Jason's Daily Notes

Monday 17 September
Back to work. The roads in Emeryville are being paved, and so the bike stations are also closed. This means I'm taking Lime scooters to/from the office.

Left work and got home early (5:15pm) and I DIDN'T HAVE MY KEY. It wasn't in my pocket, not in my backpack.

FUCK. I LOST MY KEY. And my phone was low on battery (18%). I texted my roommates; Evelyn was still in Mexico. Alex would be back around 7-8pm, so I had a few hours to kill. I'd wander and listen to podcasts until my battery died.

I texted Dan and he was on the bus (conveniently) about to pass me. So we met up. and

Tuesday 18 September
Work actually went well. I'm learning to work better with Allie and Jensen (gradually letting go of my defensive/combative attitude toward them and trying to be more collaborative). I'm noticing them be more friendly toward me too.

There was a Cal Young Alumni meetup in San Francisco after work. I went and chatted with a few people. Met a girl originally from China, and another girl with her fiancee who is originally from Antwerp. We connected and they were impressed by my international history. Was alright, but definitely reminded me that I'm not 22 anymore!

After that, I was biking home but saw that Jorge was in the city. I texted him and we met for a drink in Castro at The Mix. He had been in a bike accident (his dog Dexter had pulled him down) and he had dislocated his finger and broken a ligament - ouch!). He's scheduled to go into surgery at the end of the week.

Wednesday 19 September
Made a copy of the spare house keys at the key machine in Safeway.

Couldn't find a lime scooter so I Go-biked to MacArthur.

I stayed in and did not drink (for once)

Thursday 20 September
I decided to text/message a lot of people whom I haven't heard from in a while. It feels good to reach out to people and maintain a relationship! Especially for me, because I have so many people in my life that I can often lose sight of.

Went to Hi Tops in the evening, met David N. there. Ran into Henry and his friend Nate there, too. Ended the night with a Super Duper burger and fries, biked home. I felt bloated.

Friday 21 September
Woke up feeling warm - my room had retained a lot of heat somehow. Maybe it's the dark curtains in the morning? It's sunny, and I was listening to Earth Wind and Fire's "Septemeber". Mood elevated.

Took BART to MacArthur and walked in to the office. Took care of a few small things; but since it's only 5 of us today, it's a pretty chill day. Lunch at Drake's.

I'm back in the office; it's Tuesday morning, but feels like a Monday thanks to yesterday being Labor Day.

I was in Chicago and Michigan for the long weekend. Chicago for 2 days, where I stayed with Matt G and hung out with Sam. In Michigan, I was camping at a gay campsite (Campit) with Jacob and his bf James. I also went to dinner with James's friends Cassie and her family (parents Sally and Todd) and friends (Christie and husband DJ). What a great weekend!

Thursday
My flight left SFO around 9:45am, so I had to be up and out the door by 7:30. It was an easy flight, I listened to podcasts and started reading a new book (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck). I landed at MDW at 4pm. I had plenty of time before I was scheduled to meet Matt (around 9pm) so I got on the CTA Orange Line (having bought a $20 3-day pass). I went downtown, getting off at Roosevelt and walked around the museum area near the waterfront (Field Museum, home to Sue the T-Rex) and the Shedd Aquarium.

I had a few hours and noticed that there was a Couchsurfing meetup in the Ukrainian Village, so I went to that. On the way, I had a Chicago style hot dog at Fatso's Last Stand. I met Yakov, and soon joined Vanessa and Lesya. Later, Paul also joined us. We chatted for a bit - beers were only $2!

Matt was running a little late, so I waited for him at the Willis Tower and he expensed an Uber to take us home. He lives in the north (Rogers Park); we went for drinks at the nearby pub The Glenwood.

Friday
Woke up to the sound of Matt working; he was working from home in his living room (he lives in a 3rd story walk-up apartment building and has a bedroom, kitchen, and living room!).

I wandered off; walked to the beach, found some young guys on Grindr from the nearby university, then hopped on the Red Line to walk around Wrigley Field. Then, I met up with Sam, who had just arrived in Chicago the night before having driven 10 hours each day from California. We went to Lou Malniati's for an iconic Chicago deep dish. We then walked around Millennium Park and took the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour, which was a great way to spend the afternoon. Then, we went to Andersonville where we ate at the Hopleaf, and where we met Matt. Even though it was not supposed to rain, a heavy thunderstorm moved over as we were about to leave, so we stayed for another drink before parting ways with Sam. Matt and I then went to drop off my stuff at his apartment, then we went to a pub for pre-wedding drinks with his friends Matt Jack and Andrew Burch. We had a few drinks and chatted, then we were tired and just went home (i.e. no Boystown).

