from school and helped them with their homework (sort of). We've cuddled up with the dogs and watched movies. I've laughed with them and given them lots of hugs and I've noticed that the more I get to hang out with my nieces, the more I realize just what interesting, funny, beautiful, creative, smart, amazing people they are.

I'm leaving tomorrow, which is fine. I'm not in a hurry to get back, but I guess my vacation has to end sometime. I've gotten to do basically everything I wanted to while I was here. I didn't want shop or go to the movies or visit the Usual Neat Places that people tend to flock to in town. I just wanted to enjoy spending time with my loved ones, being in a different environment from home, and not having to study. Check.

I also got to take a pony for a walk.

Not their pony, a pony at the barn.

Bonus.

fun fun fun weekend

Oh man I'm tired. Not really 'tired tired' but more like 'looking around my apartment with eyes at half-mast wondering where all this crap came from and where to put it all and OMG the laundry is spilling out of the basket and blocking the entire kitchen/hallway and I've already washed three loads of it and I still have to unpack the cooler and take my camping things and costume bins down to the storage room and I have to finish critiquing an article today and do my clinical log at some point and gah Bowie threw up in my beach glass....'

Anyhow. This weekend was REALLY FUN. I was happy to be out of the city and in an area with open spaces/trees. And then I arrived at the campground and spent the weekend having picnics, swimming, lounging, listening to fantastic live music, and wearing costumes. Basically a bunch of my favorite things to do all in one weekend: FUN.

Here are the things I ended up packing. I'm posting this because I'd like to have it written down somewhere and also I've never been what might be considered a 'light' or 'efficient' packer-- I usually tend to bring OPTIONS of different outfits, even if I'm just going somewhere overnight-- but THIS time I actually did a pretty efficient job of packing. It was still a ridiculous amount of stuff, but there were only a very few things we didn't end up needing/wanting.

Camping things
- tent
- sleeping bags, blankies, pillows- last year I was FREEZING at night but this year I was actually okay, probably due to the combination of the different camp site, sleeping bags, and this blanket.
- air mattress- the one I ended up getting was kind of ridiculous because it was so high up it looked like a full sized bed. But it was the first air mattress I've slept on that was actually comfortable.
- bug repellent lotion
- sunscreen lotion- spray things tend to bother other people.
- flashlight

Clothes and such
- 1 skirt- I felt like maybe I should have brought more than one after I spilled coconut milk goo on it while I was helping out in the kitchen but, meh, camping.
- 4 pairs of pants (capri lounge pants, regular lounge pants, sweatpants, purple leggings). I should have skipped the sweatpants but, again, I was anticipating being COLD at night. Also, I generally don't like the idea of wearing regular clothes as jammies but I neglected to remember that when I'm camping I ALREADY feel/am grungy so wearing my clothes to bed probably isn't any more gross.
- 4 shirts
- 2 undertanks
- socks, underoos- I was particularly happy I brought THESE:

Toe socks! For wearing to bed and getting up in the middle of the night to pee and stepping out of the tent and into my flip flops with ease!

- swimsuit, towel
- hat- I just renewed my driver's license and now I must wear corrective lenses when I drive so I've been doing a lot of driving with my glasses plus a billed cap.
- sunglasses
- 1 pair boots, 1 pair sneakers, 1 pair flip flops- I'm sure this sounds like a ridiculous amount of shoes but for ME that is actually a pretty conservative number. I wanted to bring another pair of boots to go with my costumes, but I decided to just wear the boots that fit in my duffel bag since they would actually go with both costumes (western AND cosmic). I also thought about bringing a pair of slidey-on sneakers for getting up in the middle of the night to pee, and that's how I came up with the awesome toe sock ideer.
- clothes for swap- I actually brought more clothes to donate to the swap than I took home. Success!

Snacks
- beef jerky, cheetos puffs, PB&J fixins, cookies- breakfast and dinner were provided but lunches were on our own.
- cooler with ice, beer, sodas, string cheese.

Kitchen
- lemons- one of the main kitchen people had sent out an email that they needed lemons and my parents have a lemon tree so I volunteered to bring some.
- potatoes- everyone is supposed to bring a vegetable so I brought potatoes.
- cups, plates, bowls, utensils
- water bottle- there was a filling station.

Toiletries
- toothbrushes, toothpaste
- baby wipes- very useful, particularly since I didn't shower....
- hairbands, hairbrush
- deodorant
- benadryl
- makeup & glitter

Costumes and Accessories
- western outfit- long skirt, western looking sweater

 The boys had pretty great interpretations of western wear.

- cowboy hat
- orange outfit- I needed an orange outfit for Saturday afternoon so I bought an orange skirt and some tall orange socks and a scarf at a thrift store.
- cosmic outfit- a zodiac print skirt, pink tube top, sparkly leg warmers, and colorful arm warmers.

- glowsticks- I brought six tubes of glowsticks. I didn't realize there were FIFTEEN glow bracelets in each tube so we had enough for both nights and plenty to share.
- magic wand
- earrings
One thing that I was really happy I did was figure out my exact costumes ahead of time and pack them in ziploc bags. Like I said, I usually like to have options, so this was a BIG DEAL.

