I am now one of the gainfully employed. Got hired last week and started today slinging coffee at Peet's, a venerable coffee chain that has been around forever and sparked such things as Starbucks. Soon I will wow crowds with my espresso machine skills, but today I focused on dealing out beans (ground right then and there or whole) to the masses. And filling out paperwork.
Pretty awesome. I'm still hunting more work, but I'm excited about learning to barista.
And just in case you were wondering, it's in the 60s F here. Low in the 50s. Ahhhh, glorious.
This weekend too was fabulous in that we did everything you can think of that makes up a good weekend: going to the beach, eating out, taking a ferry ride across the bay, more good food and then ice cream, bar-hopping in the Mission with baseball and huge geeks that work for tech companies, dancing to live Brazilian music and then getting invited to a wedding afterparty in Sarah's building when we came home, dancing some more and meeting some neighbors. Exhausting and invigorating. Add to that I got to hang out with Alojzya on Thursday and Friday and actually talk for what seemed like the first time in years; doesn't get much better. I'm excited too because Barb is going to be around Thursday, my dad from Sunday to Weds and Mike moves here 19 Nov!
Now to figure out Halloween plans.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
One week in sun-filled splendor
Today marks my being in the Bay Area for a week. It's gorgeous. Completely and totally. Sally's house overlooks the bay from the towering hills of Berkeley (quite the climb on foot, I must say) and all the time it's a distracting sight. Sunset, sunrise, night or day - it's breathtaking. One can't tire of it.
I took the first few days to get over jet lag (I was so keyed up I couldn't sleep really for a few days - trekking around the hills cured that and I slept like a baby Thursday night finally). Met some of Sally's friends on Saturday, reconnected with some people I've not seen in years (with more to come). I now have a cell phone too - excitement - so the job hunting can begin in earnest. Huzzah. People are also very outwardly friendly here, lots of "hello"s as one walks, I've chatted with some dog owners and shopworkers enjoying the fact that it's easy to do linguistically - it's been a long time since that was the case. I'm thrilled because it seems like a bunch of people are coming through in the upcoming months, starting with Alojzya tomorrow. We'll have dinner (knowing chefs I also have an insider's view on eateries in this food-crazed place. It's fantastic.) and catch up, I can't wait.
Enjoy procrastination - back to job apps. Know anyone who needs a clever worker to do something with books?
I took the first few days to get over jet lag (I was so keyed up I couldn't sleep really for a few days - trekking around the hills cured that and I slept like a baby Thursday night finally). Met some of Sally's friends on Saturday, reconnected with some people I've not seen in years (with more to come). I now have a cell phone too - excitement - so the job hunting can begin in earnest. Huzzah. People are also very outwardly friendly here, lots of "hello"s as one walks, I've chatted with some dog owners and shopworkers enjoying the fact that it's easy to do linguistically - it's been a long time since that was the case. I'm thrilled because it seems like a bunch of people are coming through in the upcoming months, starting with Alojzya tomorrow. We'll have dinner (knowing chefs I also have an insider's view on eateries in this food-crazed place. It's fantastic.) and catch up, I can't wait.
Enjoy procrastination - back to job apps. Know anyone who needs a clever worker to do something with books?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
ah, oui, les français
I'm totally validated once again in my talking to strangers. Last Monday I was walking after having lunch with Eric when I overheard two guys speaking in French and looking lost. So I asked them (en français) if they were lost and when learning they were looking for food I offered to take them for cevapcici since it was on my way anyway. Away we went, chatting to the restaurant and while they ate the glory that is cevap. Turns out they are half of a quartet, Quatuor Ebene, playing here as part of BEMUS (Belgrade World music festival). They said could give me tickets for concert the following night (which was classical) and they were playing jazz the night after in Movie Bar. Since my current existence has lots of free time, I was ready, willing, and able to go listen to gorgeous music.
Gorgeous it was. I took Uros (lots of others couldn't make it) and we sat in quite good seats left for us with a guard, listening to a dynamic program. You could feel the music and it was lovely beyond my expectations. Afterwards we found Raphael and Pierre and ended up going with them, the other two in the group and some French embassy types to dinner at this little French restaurant near the hall. Pierre and Uros got into an thick exchange of music and films, it was a meeting of like-minds that one rarely sees. Raphael joined in later a bit, also some people from French Cultural Center discussing politics and the region for over the past 30 years, drinking wine and generally enjoying. We laid plans to hang out the next day and play tourist guide, leaving with the general well-being that eating and music bring.