Saturday
I had to leave early (8am) to be able to pick up my Turo rental car from the near South Side. But some thunderstorms were passing over so I waited a little bit and was delayed; also, the Orange Line was running on one track, so I didn't arrive there until 10. It was a 2011 Corolla with not many extras, but it worked. I got on the road, stopping by Dunkin Donuts before leaving Chicago, and listening to several episodes of Up and Vanished (my current podcast obsession) before crossing into Michigan, where I got lunch in New Buffalo. I then continued to the campsite. The rain had let up, and Jacob and James had already set up the tents. I met them at the main visitor center.

We had dinner plans, so as we were trying to figure out rides (knowing that we'd be drinking), James' friends and their family came to pick us up - in two cars! Jacob and I rode with Christie and her husband DJ. We drove into town (Douglas) and had several bottles of wine at Borrowed Time. We also played some corn hole, which I totally suck at.

Then to Sal and Todd's house, where we had an amazing steak dinner with plenty of delicious sides, plenty more wine, and a good amount of smoking. It was starting to get late, so we somehow were able to call a Lyft to drive us back to the campsite. There was the nighttime swim, which ended as more thunderstorms rolled in. So we wandered and made some friends and literally hung out until 5am. Drenched with rain storms back to our tent.

Sunday
Woke up around 10:30am. Showered and got some breakfast. Hung out in the pool most of the afternoon; it was sunny and great. We had thought to go to the Dunes resort, but it just didn't work logistically. Jacob wanted to stay in the pool, so we then James and I went to dinner at Sal and Todd's (I got us a taxi). Dinner was amazing again. I'm glad to have made a new friend in Cassie.

Monday
My flight was at 12:55, so I had to leave the campground by 9am. I showered and bought James and Jacob breakfast and said my goodbyes. Then I drove on, having a McGriddle from McDonalds along the way and returning the car. It was hot and humid in Chicago, I was melting as I waited for my Lyft. But I made it to Midway just in time; the security line was thankfully not long at all (I'm glad I don't have to take electronics out of the bag, slightly uncomfortable at the dog sniffing, and frustrated I don't have my TSA Pre-Check yet). The flight was smooth, considering how many thunderstorms there were across the route. I watched more Netflix (Insatiable and One Day at a Time). 

I was obviously exhausted when I arrived back in San Francisco. Our new roommate, Helena, had moved in over the weekend. Alex wasn't back from Burning Man yet. I cooked pasta and fell asleep at 9:30pm.

Tuesday
I feel refreshed this morning, energized from my trip. I also feel more grateful to be living my life in San Francisco; I appreciate the people I have in my life and my coworkers and all the opportunities that I have. I'm truly lucky and feel so empowered to live my life.

I also have avoided looking at work emails or messages for almost the entire weekend. Until now, that is. Ok, off to work!

I'm about to leave to Chicago. I'm excited; definitely in need of a vacation.

Work has been going along; I'm happy with my workload, but I'm not getting along with my coworkers. It's like there's an invisible wall between us that even I can't break down. The idea of going out with them for a drink outside of work is cringe-worthy. They don't respond to my humor; they generally just like to complain about things and that negative energy affects how well I can respond to things. I'm not planning on quitting anytime soon, however. It's a good job and I'm happy with the responsibilities that I have.

Yesterday: Last night I went to meet Priscilla, who was visiting SF for a work conference. I met her at the Thirsty Bear to pick up two wristbands (she can't use them to go to the party tonight, so I'm giving them to Evelyn). I met her coworkers, Rusty (?) the dancer and John the talkative, gregarious manager. There was also Ryan, the attractive young rep from Box. I left them as they went into the Gold Room.

My health is good. I've been going for my runs every 2 to 3 days. My lower back pain/bruise is gone, but there is some lingering discomfort throughout the length of my back, which may be due to sleeping in awkward positions.

