Healthy snack idea

Potato sliced and baked with garlic salt, sea salt and pepper with a smashed avocado with a drop of avocado

California Breakfast

San Francisco sour dough from my trip, Monterey Jack cheese and avocado. Can't get any more Californian

Why San Fran is not the city for me

1. If you want a mile in any direction you end up in a bad part of town

2. My bank doesn't like San Fran (for many reasons)

3. Everyone's opinions are so in your face

4. Hills kick my butt

San Fran Thanksgiving

Japan Center twice, Haight-Ash and Castro, The Stinking Rose with fellow travelers, Fisherman's Wharf and my first hostel experience was all conquered in two days.

While sitting across the Golden Gate with a smile on my face from high fiving fellow runners across the bridge, I think of how different tonight's dinner will be compared to last years. I think of how different my life was just a few months ago when I was here. I've got so much to be thankful for.

Tonight I'll have thanksgiving with two Canadians who insist thanksgiving was in October, and we'll talk of all we're thankful for.

Past 10 Days

I have camped in Ventana twice, once in Los Padres (Big Sur) and once in Arryo Seco, filmed a documentary, utilized legal drinking and hiked Garapatta (Sobranes) all within the past 10 days.

The first three day camping trip was done through the outdoor adventure club. It was a nice laid back camping trip with some decent hiking. I met a few new friends and got to hang out with my Quebec friends. It was a fun trip with lots of food and beautiful views of the Pacific.

The documentary shooting of a manufacturing manager turned skydiver was quite an experience. Everything that could go wrong did. I've learned that even when I work with my friends, group projects stink. Anytime where responsibility is supposed to be divided equally, it's not. I'm so happy I'm in journalism and get to work with people without running into this power dynamic time and time again.

The second camping trip was just 3 days after the first one. It was a trail clearing trip, although locations were change due to rain. Most of the students were a part of a class while a few people and myself were just along for the ride. We didn't do an awful amount of trail work; it was a laid back trip, but it was fun and I learned a lot. I learned different knots and facts about trees and stars. The professor of the class, a teacher I have had a few classes with, brought his two dogs which was fun. I miss my Jack.

Today I am using a spa gift card to get a massage then packing and getting ready for San Francisco. I am excited to spend this trip with Lindsey.

After this trip I will know some of the results of fellowship applications and other writing opportunities. Exciting stuff

Food and Outdoors

If you haven't noticed a theme in this semester, I can spell it out for you: food and outdoors.

I am so happy I came to the Monterey Peninsula because the opportunity to get outside is available each day, rain or shine. Yesterday, my adventure sports class headed out in the rain to play disc golf, an interesting sport I have never heard of which is essentially golfing with frisbees.

This weekend I will be camping in I believe Vincente Flat in Big Sur. Most of the hike is facing the ocean; there will be panoramic views of cliffs and redwoods; I will be in heaven.

Next weekend is a trail clearing trip in a part of Big Sur I camped in last semester. I'm super excited for back to back camping weekends.

I am a bit nervous to come home after this semester and live in a place without these opportunities. I will definitely be volunteering for Sandy relief and joining hiking/kayaking clubs as well as getting friends together to go camping. Until then, I am definitely exploiting these chances to get outside and meet new people while I can!

Breakfast

I miss the simple meals I had in Italy

Who says healthy cant taste good

Brussel sprouts with evoo, balsamic, sea salt, pepper, and a bit of mozzarella

Who says college kids eat crap?

Nature Nature Everywhere

Topics not covered in this video but should be mentioned:

The Conversation Just Transpired Between Myself and My Roommate
"I love this [collectors old school Campbell's can]! It holds my pens and markers. I want to take it to college."
Bursting out laughing: "I'm sorry honey, but you're about to graduate."
"Ooooops," I saw huddling toward the door in embarrassment. "I meant take it home. I'll put it on my desk at work and carrying with me while I travel and I can use it to press up against the wall to hear things and right stories about them"
"I'm so glad I just cleaned the floor because laying on it laughing wouldn't be this fun."

The Bike High-five
I was biking down to Monterey yesterday to kayak and was enjoying a large downhill with my arms out wide as if I were an airplane. This older man riding one of those low bikes that have you so leaned back since your pedal is way atop your front wheel was riding in the opposite direction. He started mimicking me and smiling. It wasn't creepy although it may sound a bit sketchy. Once we got to the point of passing each other, we high-fived and he yelled out "perfect!" I shouted back "enjoy the day!" It was a nice moment of strangers sharing a nice bike ride across the beach on a clear day. Unfortunately, my faith in humans was lost later that day when a strange man was "swimming" (really dancing and singing) in the bay as my kayak class came back in and loaded up the trailer.

How Scared I am Not to Always Have Super Fun, Outdoorsy Weekends
I have faith in myself to keep doing what I love, working out or doing some kind of adventure sport in nature, although it is so much easier to do here. I have a list of trails and places I want to go in Jersey, so my friends better be ready! Plus, I will be doing meet ups.

my weekend:
Thursday: 8am class, library, night hike in Ventana with adventure sports class
Friday: Breakfast with Lindsey, bike to Monterey, kayak with group 1, swim in the bay for the first time with a wetsuit, recharge with power food (banana, nuts, luna bar), kayak again with group 2, plan more camping trips
Saturday: Wake up early and head over to Santa Cruz to watch a surf competition with friends. Surf was flat so it was cancelled, but we shopped and ate and beached and ate instead. I bought a  bathing suit to lay out in since it was 25 degrees (C). I went in the Pacific for the first time in a bathing suit. A friend and I ran on the beach a bit. We hit a farmers market on the way back (as I typed We hit a farmer, I realize I could have put that nicer, oops). I came back and biked to the sunset then Target with Lindsey.
Sunday: I will be making pumpkin pancakes with my roommate, then we'll bike down to a movie and enjoy some indian food with friends. Can't wait.

I ended up in paragraph form, oops. I would correct it if I wasn't so tired from the hiking, biking, kayaking, running, beaching, lack of sleeping. Good thing we fall back and gain an hour of sleep tonight!

Oyasumi (that's goodnight in Japanese, a language I will eventually be conversational in)

Hike, Bike and Kayak