Wednesday afternoon after an impulse buy of jeans (woohoo!) Uros and I met Raphael (Pierre needed to rest so opted out) and walked up to St. Sava to look at the grandeur of the temple, then have a coffee and chat before strolling back down to center. Found out that the group will be touring in the US this coming March and will be in the Pacific NW (also Boston, NYC, Oklahoma City) so I'll try to see them there. And then we always have Paris - I love having new people to visit in places that I already love (as many of you know). That night we went to see the jazz set with Uros's friend Marko and afterwards ended up having drinks, singing along with the piano and jazz standards until 2 a.m. Then some of us went (after dropping off instruments at their hotel) for rakija at Triangle bar (it's always open, down near Julia's faculty). It was just a thrilling kind of fun that one gets from talking with people who are interesting and interested in similar things (art's big, also language). We got some burek after the drinks and hung out some more - Uros and I were walking home at 6 a.m. completely content with life. He (thankfully) had lessons at 1, I wasn't working at all so no real worries there. Promises to keep in touch were exchanged, now to see if those promises sustain (I've become cynical about such things, especially in recent weeks).
This whole French connection (and oh, wasn't it grand to be speaking French again) once again showed me things I love about my life here in Belgrade, but also that the upcoming transitions will be helped because I talk to, oh, basically anyone. This week I also got to meet Uros's sister (finally!), we all had lunch. I met some of Dragana's journalist friends, have been baking a bunch, and listening to lots of music way loud in Uros's flat. Packing will begin tomorrow... yes. Tomorrow. Thankfully the highs are high enough they can carry me through the next few days and the parts of the past month that have been less than stellar.
Gorgeous it was. I took Uros (lots of others couldn't make it) and we sat in quite good seats left for us with a guard, listening to a dynamic program. You could feel the music and it was lovely beyond my expectations. Afterwards we found Raphael and Pierre and ended up going with them, the other two in the group and some French embassy types to dinner at this little French restaurant near the hall. Pierre and Uros got into an thick exchange of music and films, it was a meeting of like-minds that one rarely sees. Raphael joined in later a bit, also some people from French Cultural Center discussing politics and the region for over the past 30 years, drinking wine and generally enjoying. We laid plans to hang out the next day and play tourist guide, leaving with the general well-being that eating and music bring.
Wednesday afternoon after an impulse buy of jeans (woohoo!) Uros and I met Raphael (Pierre needed to rest so opted out) and walked up to St. Sava to look at the grandeur of the temple, then have a coffee and chat before strolling back down to center. Found out that the group will be touring in the US this coming March and will be in the Pacific NW (also Boston, NYC, Oklahoma City) so I'll try to see them there. And then we always have Paris - I love having new people to visit in places that I already love (as many of you know). That night we went to see the jazz set with Uros's friend Marko and afterwards ended up having drinks, singing along with the piano and jazz standards until 2 a.m. Then some of us went (after dropping off instruments at their hotel) for rakija at Triangle bar (it's always open, down near Julia's faculty). It was just a thrilling kind of fun that one gets from talking with people who are interesting and interested in similar things (art's big, also language). We got some burek after the drinks and hung out some more - Uros and I were walking home at 6 a.m. completely content with life. He (thankfully) had lessons at 1, I wasn't working at all so no real worries there. Promises to keep in touch were exchanged, now to see if those promises sustain (I've become cynical about such things, especially in recent weeks).
This whole French connection (and oh, wasn't it grand to be speaking French again) once again showed me things I love about my life here in Belgrade, but also that the upcoming transitions will be helped because I talk to, oh, basically anyone. This week I also got to meet Uros's sister (finally!), we all had lunch. I met some of Dragana's journalist friends, have been baking a bunch, and listening to lots of music way loud in Uros's flat. Packing will begin tomorrow... yes. Tomorrow. Thankfully the highs are high enough they can carry me through the next few days and the parts of the past month that have been less than stellar.
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