The morning after.

After sleeping in a little bit after the storm kept me up, it was refreshing to walk over to my local coffee shop and see all the people out and about on the Hill. There are a few downed trees, and a lot of leaves and small branches all over the place. But this was my favorite scene from the morning:

No, honey, turn the wheel away from the leaves.

I managed to walk by at the perfect time -- this couple was trying to figure out how to navigate their car out from under this tree branch, but the branch hadn't hit the car at all. Talk about a lucky break.

Now that the storm has passed through, I might try to get in my first run back in D.C. this afternoon. And then, my fall schedule officially begins tomorrow with my fellowship down at the D.C. Superior Court (and class on Tuesday).

Hurricane Irene.

I made it back to D.C. today, two suitcases (one carry-on, one larger) in hand. Just in time to be completely unprepared for Hurricane Irene. I don't even have my normal toiletries & groceries, let alone emergency ones. All I have is a salad from the airport, a small bag of trail mix, and the goodwill of my new landlords.

Nevertheless, it will be an interesting first weekend.

Tomorrow morning I will go "hunting" for supplies. Tomorrow afternoon I'm supposedly doing a rescheduled meeting that was supposed to be on Sunday. Seriously, back to the grind -- not even in town 24 hours and already back to work.

I miss Nevada. I miss my house, my bed, my unemployed-ness. And I miss Mr. TPG - a lot. Hopefully I will survive these next four months living out of my suitcase, living 2,600 miles away from my dear husband. While I was planning to go back once a month, earlier this week I tearfully declared it would be every three weeks. Guess I will just rack up frequent flyer miles this fall!

If I Die Young.

I've always had a sweet spot for country music, especially songs by female vocalists, which is now much more appropriate since I live in the "country" and not the city. There's something sweet and passionate about it that is so easy to relate to.

This is my latest music addiction:



The Band Perry - If I Die Young

The sky is falling!

Sitting at my computer today in sunny Carson City, suddenly my online media began to shake, rattle, and roll. Well, not quite. But there was quite a flurry of sudden posts about the 5.8 quake that hit Virginia earlier today.

Haven't heard about it yet? You must live under a rock. Or in California, where earthquakes are abundant and less exciting than when Specialty's Warm Cookie Radar sends out an alert.

I don't mean to bag on our fine East Coast friends. After all, there was some damage done (some of the spires fell off the National Cathedral!) and after living in the nation's capital city for three years, I know the heightened fears of attacks that come along with being a resident of a terrorist target region. But some of the panic seems a little over the top.

All together now, panic!

While I can't help but be slightly amused by the mass freak out going on back east, I'm also a tad disappointed that I missed it! It's been over three years since my last earthquake, and something about those shakers make me feel at home.

I still remember the last "larger" quake I felt, which was very similar in size to the one in D.C. today. It was October 30, 2007. I was at work (yes, at 8:00pm) on the 31st floor of a high-rise building in downtown San Francisco. The building started to sway. I looked up from my computer screen, realized it was a quake, gchatted a friend "quake!", and then continued to work away. Didn't even jump under my desk. But I guess after you live through a Loma Prieta quake as a kid, the things start to scare you less...

Four years is a long time to go without feeling the earth shake and I wish I could have been there for this one. But alas, I don't fly back east until Friday -- just in time to welcome Hurricane Irene. Never a dull weather moment on the East Coast!

Long Weekend: Tahoe Monday

We came back from Yosemite a day early so I could wash my hair so we could hit the beach at Lake Tahoe on Monday before Mr. TPG's long vacay weekend ended. We did some google-ing and found a beach on the Nevada side of the lake, a short hike down from the highway. We weren't quite sure where to park to get there, but took a guess based on the cars parked on the shoulder of the road. We sure got some funny looks carrying our beach chairs, towels, and cooler down the dirt trail towards the lake. I could soon guess at least one reason for the looks - we had parked about half a mile early and thus had a slightly longer hike to get to the sandy shore. And I do mean an actual hike -- dirt trails and surrounding trees involved. But when we got there, we were pleasantly surprised. The beach was small, but there weren't too many people there. The water was warm. And the sun was perfect for tanning.