I also brought a few things that were interchangeable. Like the purple leggings I took would work with the one regular skirt (for either driving or lounging around if it hadn't been super hot like it was) and they could go under my long western skirt or under my zodiac skirt to keep me warmer at night. I also wore my orange head scarf a lot. In fact, I'm wearing it right now.

Yes, I have showered since I've been back. I just haven't washed my hair yet....

I should have brought- a couple cloth napkins or an extra towel, hairspray or hair goo of some kind. I went for a swim on Saturday so my hair was pretty coarse from the chlorine and stuck together nicely when I put it up in my crazy cosmic hairdo.
I didn't need- so many dang jackets, book, earplugs, spray sunscreen.

Did I mention it was a lot of fun?

Sunny is moving across the country in about a week (WAAAAH) to get married and start her big grownup professional life but she said that she'll keep going to S0up, so I can look forward to seeing her again next year!

Souperjules

I'm going camping this weekend and packing for this trip is... difficult. Allow me to explain. You see I'm going to this annual Bay Area festival type thing called 'S0up' that's kind of hippyish and Burning Man-esque and they rent out a whole campground/compound area for 300ish people and you camp and there's music pretty much all day long and 'playshops' (like workshops, but for fun things) you can attend or not attend as you like and everybody hugs you.
I went last year with my friend who I'll call Sunny because she's basically the human embodiment of a ray of sunshine, but if you meet her I swear you'll like her. I know what you're thinking-- you're thinking "Pshhh, I won't like her. I bet she'll just annoy me." And I'm telling you SHE WON'T. I tend not to like most people I meet but I liked her instantly and she's happy and bubbly and sweet but not in an annoying way. And I wish I could tell you her real name but it's very unique and internet-searchable so for now she'll be Sunny.

ANYHOW. Sunny invited me and our other friend T last year and we had a blast. Evidence:

That's Sunny in the middle and T on the right.

She's also good at singing (and dancing and hula hooping). You'll like her, I swear.

The food was terrific.

I'm glad I took this pic last year-- there won't be a dragon at the new campsite.

Swimming in the pond!

So since I attended last year I'm invited back and I'm allowed to bring a guest. I talked KC into coming with me and after months and months of S0up being in the distant future it is suddenly THIS WEEKEND. And we have to pack. Last year the theme was Sea (can't you tell from our costumes?), this year the theme is Cosmic. I posted my packing list last year and it's even more extensive this year, partly because I know a little bit better what I'm getting myself into and partly because the theme is different.

tent
sleeping bags, blankies, pillows
air mattress
snacks
beer
soda
bug spray
flashlight
book
flip flops
sneakers
boots
Betsy (KC's guitar)
lemons
potatoes
glow sticks
magic wand
earplugs
toiletries
baby wipes
towel
sun hat
clothes for swap
lougey clothes
jacket/sweats
underoos, socks
cups, plates, bowls, utensils
water bottle
cowboy hat
orange outfit
space outfits
GLITTER
rubber bands
cooler with ice
sunscreen
folding table

Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

Sharing the Zen

A couple weeks ago, I visited my sister and her family. I had a lot of fun going out to eat and staying in to eat and playing with my nieces and wearing silly bandz and snacking on girl scout cookies.

And I was telling my sis about my organizing project and the magic book I'm reading and how the chapter I'm on now has me working on going through my collections of stuff and my photos and memorabilia. And she started asking me questions about THE ZENNING and before I knew it we were going through her kids' school stuff and artwork. We categorized it all and created seasonal decoration piles and then put those decorations into plastic storage bins and then we organized two closets and the toy loft.

I know it is going to sound like I'm a huge Nerdy McNerdpants but I had a REALLY FUN TIME helping my sister get organized. Also, I'm jealous of her vacuum.

Other stuff I did/saw over the weekend.

Staying In

Today I am staying in.
I am staying in this morning because I will inevitably spend money if I go out and I really shouldn't.
I am staying in this afternoon because I am waiting for the dishwasher repair man to come.
If the dishwasher gets repaired early enough, I am allowing myself 1 (one) trip to the Goodwill donation station. But that is ALL.

Today I am packing.
I am packing for a mini road trip that I am planning to take to Southern California. Just for a couple days, just to see a couple of important people while I'm still in this strange limbo of summer break/working part time.

I have my audiobooks. I have my new hot pink duffel bag. I have clean tank tops and undies and my swimsuit and flip flops.
I don't have an itinerary.
My plans to stay with my friend M fell through because of the construction at her apartment so now I'm not quite sure about lodging. I texted a couple of people but have yet to hear back. I'm not worried, though-- something will work out. It always does.
The last time I drove down to LA on my own, somebody (you can probably figure out who) flaked on me at the last minute and I called my friend Nicole at 11 pm from a Safeway parking lot off the I-5. She had to work at 7 am the next morning but she gave me directions to her house and promised to have a vodka cran and some cheese ready for me when I got there.

So I don't have a plan, but I have a very long car ride and a cell phone to figure it out. I would like to see my friends. I would like to eat at some of my favorite restaurants. I would like to wear my sundresses.