My social life is steady. I have a very wide circle of acquaintances here in SF, but no real close friends that I see every week. I am sort of dating-ish(?) Daniel. As in I see him every week and he's excited to see me (this past weekend, he was house sitting Bill and Curtis' place in the Castro). I don't know if anything serious will come of it, he doesn't have social media which doesn't match well with who I imagine myself being with (I want to become more connected and up to date with the world).

Living situation: I have fully moved all my stuff into my new bedroom. Helena should be getting the keys to move in tonight. Had a little disagreement with Evelyn over a $6 difference in rent, but it'll settle down over time. I have started looking at apartments in Oakland, and it looks like if I want my rent to stay around the same rate ($1200) I should get a 2-bedroom apartment and find a roommate. But I'd also want laundry and access to BART (or a parking spot), which increases the rent. Plus, the idea of moving all my stuff is daunting. My new room is good and spacious, and I'm in the action in the city, so I should enjoy it for some time.

Resolution progress: I finished a book last night (Unstoppable by Anthony Robles). And I've stayed off Reddit on my phone. Not the most ambitious month, but I did start off injured, so I needed the rest. Plus, continuing several of my past resolutions (using GoBike, running, kickball) has been keeping me occupied. For September, I think I'll delete all my dating apps. I also want to make a video diary each day (and either post to Snapchat, IG, or combine them all and upload to YouTube). So let's see how that goes. It'll be challenging because I'm traveling for most of the first half of the month (Chicago and Seattle). I may also re-join improv. I also want to control my spending (below $3000) as that has definitely creeped up lately.

Family: Mom is good at home; she does exercises occasionally. No complaints about Uncle Ben.

The world is in the same weird spot as always. There was a shooting in Florida over the weekend (at a gaming tournament). A hurricane almost hit Hawaii. John McCain died. The investigation into Russia-Trump continues. Chaos in Australia's political system.

The weather is still chilly in SF. Fogust has been strong. I'm happy to be in Chicago and wearing shorts. I have weirdly been getting allergies, similar to what I've had in LA during September. Climate change, perhaps? Or has my body just developed a histamine response to SF's allergens?  (Daniel said that this happens the second year you live in a city.)

--

Ok time to head off to the airport and onward to Chicago - bon voyage to me!

Me
I'm doing ok. I think my social life is healthy outside of work. My back is still sore, almost 2 weeks after my car-bike accident. I hope it heals and it's nothing permanent. It's sore whenever I bend over forwards. And part of the bruise is looking worse than ever. Otherwise, I feel healthy.

Family
I just called mom; she's doing ok. She's exercising and trying to stay healthy. I'll see her on Thursday night when I fly to LA.

Friends
Bonded with the roomies last night. We had interviewed a candidate to move in (Martin) and then just ended up hanging out until midnight.
I'm excited about this weekend - a surprise! :)
I should contact more friends. Antonis is moving to a new job in Berlin.

Work
My work life is getting stressful (even though it's all my fault basically!). I was upset today about the fact that I'm excluded from the production of our new video (via YouTube director). Jensen asked me to take my phone call outside.
I needed a break, so I'm now at Peets in the Emeryville Public Market. A little time and a little distance helped me.

Society / News
Apple is now worth a trillion dollars. Pres Trump is a bigoted anti-immigrant idiot. Manafort is on trial. Fires are burning across northern California. There was an earthquake in Indonesia (Lombok, near Bali).

]

Happy New Month!

It's chilly in the Bay Area - or at least in SF and Oakland. Temperatures barely getting above 16°C (61°F).

I haven't decided what my August resolution(s) will be. Nevertheless, it's useful to look back at July and what I've learned from it:

• Running every morning is a good habit for me. It's easy for me to do it before work in the mornings. I feel more energetic overall. People have noticed that I am a bit more in shape too.
• I didn't blog every day. I could try to do this during August.
• Donating every day became more of a chore (especially when I needed to research the charity each day). I'm happy to give back, but I think I'd rather just give once a week or month. And I'd give a bigger amount with each donation ($25-50).
• I didn't really miss being off Instagram as much, especially after I also deleted Snapchat.
• After working on myself for so many months, I would like to focus more on my relationships with other people. Maybe really try to get myself into a serious romantic relationship.
• Probably easier for me to start with my existing friends - I should reach out to a friend every day that I haven't talked to.
• Or even focusing on my friendships and work relationships. I think that in the last few years, my "don't give a fuck" attitude has come off more as asshole-ness. So I'd like to be considerate of others while still not caring so much about myself.
• On a related note, I should not react to news/events so emotionally. This will be a challenge. But if I can keep a calm mind in stressy situations, I'll be good.
• Also I could challenge myself financially - try to spend less in general. (Although, I'm generally good with saving and my current income level)

Yesterday after work, I had plans to meet CJ. He had texted me,

"Just got out of a good job interview, need to celebrate was gonna grab a beer somewhere"

And I said, "yes" - so plans were made. We were to meet at the bar called Small Wonder in uptown Oakland.