Either the actual "Secret Harbor" beach, or somewhere close.

While the beach we chose is apparently a clothing-optional beach, much like Black's Beach which stood in the shadows of my alma mater, both Mr. TPG and I stayed fully clothed. In fact, we didn't see anyone at all in their birthday suit. Hmm...maybe that's why Mr. TPG and I got weird looks as we walked down to the beach -- I believe most clothing-optional beach goers are of the older generation!

It was the perfect cherry on top of a sweet long weekend, and I don't think Mr. TPG wanted to return to work the next day. I was pretty glad that I got to rest from our "relaxing" weekend!

Long Weekend: Yosemite Days 3 & 4

Day 3 in Yosemite, we hiked to Tuolumne Falls in the Tuolumne Meadows area. It was a pretty flat hike, roughly five miles in and five miles out. The views were great though. After feeling pretty grimy from the combination of sunscreen, sweat, and deet (the mossies were in peak season), I had to dunk my head in the river to clean off. Yes, the water was cold - thanks to the massive amount of snow in the Sierras this year.

The river around Tuloumne Falls

We then took the evening to relax around the campsite...and watch as a bear raced through the campsites next to us! We had heard the bear-scare sounds around the Tuolumne campgrounds pretty much every day. Mr. TPG and I were playing cards in the quietness of our campsite when we heard a voice call out, "bear coming your way!" We looked towards the voice and saw a blonde colored bear run into the campsite next to us, pause for a minute to look at the rangers following him, and then take off again in a dash up the hillside. I called him our "albino bear" for a while, until I learned that many black bears in Yosemite are actually blonde! Who knew.


Day 4 of our adventure, we decided to head down into the valley and do the popular/famed Vernal Falls & Nevada Falls "mist trail". That hike was more difficult than I thought it would be, considering it was paved all the way up to Vernal Falls. But Mr. TPG and I were booking it, sweating like crazy, and passing the impressive grandmas making their way up the steep hike. We relaxed more once we passed Vernal Falls and the crowds died down.

Top of Nevada Falls

At the top of Nevada Falls, we dipped our feet in the water and had a leisurely lunch before racing back down on the JMT (John Muir Trail). Racing, because we decided to head home a night early and we wanted to eat dinner at Bodie Mike's BBQ in Lee Vining, since the last time we passed through on the way to Mammoth it was still closed for the winter.

Racing back along Tioga Pass

The descent from Yosemite's eastern gate to Mono Lake/Lee Vining

Amazingly, we made it back to Carson around 9:30pm and didn't even unpack the car, but rather showered and crawled into bed. But our long weekend adventures didn't end there, because we partially headed back a day early so we could enjoy a lazy Monday up at Lake Tahoe...

Long Weekend: Yosemite Day 2

Though Day 1 of our trip seeped into Day 2, once Day 2 "officially" began after we set up our campsite, it was a good, relaxing one.

Once we had our camp set up, we read a little bit (me: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Mr.: The Living), and then took our blanket to the meadow and took a nap. Napping in the middle of Tuolumne Meadows is awesome.

The meadows around Elizabeth Lake.

The last thing we did, before dinner and sleep, was take a short (approx 5 miles roundtrip) hike up to Elizabeth Lake. It was only about 600 feet of elevation change, so while it was uphill, it wasn't too bad of a climb. When we reached the meadow and stream approaching the lake, it was beautiful. Except it was also full of mossies! The mosquitoes were out in full force, and after Mr. TPG dipped his feet in the lake and we shot a few pictures, we scrambled out of there as fast as we could.

Elizabeth Lake - still had patches of snow!

After a dinner of noodle soup and a campfire, our incredibly long Day 2 ended.

Long Weekend: Yosemite Day 1

Mr. TPG took a couple days off of work this past week and we headed up to Yosemite for a few days. It was quite a jam-packed weekend, though we had plenty of time to relax and I set some new tent sleeping records (almost 12 hours one night...why can't I sleep that long in my own bed?).

