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Just a little sail on the San Francisco Bay with my family.
My dear departed Uncle Jay left his boat to my dad and Jay’s friend Scott was kind enough to take us out on Saturday. I was surprised how much my kids enjoyed it. I usually think sailing is boring, but with Scott piloting and me making speed demands it was a perfect activity for the minions.
Song:
Oakland means Green Day to me.
Quote:
Been spending lots of quality time with the minions these days. Life has slowed down as we wait for our move, transition has us in limbo. This means adventures. We don’t do bored.
We’ve been hitting Oakland a lot these days. It’s an easy trip, maybe 20 mins and just on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel. These are our favorite Oakland Highlights.
1) Oakland Temple.
Yeah, it’s a Mormon thing, but can you really live right next to a beautiful building like this and NOT go check it out? Also great if you need to take some Quinceanera pictures in your ball gown.
The other day we were in the visitor’s center at the Oakland Temple (free, beautiful, educational, friendly, you should swing by when you have 30 mins to kill in Oakland). One of the missionaries ask Jude who Jesus loves and Jude pointed to a worker dude in a suit and said, “Jesus loves the Prophet.” Needless to say the guy was flattered.
2. The Oakland Museum.
This place was closed for years so people forget it exists. It was my first visit there and I highly recommend. It’s like a secret sanctuary of interesting culture tucked in the middle of Oakland, right near Lake Merritt.
Another day we went to the Oakland Museum which has a California history exhibit. And not just the boring Natives and panning or gold stuff! The exhibit went deeply into the depression where people lived in pipe towns all the way through the freewheeling 60’s. We brought our own relic with us and Jim was delighted to contribute to our tour. How many children will be able to say they danced psychedelically to the Grateful Dead with their grandfather who was there through it all?
Creepy Mermaid.
“To qualify for citizenship in Pipe City you must be jobless, homeless, hungry, and preferably shoeless, coatless and hatless. If one also is discouraged, lonely, filled with a terrible feeling of hopelessness and helplessness, one’s qualifications are that much stronger. One belongs.” – OAK Post 12/3/1932
Shroom-room.
No utensils with Ethiopian. Kids were thrilled.
3. Adventure Playground
Later that same day we ate Ethiopian food (have you tried it? I’m addicted.) and went to what must be the most dangerous park in America: Adventure Playground in Berkeley. This place is like a shanty village constructed by the never never land children. You can check out hammers, nails, and wood to add on to the already terrifying structures. You can check out paint and slap it anywhere. There are no rules. It’s chaos and dangerous and it is FUN. I rolled the children down a hill in a barrel. When was the last time you did that? It’s so refreshing to go somewhere where the kids aren’t overparented and overprotected.
4. Daiso.
Berkeley is also home to one of my favorite stores ever: Daiso. Have you been to Daiso? It’s a Japanese Dollar store selling the most absurd AND useful products. It’s on Telegraph at Durant. Great place to check out, and if it makes you hungry for Japanese food there’s a sushi joint next door.
Corn dog holder, me and Ashley at Daiso
5. The Fox Theater
Some Guy gave me tickets to Crystal Castles for my birthday a million months ago, so Leslie and I got to see their show at the Fox. This theater is amazing. The highlights are the creepy Buddhas and the ornate ceilings. If you get a chance to see a band at the Fox you should go. Concert was excellent – Crystal Castles are electropop/goth and everybody dances in the pit. There’s something cool and kinda scary about being in the middle of hundreds of dancing bodies, but it’s pretty peace and love so it’s not that dangerous.
Leslie’s got punk in her soul. What if I stole her little tiny jacket and wore it with my striped pants? THEN I’d be Beetlejuice!
I’m developing a new appreciation for Oakland beyond the hair shops. But the streets will always confuse the hell out of me because they just don’t make any sense. Oh, one more place you absolutely must visit if you happen to be in Oakland: The Chapel of the Chimes Mausoleum. It’s this amazingly ornate Julia Morgan building that houses thousands of dead people’s ashes in the most peaceful gorgeous rooms. Go check it out too.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch – the Origin of Love:
In Plato’s Symposium, a party is being held in which a series of speeches are given paying homage to Eros. "The Origin of Love" is taken from the speech given by the playwright Aristophanes.
According to the speech, long ago,humans were composed of two people stuck back-to-back, with two faces and eight limbs. Male-male humans came from the Sun, female-female humans from the Earth and male-female humans from the Moon. The gods, out of jealousy, split them in half. Now, throughout our lives, we are always trying to find our "other half."
Quote:
Last time I saw you
We had just split in two.
You were looking at me.
I was looking at you.
