hidden city

I'm all moved in to the new casa and loving my very much shorter commute! I will be happier still when I get all these boxes sorted out. I'm finding that there are a lot of things I must've packed out of sheer exhaustion (or I've had a shift in values), because as I open boxes, I think "Ew, I don't even like this thing - straight into the Goodwill pile with you!"

Apparently, my new little town of Point Richmond is also referred to as "the Hidden City" - when Tom and Laura visited me on Sunday, we strolled downtown and had an EXCELLENT meal at the Hidden City Cafe. As it turns out, the Pixar crowd enjoyed the cafe too (back when they were located in P.R.) and they put it into the movie Monsters, Inc., which I have now pushed to the top of my Netflix queue so I can check that out!

I had a Niman Ranch roast beef hash with horseradish sauce and eggs, Laura was able to select a 'vegan special' (which prompted her to tell the waiter that "Kate is allowed to stay here") and Tom had some great-looking eggs and bacon. The OJ was fresh-squeezed, too.

"Is that France or Mexico?" we asked the waiter, pointing to a large flag on the rear wall.

"France," he said, "Well, actually, that's a wall."



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Today I am grateful that enough crazy drama is settled that I could notice the geese on the bay this morning as I drove to work;
I am grateful for the kind lovely people at my work;
I am grateful that tonight there is a nice little meeting just one block from my new house;
Today I ask God to let me focus on the next right thing.
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Great local raptor photography from Glenn Nevill: http://www.raptor-gallery.com/

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Great foodie-licious blog entry from one of my FAVES, Anthony Bourdain: http://blog.ruhlman.com/2007/02/guest_blogging_.html

Point Richmond / mental maps and artistic takes on those

Moving on Thursday to Point Richmond, about which I had heard a bit but just got the best vibe about the place when I went in person last week. It feels a bit like a beach town. I guess since there technically is a beach, it is a beach town of sorts. Just one that is sitting on the freeway tucked in behind the oil refineries. But that’s how it’s semi-affordable, I suppose.

This photo is of the two churchs just a block from my new house. The one on the right hosts the Tuesday night meeting and the one on the left hosts the Thursday night meeting. Artists, alcoholics - we're everywhere, like mildew. (As Chester Arnold once said - although he was referring only to artists.)

More on Point Richmond:

good general everything page: http://www.pointrichmond.com/
visitor review from Daily Planet: http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?archiveDate=05-12-06&storyID=24125
arts guild: http://home.comcast.net/~point_arts_guild/

richmond arts center: http://www.therichmondartcenter.org/
smells great: http://www.gracebaking.com/GRACEBAKING/Default.htm
or sometimes not so great: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/01/22/18350759.php

and http://www.cccpointrichmond.com/updates.html

Rosie the Riveter memorial: http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.asp?NID\u003d603

local blogger: http://pointofview.bluehighways.com/

East Brother Light Station: http://www.ebls.org

Hiking / walking: http://www.berkeleypaths.org/walkhandouts/walk_Point_Richmond.htm/

Golden State Model Railroad Museum: http://www.gsmrm.org/

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And links about Maps from Memory and Mental Mapping, for some reason quite fascinating to me today:

Maps from memory

London by Ellis Nadler (his blog http://ellisnadler.blogspot.com/)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nad/380055005/

Susan Holderread http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/holderrd/map_from_memory/intro.html

Interesting student projects from Mount Allison University:
http://www.mta.ca/faculty/socsci/anthro/mental_maps/mental_map_page.html


Memory mapping
http://www.expandedfield.com/memorymapping/index.cfm

Article from V&A about Memory Maps
http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/adult_resources/memory_maps/what/index.html

Memory Maps project by Smithsonian
http://www.localprojects.net/lp/featured5detail.html

Illustration Friday Night http://illustrationfridaynight.blogspot.com/

Daily book

I have stumbled on a new daily meditation book that I really love - by Frederick Buechner. Here is something that was in there the other day:

"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”

fruit, walking

I recently hired a coach and all of the goals we outlined in my plan are now kind of up in the air, so my whole focus this week is truly simple: walk every day, eat more fruit.

I'm very glad I found this coach; she was supportive without being gushy, has a great sense of humor and was not thrown off by all the rollercoaster activity of my last week. She also pointed out strengths she thinks I have and helped me focus on those, instead of getting bogged down in the negative. Very affirming and motivating.

She said something like - well, it seems you have your palms up and are saying, ok, i'm flexible, it can be Austin or DC or Berkeley and I'd be excited for any of those. And that puts you (me) in a great position, it's a strength. I also described to her all of the things I like about what the company does for its customers and how that makes it even more worth it to be that open.

Everyone has been so supportive about Velda. I'm so wiped about it but don't want to be weepy and sentimental with people in person - it just feels private. I also feel like I've been inundated with interactivity and just need some time to be all by myself. Thank goodness it's the weekend finally.