I picked Mr. TPG up from work on Thursday at 4pm and immediately headed south on Hwy 395 towards Yosemite. It's only two hours from Carson City to Lee Vining (the turnoff to Tioga Pass, which cuts through Yosemite National Park), so it was a relatively short drive. We were nervous though, because we were hoping to get a first come, first served campsite up in Tuolumne Meadows area and arriving on a Thursday evening in the middle of a short summer season was risky.

Finding a Place to Sleep

When we reached the eastern gate to the park, we got the news -- all campsites full. I was a little anxious, since it was about 7pm at that point. We sped back down Tioga Pass towards the Eastern Sierras, checking campsites along the way. Full....full....full. I was losing hope, but at the same time I resolved myself to the adventure -- we could essentially sleep anywhere: the car, the side of the road. The worst that could happen was a ticket for sleeping in the "wrong" place.

As the sun set, we raced towards the June Lake loop, betting that if we were to get lucky anywhere, it would be Grant Lake, the least pretty of the four lakes on the loop. And we got lucky -- if lucky counts as a campsite in the middle of mostly RVs, without a lake view, and without much ambiance!

The next morning, we resolved to waking up at 5am to get in line for the first come, first served campsites in Tuolumne Meadows. If you haven't been to Yosemite before, Tuolumne Meadows is the biggest campgrounds in the high eastern part of the park. Half of the campsites can be reserved in advance (and they go fast) and the other half are first come, first served based on the availability that day. The summer season started very late this year because of the massive amount of snow in the Sierras this past winter, so competition is especially high this year in the park - part of me thought we were crazy for trying on a Friday morning.

After waking at 4:30am in anticipation, I tapped Mr. TPG just before 5:00am and said, "let's get going." We got to the Tuolumne Meadows campground station at 5:30am and were surprised to see about five people already in line. Turns out, the first group got there at 4:30am. Yes, that is four thirty in the morning. Insane. We pulled out a blanket and camp chairs and took our place in line. We were shortly followed by three more groups. By 6:00am, there was a pretty steady stream of people arriving - with shocked looks on their faces when they saw the line - and hurrying to join the line.

Those of us in line shared a nervous camaraderie. The couple behind us pulled out their camp stove and was offering hot water to the rest of us (it was really stinkin' cold at 5:30am!). There was a hilarious Korean woman who chatted up nearly every person in line. And there were a couple of rock climbers who pulled out their crash pad and sleeping bags and tried to nap. After talking with some of the climbers, both Mr. TPG and I wished we were a little more experienced and had the gear to do outdoor climbing because Yosemite has great rock climbing and bouldering.

At 8:30am (three hours after we got in line), the ranger came out and gave the news -- there were nine campsites available that morning. Only those of us who joined the line by 5:45am ended up with a campsite. Talk about crazy competition!

But Mr. TPG and I were among the lucky few. Our backup plan was to get a backcountry permit and just head out backpacking since we threw our gear in the car just in case. But the campsite in Tuolumne Meadows was perfect. We could do day hikes and come back in the evening and have our camp all set up. Car camping is a relaxing change from our usual backpacking trips.

We ended up getting a campsite in the most remote of the three loops within the campgrounds. It was my first time camping in the Tuolumne Meadows campgrounds and it was really nice - tons of trees, tons of space between the campsites (at least where we were), and a good balance between feeling remote and having amenities.

Tuolumne Meadows

And that was our first 14 hours at Yosemite! More to come...

Saturday morning on the lake.

On Saturday morning, we made the drive - just under an hour - out to Kirkwood, CA to go kayaking on Caples Lake. It was awesome. The lake was pretty empty, the weather was perfect, and we got a good arm workout from paddling. The surrounding mountains still had a good amount of snow on them, which made the backdrop extra beautiful.

Priceless views on Caples Lake.

We also stopped for lunch at the Kirkwood Inn & Saloon, which is pretty much the only place to dine out that way. My burger and fries were awesome, which was good since it cost me a pretty penny ($11!). Mr. TPG enjoyed his steak sandwich and sweet potato fries, and we argued over whether his sweet potato fries were better than my regular fries (I preferred my regular fries).