As I was biking there, going down San Pablo Ave, a car that I thought was turning left continued straight and plowed into me. I was knocked onto the hood of the car and then fell to the ground. I fell on my lower right back and took the brunt with my elbows and wrists.

I was shaken. He said "why didn't you stop? I didn't see you" and I said the exact same thing right back to him.

Whatever. I didn't want to deal with this - I wasn't bleeding. My head was spinning slightly. I got on my bike and continued to downtown Oakland.

I met CJ and hung out. I tried to keep my mood up but I was clearly feeling uncomfortable. I switched seats from the window bench to the chair he was sitting on. We finished our drinks and walked back to 19th St BART and parted ways.

I went home, buying some antiseptic (Hydrogen Peroxide) at Walgreens. I soaked in the bathtub for a bit (cleaned the sink too) and then went to rest in my bed. I had plans to meet up with Henry H and James T but I decided it best to simply rest at home. I watched videos on my phone (Evil Genius) and ate cereal, watching GLOW until nearly midnight.

I tried to sleep on my side but fuck it, I turned on my back. The sharpness of the pain was only temporary.

I woke up, skpped my run. Ate some yogurt with my coffee, and decided to come to work. I had two phone calls (SEO proposal and an intro with our Amazon EDI integration. It was only me, Brad, David, and Oliver who went to lunch at Wally's cafe.

This afternoon was useless - I've been texting guys on Grindr and called Kaiser to make an appointment (for Monday).

Ok time to go home. And meet Henry. And then go to my kickball team's night drinking.

--
Also found this while browsing Quora:

Woke up 7am. Went for a run, 2km.

Refilled my prescription. Checked my insurance. Called the dentist and booked an appointment - tomorrow at 7:30am! Made an iced coffee. Showered, keeping Packed some bandanas (for Ken's bday tonight) and strawberries/yogurt with me.

Rushed to work, was a little behind schedule. There was a Lime scooter available, so I took that in to the office, arriving at 9:33. (Peralta Ave is under construction and is really bumpy!).

Not many meetings today, but still a lot to stay on top on - keeping our spend (on Google, Bing, FB) under control. Submitting ASNs to Amazon.

Afternoon, things slow down. I snack on pistachios and cheez-its at my desk. I want to have food in my stomach before I start drinking tonight (for Ken's bday).

Health: Good. I feel less tired overall, likely because of the exercise I've been getting. My hair is growing through medium length now, so it's starting to be awkward and can get frizzy. I want to grow it longer, but I can definitely see why people say I look better with short hair. I've refilled my Prep and have a dentist appointment tomorrow, so I'm taking care of myself.

Family: I haven't heard from them since Monday night; but my mom and uncle seem good. Tito Alan messaged me on Facebook and said he'll be in San Jose next month; so we may very well meet up. (sending him a response now).

Friends: Going to Ken M's birthday tonight; will likely see the group there (Tae, Walls, Greg, Jesse). Also Marc whom I've apparently met at a meetup before but have also matched with on Tinder. Awkward? Let's find out...

News: This "trade war" with China (and the rest of the world)... ugh. Demo Lovato in the hospital for a heroin overdose. And a shooting yesterday morning in the Mission. Fires in Greece have killed over 80. And a heat wave is holding Europe in its persistent grip. 

Ugh it's the end of the day and I just want to go home, but I thought I'd bust out a quick blog post.

I donated to Water.org and PATH today.

Work is busy. I had the guys from Sellpoints and Retarget visit us today to present their SEO/SEM services. As a marketing team, we are figuring out our priorities. I'm trying to contain Amazon sales and traffic. We have sold a lot in July and will be on track to sell more in August.

I booked my flight to Chicago! Going there Labor Day weekend (end of August / early Sept). Going to help Sam settle in.

