Could I be a California Girl?

It's 2 A.M. on Monday morning and I have to be at work in a few short hours for the first time in almost two weeks. It's going to be the worst Monday in the history of Mondays. I'm wide awake though, changing time zones will do that to ya.

I just returned from an eye-opening trip to California and my mind is racing with hopes, thoughts, plans and possibilities. My dear friend Molly moved to San Francisco this past summer and I finally got the chance to visit. "You'll love it out here," she told me. "You should really think about moving here," she said. "You NEED to get out of Buffalo," was repeated many times.

Truth is, that thought has been in my head for quite some time. The only thing holding me back was fear. What if I can't stand being away from my family? What if I hate it? What if it makes me sad? What if I miss something important at home? What if I want to move back and can't find a job?

Some of those fears still exist for me, but this trip muted them substantially. And it pretty much obliterated the, "What if I hate it?" part. I know with almost absolute certainty that I would completely love living in San Francisco.

Whenever I'd considered moving away before, New York was always at the top of my list. I think that was part of the problem. New York is scary. It's dirty and cold and gigantic and mean. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it, but it's MEAN. (New York, you know I love you, please forgive me.) The scariness is part of its appeal though, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere, right? I've always had this drive to prove that I can be successful on my own in a big city like that.

This trip opened my eyes to the possibility of being successful on my own in a big, friendly city. San Francisco is clean and warm and bright and welcoming. Life there seems manageable. Everyone seems genuinely happy, at least everyone that I met. And the best part? It's on the freaking ocean! It doesn't get any better than that. Any city where you can look out your window and see surfers walking down the street in their wet suits, carrying surf boards is far from intimidating.

Observing Molly and her group of friends, many of them Buffalo transplants and almost all of them transplants from somewhere, I saw a group of positive, adventurous, energetic, spirited, easy-going people who are so full of life. A drastic change from the mid-winter population of Buffalo. I had a lot of fun with them and hope to have more fun soon.

I will always be a Buffalo girl at heart, but there is a whole big world out there with so much opportunity. I want to explore it, to learn and grow from it. There are things out there that Buffalo just can't offer an unattached 25 year-old girl itching for something more in her life.

California inspired me to end the stagnation. I've been in a rut and the only way I'll ever get out is to climb. I've been unhappy with life lately and I am the only one that can turn it around. Will I end up in San Francisco? Perhaps. Only time will tell.

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream. Wandering by lone sea breakers, and sitting by desolate streams. World losers and world forsakers, for whom the pale moon gleams. Yet we are movers and the shakers of the world forever it seems." - Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy

The House That Ruth Built

I spent Labor Day weekend in New York City and let me tell you, it was a good time. My little brother and I drove there together, almost sixteen hours in a car with your sibling... not everyone can survive that. He's an odd duck, but we get along well, most of the time.

The idea for this trip came about while watching the Home Run Derby back in July. Tim and I were sitting in the living room, watching Josh Hamilton blast homer after homer out of Yankee Stadium, when we thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to see that place before it's gone forever?"

My parents were vacationing in Boston at the time and being the spoiled brats that we are, we were a little miffed about being left behind. Itching to take a trip of our own, we bought tickets to the Yankees vs. Blue Jays game on August 31.

I'm not really a Yankees fan. I'm not passionate about baseball, I don't have an allegiance to any particular team and I have enough respect for baseball's true fans to not be a faker. Hockey and football rule my heart, but I can appreciate any sport. I play softball, grew up going to Bison's games and find baseball entertaining. Plus, how can you not love those tight pants? I kid, I kid.

I am, however, a sucker for history and seeing an 85-year old stadium where all the greats played - Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Bera, the one and only Babe Ruth and so many more - THAT was really, really cool.

The Yankees lost that day, but it didn't matter. We got to see the the House that Ruth Built. We got to eat Nathan's hot dogs (which I didn't really like) and see A-Rod hit a home run and cram into the subway with all of the other Yankees fans. It was an experience I won't ever forget.

The rest of the trip was lots 'o fun too. Except when Tim accidentally got lost in the Bronx in the middle of the night and I had a mini panic attack. I checked out ESPN Zone for the first time, saw Times Square lit up at night (something that never gets old for me, no matter how many times I've seen it), moseyed around the Virgin Music Store, said hello to Lady Liberty, ate pizza in Little Italy, sang karaoke in Chinatown and even hung out at a block party in Brooklyn.

Thanks to our gracious host for the place to stay, the endless hours of entertainment and putting up with my anti-social sibling. Someday he'll grow out of his quiet phase and astound you with amazing conversation skills. Maybe not.

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become." - Buddha

I’ve been staying up much too late these days because I can’t stop watching the Olympics. I’ve always been fascinated by the Games, but this year’s location is especially intriguing. Every time they show a shot of the Great Wall, the Bird’s Nest or any major tourist attraction, I yell from my spot on the couch “I’ve been there!” My family is getting slightly annoyed.