It is actually a little bit surreal to be going to LA. I used to live there. For eight years, I lived there. I considered it my home. And now I hardly consider it at all.
LA is big and loud and dirty and inconvenient. It is full of people looking at you, looking at each other, dressing up to go to the grocery store. It is full of people who are something else. Bartenders are actors, waitresses are singers, singers are poets, celebrities are a nuisance.

LA still has a special place in my heart, and I think it always will. I don't want to live there, but I want to remember what it was like to live there and the kind of person I was. I recently showed my SF friends how I would sway my hips when I walked in my heels and fancy jeans, tossing my hair and pouting because I knew people were looking. Someone was always looking. I never walked anywhere I could drive. I would drive across the street to Trader Joe's to buy a salad for lunch. But after a night of drinking, my friends and I would walk home a mile or two from the bars. Because it was warm enough. And because we were too cheap to pay for a cab and none of us had the phone number for one anyway.

I lived there for eight years and the last time I was there was in the middle of last December. The last time I drove down there on my own was almost one year ago. My my how things have changed in one year.

I wonder if going there this time will feel different. I try not to wonder what my life would be like if I hadn't left.

Today I am packing and tidying up. I am waiting. I am staying in.

Packing List

I'm going away for the weekend. Hmm, how can I describe this trip to you?

I'm going to be camping and it is kind of Burning Man-esque and hippieish and naturey. And there will be dress up costume parties but there are also going to be regular daytime hours of swimming and hanging out and whatnot. The whole weekend has an ocean theme so any and everything you do/wear/say can or should have something to do with the ocean-- sea creatures, pirates, Neptune, luau, sailors, etc. And the temp is going to be in the 80s during the day and the 40s at night.

Here is the packing list I received:

lounge/ comfy clothes for during the day

warm coat/clothes for nighttime

sleeping bag/sleeping pad

utensils (plate, cup, fork, spoon, coffee mug)

sunglasses/hat

alcohol (your choice of what you will want to drink throughout the weekend), mixer, energy drinks

snacks (breakfast and dinner provided)

advil

ICE- pick this up in town before you get to the campsite

anything hawaiian/tiki bar theme

sunscreen

towel

water bottle

chairs to sit at our camp site

flashlight

camera

pillow

Clothes/accessories/jewelry that you don’t want any more for the swap

Talent for the talent show

shower stuff? there are showers but i think they are cold, you dont HAVE to shower

bathing suit or just go naked for a swim!

COSTUMES especially for nights
glitter

I am also bringing baby wipes, bug repellent, and a book. I feel like I might be forgetting something. Any recommendations or things YOU like to bring camping or on vacation or to a costume party?

Souvenirs

Fort Bragg doesn't seem to "get" that it might be a tourist destination. I mean, we were there on Memorial Day weekend and there was stuff to see-- the quilt show, the flea markets, the botanical gardens, the miles of gorgeous coastline, the pretty trees, etc-- and yet a lot of businesses were closed on Sunday or had weird, early hours every day. So even though all the bed & breakfasts were booked up and the brewery pub was crowded it felt like we were getting the inside view of a sleepy little town.

We hit up the botanical gardens on Sunday. It's beautiful, natch. And the walk takes you all the way to the seaside cliffs.

 
And then we had lunch at a little hot dog restaurant the waitress asked us what we were up to and we said we had been to the botanical gardens. She said "Oh, I haven't been there yet this year. The rhododendrons must be in bloom!"

Were they, ever.

Another thing to see in Fort Bragg, and the main reason I wanted to go there, was the Glass Beach. The story is that back in the 1940s the Fort Bragg coastline was a dump and people who lived there would just toss their trash over the cliffs (because what better way to enhance the fragile California coast than to throw garbage at it?). In the late '60s the dump was moved inland and years and years of waves have, as their web site puts it, "corrected man's mistakes." I don't know if I would go so far as to say THAT because I definitely saw some of Man's Mistakes still present.

"Waterfall!"

Garbage!

More garbage! And my long-legged shadow.

"I can't believe they put a junkyard this close to the ocean."
"Not a junkyard, a DUMP."
"Oh. Right."
"Yeah. We are literally sifting through old garbage."

But the glass.

It was beautiful.
It shone on the beach and glittered in the water. Like treasures. Like gems.

I spent literally hours raking my fingers over the rocks finding interesting and pretty glass fragments. At first I wanted only perfectly rounded opaqued pieces but after awhile I started to appreciate the oddly shaped pieces, the jagged or rough ones, the bits of ceramic and pottery, the scraps where you could still make out writing, the funny little lumps that might have once been a mug handle or bottle base. I was fascinated by the beauty and the surreality.

We even checked out the Sea Glass Museum on Sunday and learned about the rarities of the various stones and how the proprietor takes a kayak to the sea-accessible portion of the original dump where he finds "the really good stuff."

So. My weekend in Fort Bragg was fun, relaxing, and interesting. I came home with some lovely, old-ladyish souvenirs.

Moss from the botanical gardens. (That quarter is to show you how teensy those little flowers are).

Jam from the flea market.

And glass from the beach.