It was a great way to spend Saturday morning. While we were out on the lake, I definitely contemplated not returning to D.C. in a few weeks.

On Sunday, we trekked up to Reno to visit my favorite store. I scored an awesome Mountain Hardware jacket on sale in my favorite color (turquoise), which I wouldn't put down once I found it on the rack. It will come in handy for the upcoming hiking trips we have planned!

My someday friend, the bicyclist.

There is an older man who I see almost every day, bicycling on South Carson Street (aka Highway 395). He looks like he has some mental deficiency, and he is usually laughing and smiling to himself as he slowly makes his way up and down the hills. Even more strange, he has a little towing piece attached to his bike and it looks like he carries a walker of some sort.

I usually see him making his way into downtown Carson in the morning when I drop Mr. TPG off at work, and then see him again making his way south out of town when I'm on my way home from picking Mr. TPG up from work.

I wonder about him every time I see him. He is a steady and constant presence on South Carson. He obviously has the physical stamina to make the five mile trek each way, up and down some large hills. He is always smiling to himself and swaying as he inches along the shoulder of the road. I wonder what his story is, whether he gets off his bike at all during the day, and why his routine makes him so happy.

Maybe one day I will find out. For now, I will just glance curiously at him as I pass by on the highway.


On a side note, I saw a teenage boy hitchhiking on Highway 395 today. A dark blue Subaru Outback pulled over to give him a ride. As I glanced back in my rear view mirror, I saw the kid - skinny guy in a neon green t-shirt - hop into the passenger seat. I couldn't help but say a little prayer that the driver was a good guy. There are so many devious people in the world, I just hope with all my heart that I didn't witness the beginning of a bad thing.

Back to life, back to reality.

I'm blogging from the gate at SFO, on my way back up to Carson City.

It's been a really good last 12 days in the Bay Area (though I did miss Mr. TPG quite a bit - the fall back in D.C. will be brutal!). I managed to maintain sanity throughout the bar exam days, though who knows whether I passed since results don't come out until November. There were 1,200+ people in the one testing room at the Oakland Convention Center, and the feeling of being herded like cattle did make me giggle inside a few times. The best thing, though, was staying at the hotel where the test was. I was able to escape from the masses of people and refocus, do some yoga stretches, and watch a How I Met Your Mother episode during my breaks. Definitely helped me to remain calm.

Since the test ended, I've just been seeing family and friends and eating. Saw my grandparents, uncle & aunt, cousin, family friends, and my best gal pals. Got to attend one of my college friend's bridal shower and bachelorette night on the town. It was fabulous being back in my favorite city and seeing so many friends. Every time I'm back in the Bay Area I'm reminded of how much I love it (and I hope to move back - for at least a few years - at some point in the future). There's something so comforting about the cityscape, the beautiful bay waters, the fog rolling into SF, and all of the fun neighborhoods of the East Bay where I grew up.

It was a delicious 12 days, and here's what I filled my stomach with (or the places I can remember at the moment):
- Dim sum #1 at Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae, right after I landed at SFO.
- Vietnamese bun at Pho Hoa-Thai in Richmond.
- Sushi (well, chirashi for me) at Sugata in Albany.
- Dim sum #2 at Saigon in El Cerrito.
- Amazing salmon at Fish & Farm in San Francisco.
- Bagel, cream cheese, lox, cucumber, tomato, and capers 'wich from Noah's Bagels -- there is a serious lacking of bagels in both D.C. and Carson.
- Deep dish pizza from Little Star Pizza in Albany, though I felt bad cheating on my Zachary's Pizza (Mr. TPG and I used to frequent the Divisadero location of Little Star when we lived in SF).
- Brunch (whole wheat pancakes!) at Fat Apples in El Cerrito (one of my childhood homes is a block away from here...so many memories).
- Dinner at Burma Superstar in San Francisco...oh, so ridiculously good.
- Kale and homemade sausage pizza from Gioia in Berkeley - amazing!


Okay, so I didn't think I ate that much, but after reading this list I think I'm going to have to run extra miles at the gym this week...

Back to Carson, back to my healthy diet, and back to the gym!