Ugh it's only Tuesday. I thought it was Thursday. :(

Went for a run this morning; I'm on track to meet my goal for July. I do notice that I have a bit more energy (i.e. I feel bad if I just stay in all day and don't get any exercise).

I cut the back of my left hand this morning on the wire that triggers the ice maker in the freezer. Wore a band aid on it all day.

Our music playlist at work today has been classic slow pop songs - from Whitney Houston to Africa by Toto to Phil Collins to Backstreet Boys. I dunno if I like it as background music. 

I slept in, until 9:30am. I was tired from last night's party at Grant and Alyssa's.  I met Michelle and Kai there. Kai is straight (I think) but very compassionate.

I ran 4k this morning, am finishing my homemade acai strawberry shake, donated to 3 more charities, and soon have kickball. We have barely enough people to play (yet again). Gotta go!

I've started a Google Doc to keep track of my progress (charity donations, etc.) toward my month's resolutions.

Woke up 7am today; I was in the middle of a dream. Went for a run (over 3km) around Bernal - Precita, and back on 26th St.

Work is still busy, but I'm somehow getting adjusted to it.

Went to KFC for lunch, even though I brought some food with me (leftover spaghetti and meatballs).

Work is busy.

I woke up and went for a run early (7am) then rushed to work (8am) to be there by 9 for a phone call with La-Z-Boy. Then a call with Amazon. Then a call with an agency to go over their proposal. Then a meeting to assess what to do with operational quality.

Whew.

I am trying not to be burnt out.

Staying off Instagram is probably keeping me focused. I'm learning to say no to things and resist temptation. It's good.

Now, home.

Oh man, I've dropped the ball and haven't blogged in almost a week.

I was in LA over the weekend - it was my mom's birthday. She, uncle Ben, and I went to the expensive fine dining restaurant Providence for a wonderful dinner on Friday night.

Saturday, I met Katie and her beach volleyball friends (including Kevin, and George from Greece) in Venice Beach, and we then went for a beer and burger at a nearby bar. I was happy to see her. I was also happy to see so many electric scooters (Birds and Limes) flying by everywhere. I then went home, then went out in WeHo with Samara. She drove me in her truck. We met Alex S then Will and I bumped into Max, whom I kissed briefly. We ended up at Flaming Saddles.

Sunday was brunch day at A&P's. I went for a run in the morning. I stopped by Super A and bought a bunch of ingredients, and  Priscilla helped me cook everything (she was my sous chef!). It was fun, but did take a while to cook. Michelle and Angela were there. (Kevin was staying at his friend's place; they were there in the morning to watch the World Cup final - France won!). Karen and Danny were there too, but Danny had to leave early. Chris D was also there but he left without eating. Jose was there with his little brother (who was also wearing USA swimming trunks). We then went to the pool and hung out and drank; good times! I left around 6pm, because Juan and Alex H were bugging me to come to WeHo. So I drove over and met them at Revolver. With them were Alex R and James T. Along with two other friends (forgot their names). Everyone was so happy to see me and telling me how good of a friend I am. Made me feel good but slightly uncomfortable. Got home around 10:30pm, stopping by Tommy's along the way.

Monday morning, my flight was at 8:20 so Uncle Ben and my mom drove me to BUR at 7am. It was a normal, non-eventful flight, landed 5 minutes early. I took a Lyft that got me to Emeryville at 10 sharp (but I decided to stop by Starbucks so I didn't actually walk in until 10:10). What a busy day. So much to do/figure out with Amazon. La-Z-Boy acquired Joybird. Filling in the daily/weekly spend metrics. I was exhausted by the end of the day, riding my GoBike to W Oakland. I put on some eps of The Americans (given the news of Trump meeting Putin today, it seemed oddly relevant). Sam came to hang out and chat - he got the job offer to Chicago and is now negotiating the salary of the offer. Alex hung for a bit too but slept early.

Today, I went for a run (I'm slightly behind on my goal of hitting 62km this month). Got to work around 9:45. Another busy day, weekly marketing meeting. I didn't even eat lunch. It's Prime Day but I'm too busy to be in a shopping mood. Thankfully I'm not letting the business make me stressy. I'm staying calm and keeping the perspective that work is work, I'll be fine regardless.