You had a way so familiar,
But I could not recognize,
Cause you had blood on your face;
I had blood in my eyes.
But I could swear by your expression
That the pain down in your soul
Was the same as the one down in mine.
That's the pain,
Cuts a straight line
Down through the heart;
We called it love.
Picture:
Story:
Nope. Not getting any explanation on this esoteric nonsense. It’s for me.
Song:
“Salt Lake City” by The Dwarves
Quote: (Actually lyrics to the above song)
“There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you except the one thing that you want me to
We went across the mighty Rio Grande and saw Disneyland and the sea you and me
But there's one thing I'll never do not even for you
I'm not going to Salt Lake City
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you except to walk among the Osmond crew
I know you're planning for a latter day and you can't betray what you know in Provo
But there's one less town on the globe and if you must go there you're going alone
I'm not going to Salt Lake City even if they tell me I can stay
Even if they resurrect my brain I don't wanna go there I don't wanna go insane
I'm not pure and I'm not pretty and I'm not going to Salt Lake City
I'm not living in Hello Kitty and I'm not going to Salt Lake City”
Story:
There is no place like Dville. I’ve ranted and raved about this little Bay Area town for years and years because it is kind of the perfect place to live. I wrote about some of my favorite parts of Dville when we moved back here a year ago (holy moly, it’s already been a year!).
But we are leaving.
Yep, the kids and I have made a decision to move to Salt Lake City, Utah in June. There it is in black and white. Oh. My. Those of you who know me know that I am eating a thousand different spiteful words I’ve said about that state. Yes, I’m dying inside. However, I have learned that in my life if I ever EVER swear something off it is absolutely bound to happen.
And so we go.
A Overall Reason Summary:
- Fresh start.
- Good friend support, some family, and YOU blog followers (yeah, you read this you just signed yourself up to help. It takes a village.)
- Solid place for kids
- Cheaper.
- Kind of like moving to a foreign country!
- City life but not TOO city like NYC or SF
- More people in my life circumstances where my current location has pretty much only stable married couples.
- Sounds challenging, I like challenges.
- Good for the “co-parenting” relationship Dx and I have. I don’t want to go into this on a public forum. He supports this decision 100% and has been very helpful. Ask me about it if you see me.
- MAYBE school. Haven’t decided yet. One thing at a time. I’ll let you know if I’m going to law school when I register.
- Niya. She loves my children as much as I do.
- God is making me.
Man, I have tried to avoid this. My feelings toward this move are very complex – just the thought of moving away from my beloved Dville makes me tear up, but I am resigned to the inspiration that this is the best choice for my family at this time. I can give it three years (or less if I damn well feel like moving back.)
My family is very very close. My parents and 6 of my 7 siblings and their families all live within 35 minutes of each other (didja catch that? Nate has made his permanent residence in Lafayette cemetery, but Val and Alina live in LA and visit often). I often see three different family members on a daily basis. Cousins go to school together, we are in the same carpools, we spend every Sunday night together. I do not want to leave this. Nonetheless I think my family overall supports our decision, but I am terrified to leave both my family and my friends that I so admire. There are no women like Dville women. I adore them. Please don’t make this move harder than it already will be.
I plan to make the absolute best of moving to SL, UT and to come without any preconceived attitudes and negativity. I’m checking my Utah bashing at the state line.
Important things to me about my current town/Things that I do not want to leave.
My little house where just me and my three babies lived happily.
My cleaning lady. We’ve had a more stable relationship than most of the men in my life.
My mom’s plays staring my nieces and nephews. I do the choreography.
24 person family bike ride on Conference Sunday.
Our preschool. We love Ms. Carol and Ms. Jackie. And they don’t mind when I show up in my cheetah suit.
Cousins Sylvie and Silas at preschool, and our preschool carpool.
The Oakland Temple. Although sometimes it makes me cry.
Mimi’s best friend twin girls who live on our court. They are a blessing.
The court gang.
My wonderful girl friends and their kids. I’ve watched these kids grow up and I love them all. I’m trying to be discreet about posting pics of friends for political reasons and “don’t post this I just got out of the gym” reasons, but you know who you are. Come visit me, there will always be a free room for you.
Mimi’s student of the week family tradition where we ALL come in and totally overwhelm the class. I will totally miss this.
My family who can turn tragedy into a big fat Greenbaum party. This was Death Day 2013, the first anniversary of my brother’s death. Celia threw a party with balloons.
We wrote notes to Nate on the balloons and let them go.
My sister Celia used to have a blog: Groundhog Day with Celia Fae. Like the Bill Murray movie, parenting can get redundant. The premise of...