The media coverage has been overwhelming. I don’t know if there has been more coverage of these Games than in the past or if I’m just paying closer attention this time, but China is everywhere. I’ve been reading articles and watching television shows about the food, culture, government, people, environment and, oh yea - the Olympics in Beijing - just about every day for months now. I’m addicted.

Unfortunately I missed the Opening Ceremonies due to bridesmaid obligations, but people say they were spectacular. Hopefully, some sort of Beijing 2008 highlights video will be available soon. I want to soak up as much China as possible before the world stops caring about our friends in the East.

My trip to China last May taught me so much about myself, human nature and the world in general. Walking up and down the insanely busy street in front of the Friendship Hotel in Beijing by myself one day (don’t worry, it was broad daylight in a safe neighborhood), I felt so small, so insignificant. People looked at me funny because I was the only white person around. It was very intimidating.

At the time, I didn’t like it one bit. I was also hungry, tired, hot, sick and miserable. But reflecting on that experience now puts things in perspective. Sometimes we need a reminder that most of our every-day mumbles and grumbles are trivial in the grand scheme of things. This world is a big place, but not so big that we should be out of touch with the other side of it.

There are many things I’d rather forget about China – the smell, the scary food, the squatter toilets, etc. But some things I hope remain with me forever, like the breathtaking beauty of the Great Wall and walking the paths of emperors that lived thousands of years ago in the Forbidden City. I don’t want to forget the thrill of seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors or the tranquility that comes with finding a quiet corner to meditate at one of the sacred Buddhist sites, like the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

Most importantly, I don’t want to forget the lessons about people, like the patience required to communicate without words or the simplistic way of life that most Chinese know, happy just to wake up and be able to provide for their families another day. The American way is certainly the way for me, but it’s not the only way. It’s important to respect that. Thank you, Olympics, for refreshing my memory.

Pahk ya cah in Havahd Yahd.

Boston is wicked cool. Mel and I spent last weekend shopping, eating, drinking, sightseeing and generally just running around like crazy. We hit up Faneuil Hall, Fenway, Boston Common, Boylston Street, the Prudential Center, the Central Wharf, Cheers, the Holocaust Memorial and several fine drinking establishments in less than 48 hours. It was great.

I highly recommend the Hilton in the Financial District. The room was awesome, the beds were super comfy and the staff was really friendly. It was a block away from Faneuil Hall and reasonably close to the T.

With all that's been going on lately, I had it in the back of my mind that I should figure out if Boston might be a cool city to live in while I was there. Short answer: yes! It has the appeal of being a "big city," but it's manageable in size and getting around is really easy. I didn't get lost once. There's lobster EVERYWHERE. Things are reasonably priced. And the people (at least the people I came in contact with) are really, really nice.

We kept making Buffalo connections everywhere we went, so maybe that had something to do with it. For example, the bouncers at the bar across from our hotel. One was dating a girl from Buffalo and had been to Jim's Steak Out. The other played hockey with a guy from Orchahd Pahk. Oh yea, I love the Boston accent. For real.

Since the Sabres were playing in Boston that night, people were sporting Sabres gear everywhere we looked. We made friends with some dudes from Amherst, who we pretty much hung out with all night and figured out that we knew a bunch of the same people. It was kind of crazy.

It was also nice to spend some quality time with Mel. That very, very rarely happens these days. Even though we live a block away from each other, I probably see her once a month, if that. Apparently, when you work third shift, making plans with people is rather difficult because you're always sleeping when they're awake.

She and I have some MAJOR differences, but we know each other so well that we've just come to accept those things about each other and deal. Not to say that we don't drive each other nuts sometimes, but I think that's normal. I think we had more in common when we were 15 and first became friends, but we've been through so much together and our friendship is so strong that we've been able to grow separately without growing apart. The one thing we will always have in common is our sense of humor and that's what our friendship thrives on. There are other things, but mostly it's our history and our humor.

Melanie is one of the few people on this Earth that I can absolutely, 100 percent be myself with. I love that girl. She brings out the goofy side of me and we always get into ridiculous conversations that nobody else could possibly understand, but we end up laughing so hard we cry. And then we do it again. I wish that I could be that effortlessly candid with more people in my life, but she and I just click in a unique way. I guess that comes with being friends with someone for 10 years.

We've certainly paid our dues over those 10 years. Maybe I appreciate the good times with her so much because I've experienced some downright abysmal times with her as well. When you've done the roller coaster ride with someone that you truly care about and you both come out on top, it makes you love them that much more. I worry about her sometimes, but everything will work out. We'll all find happiness and balance in our lives. We just have to keep searching. That's all there is to it. If not, I'll just move to Boston and start over.