I donated to Ate Christina's birthday fundraiser for RAICES. I have missed several days of donating and will need to catch up.

DONE. Now, it's 6pm again and I'm still in the office with Jojo. Time to go home!

Today was an important day at work: We raised our prices, and we released our new product, the Ottoman. We went out to lunch, driving to the Emeryville Public Market (which is the place where, the more I think about it, I'm sure that I went on my random "creepy stalker" adventure with Joan back in 2008). David drove me, Johannes, and Oliver.

Oh man, I hope I don't get burned out from work. It' just a lot for me to be so on top of everything all the time. Thankfully, I'm enjoying the challenge. But what about when my energy dwindles? Perhaps this is why I'm challenging myself to be more self-disciplined with my monthly resolutions.

I'm staying late because I simply haven't gotten to all the work that needs to be done. Facebook ad tests, checking Amazon shipment notifications, and uploading new Pinterest promoted pins have taken up my last 3 hours. And I'm just about finished now (6:35pm).

Anyway, tomorrow evening I'll fly to LA and will be going to an expensive dinner on Friday with my mom and uncle. I called my mom; she's at Pechanga right now with Tita Irene and Tita Aida (and Uncle Ben who has just learned to enjoy playing bingo!). I'm happy that's she's happy. I really hope that she is healthy.

Donated to Asian Americans Advancing Justice (go Leslie!)

I'm not sure if I'll go out for dinner tonight or just eat what I have left in the fridge (i.e. burgers).

It's another warm day in Emeryville.

I was too sore and tired to go for a run this morning. However, I did walk to the UPS store and submit my Amazon return. I then rode a GoBike to Valencia/24th where I walked to the BART station. There was a Lime scooter available at West Oakland, so I rode that to the office.

Work is busy; I'm trying not to be so emotional and dramatic, especially when taking criticism. It's not the end of the world, in fact, it's no big deal. It's just work. There will always be more work. I have no reason to ever stress.

For lunch, I hopped on the Emery-Go-Round to the Public Market, where I had Indian food.

Donated to the Drug Policy Alliance today.

I'm flying to LA on Thursday after work. I just realized how close that is.

I need to go shopping for several things:

• Running shoes
• Button down shirt
• Underwear
• Color T-Shirts
• Contact lens solution
• Hand soap
• Hair gel/conditioner

Ugh, I'm so tired at work. It's 6:45pm on a Monday and I'm still here preparing the slides for tomorrow's monthly lookback. I should just go home.

I don't have time to fully blog. I'm sore today, likely from kickball and running so far this month.

Kickball was fun yesterday; we played Stormy Jack Daniels but lost. It was a close game. But we only had 8 people, the bare minimum. I'm bonding with my team, especially Jake, CJ, John, and Jorge. Emily joined us at The Edge and Toad Hall. It was a bit awkward in the evening, as I saw my "ex" Craig and ignored him. He sent me an angry text.

Saturday was cool; went to Ben's for a bbq. Henry was there, as was Victor (whom I met on Thursday at Midnight Sun) and Victor's husband Nolan. Becca came with her friend Trang. And we talked about sex and laughed. There were also two others: Tyler and Chaz (I think) who seemed like stylish, social gays who would go to Burning Man.

It's warm today, but I'm glad I wasn't in LA - the temperatures in SoCal were close to 110F.

Ok this is enough; time for me to go home. CIAO

I'm back on blogging after my little break - I went to Guerneville with Ben for the 4th of July.

We drove up to Petaluma Tuesday after work. I rented a small Scion via Turo. I picked up Ben in Castro, then we stopped by his apartment and an In-N-Out in Marin County on our way to Petaluma. We had just booked the hotel the day of. Tired, we went to bed almost immediately (while watching an old episode of The Office).

The next day (Wednesday) was a busy day. We got up early-ish, went for a run around Petaluma, then drove to Guerneville, arriving around 10:30am. It was too early to check in to our hotel/resort (Applewood), so we walked into town, bought breakfast (to-go because it was faster). Then we walked all the way (2+ miles) to Armstrong Redwood Park. We wandered into the park and hiked some trails. Found our cool little private spot atop a ridge where we chilled.

Walked all the way back to the resort, and we rested for a bit. My head was spinning a bit. But Juan and Alex were in town (along with Kevin and Max). So I simply had to see them. Ben stayed at the hotel and read a book by the pool. I put on my swimsuit and walked the 15 minutes to the R3 gay resort. It was packed, and Juan and Alex were drunk messes. I loved it.

We wandered through Guerneville (Alex was frantically looking for his phone, which I was confident that Kevin and Max were taking care of) and ended up getting pizza. It was fun; Ben came and joined us. We then walked to the Rainbow Cattle Ranch bar, where we had a drink to finish off the night. It was relatively crowded, but it's a small town so it's obvious that most people there had come up from San Francisco (Castro specifically).

Yesterday, Ben and I woke up and decided to work remotely, taking our time to come back to SF. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel (prepared by the wonderful Sandy), worked from our laptops a bit and then began the drive. Stopped in Sebastopol because I needed to take a work call. Then drove back to SF. It was a sunnier and warmer day than Wednesday; it was glorious driving over the Golden Gate.

I had another phone call at home, then I returned the car (just parking it on the street). Then I BARTed to Oakland, where I met CJ. We had drinks at Plank than went to watch Jurassic Park. It was nice, but I had the feeling that it might have been a date (?). However, by the end of the night we were clearly just friends. Walked back to 12th street BART and I went home. Even though it was Thursday, I put the trash bins out on the curb (our trash hadn't been taken out for 2 weeks and our apartment was stinking of salmon that Alex had cooked). Exhausted, it felt good to finally sleep.

Today, back to work. There was a lot to do (because I missed so much yesterday). And I went to lunch with Alex and Juan (who were driving on their way back to LA from Napa). We ate at Cheeseboard and they tried to convince me to stay with them in Lake Arrowhead. Maybe I will?

Donated to the Bay Area Rescue Mission, the After School All Stars program, and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. (Whew, I fell a couple days behind, but I'm catching up now!)

ok I'm the last one at the office - time to bike home and finish my leftovers.

I'm writing this at work before I go, because Ben and I decided to go to Guerneville! Looks like it'll just be the two of us. I'm renting a car tonight from Turo (my first time using it) and we are driving up together. We'll see if he gets some substances for us.

I may drive to work on Thursday with the car.

Called mom; it's her "official" birthday today. She's getting a bit annoyed living with Uncle Ben already.

I was able to run this morning, and rode the bikeshare to work.

Work is pretty busy, had our weekly Marketing Meeting. I've got a lot of calls to schedule (agency research). Lots of research to conduct too.

I donated to the Los Angeles Mission.

Gotta go on my lil vacation!

Day 2 of my month of blogging (and running, and bike sharing, and donating). It's already 11:20pm and I'm tempted to just go to sleep without blogging. But no! I won't be defeated.

Today was a productive day. I woke up early (6:45am) largely because I went to bed early the night before. It was foggy and chilly - and there was still some haze in the air from the fires burning to the north of the Bay Area. I went for a run (2.5km) and headed off to work. I was able to take a Fremont bound train (almost empty!) and got off BART at West Oakland, where I took the bike share. It was a pleasant bike ride, but the bike is heavier than an average bike, so I couldn't go as fast as the other bikers.

Work itself was hectic - it was our first day since Licia's sudden departure. We came to terms as a team and understood what needed to be done - we needed to collectively pick up the slack that she left. We spent an hour assembling swatch orders. I actually felt a renewed sense of commitment to the team. An sd I think the others felt similarly. We all went for lunch together at Monster Pho 2. The afternoon flew by. It was a productive day altogether.

CJ texted me, asking when I'd like to go to the movies with him. We scheduled Thursday. Maybe he's trying to forge a connection to be more than just friends? He did admit to "not knowing how to be single." We'll see.

Still not sure what will happen on the 4th (Wednesday). Ben started a group text, but it looks like Henry and the other guy don't want to go. So it may just be me and Ben?

This evening at home, I cooked a big pot of lentils (which I ate over hamburger buns), and I watched an episode of Westworld and an episode of Big Little Lies. Donated to UNESCO. Chatted briefly with Francesco when he arrived back with Evelyn.

It's a new month and I'm continuing with my "monthly resolutions." This month, I'm being ambitious and attempting several things at the same time. Let's see which, if any, stick:

1. Running 2km per day (up from 1km/day in June)
2. Responding to everyone who messages me on a dating app (even if I'm not interested)
3. Donating to charity every day
4. Blogging once per day
5. Biking instead of riding the Emery Go Round to work (I got a monthly pass from Ford GoBike)
6. Staying off Instagram (temporarily disabled my account)
• Also reducing my time on Facebook; removed the FB app from my phone

I stepped on a small piece of glass in my bedroom and it stung! It also cut into my heel a bit so I cleaned it up and put on a band aid. Needless to say it made me feel slightly uncomfortable the entire day at work.

It's a busy-ish week at work, I always have things to do, but I'm not necessarily stressed.

• HustleCon is Friday, and we're setting up tomorrow. Had to assemble another sofa with Allie today.
• I'm sort of getting into the groove of requesting creatives from the team, but it's still frustrating because I don't feel completely in the loop when decisions are made.
• They're constructing something at the entrance to MacArthur BART station. It's an inconvenience to walk around it.

I've been both lazy and busy.

Last weekend was LA Pride - I was there for the weekend, and got to see some friends. Went out with Juan, Alex, and Anthony on Saturday. Went to the parade with Adrian, Priscilla, Angela, Kevin, and Naomi on Sunday (after going to A&P's new apartment (!!!) and waiting to get the bedroom door unlocked). I had a great time overall.

I basically took the day off Monday (technically "working remote") and flew back to SFO in the late afternoon.

Tuesday was a slow day at work - it was only me, Jensen, and Johannes. (Allie and Chris were each WFH, Dani was at the Warrior's victory parade, David was recovering from his twisted ankle, and Brad and Licia are in China for the week). I had a salad from Best Coast Burritos for lunch. It was a warm-ish day, so Ben T got me to go out to Dolo after work (I brought two burritos).

I got my mom's Charter Spectrum login and was thus able to set up HBO GO on our home TV, and on our TV at the Casa. I have since begun watching Westworld and Big Little Lies.

Wednesday (yesterday), I started with an optometrist appointment and then went to work around 11am. Turns out my eyesight has actually improved a bit! We ordered Asian fusion chicken over rice. Got some things done, but it was still a slow day. Home, then cooked curried chorizo eggs followed by pasta (I am trying to avoid carbs but it can be difficult!).

Today has been an average day so far. I have a lot to catch up with - several things to decide (wildposting, direct mail) at work. And I'm also coordinating two major things this weekend: My friends (Jenn, Ray, Leslie, etc.) in town, and the kickball team's first meetup and first game. Actually, I'm meeting some of my kickball team tonight at Lookout.

My June resolution is to run, at least 1km per day. So far (as of today) I'm at 18km for the month, so I'm on track. It's not too hard to run ~2-3km every other day actually. But I'd like to get in the habit of doing a run in the morning before work. It's just not easy to get up early!

At home, a few changes. Sam applied to a new job position which would take him to Chicago if he's accepted. Alex is back from Europe and has started working (at a company that is designing an Amazon Go-style non-cashier type store). And Evelyn is in her 2nd week as a Noogler. I also bumped into the first of our new neighbors - Skyler. He's an intern at Google (for the summer?).

Taking care of myself as best as I can, and learning not to be so overwhelmed with saying "yes" to everything that I neglect the basic things like sleep, nutrition, and staying organized. Mental health is important!

Also: I'm super sad that Anthony Bourdain died last week! :(

I'm at the office. No one is here. I know Allie is coming in late, Dani is ooo. Brad, Licia, Chris, and David are likely in the warehouse. Jensen and Daniel though?

Started my new course of medication this morning. I'm feeling a little weird (slightly dizzy and very slightly nauseous), but maybe it's all a placebo effect. I also feel more awake than normal (I've been standing, stretching, and jogging in place at my desk for the last 30 minutes), but maybe because I had two coffees and didn't have my "normal" commute to work this morning (see below).

I met with Danny from Thrive this morning (8am) in SF's Financial District over coffee. We had a good chat and got to discuss potentially working together. I enjoyed a good flat white.

It's Brian's birthday!

I'm feeling good. It's interesting how easily my mood can change. I am definitely stimulated by novelty - I think having a meeting in the city and going to a new place definitely made me more excited. Being in a repeating routine really kills my energy. Also, I had positive feedback from comments/posts I made online, which makes me feel like I have friends. Even though it's arbitrary, I really am affected by positive/negative comments on things I've posted online. It's not healthy to be so dependent on the opinions of others (one reason I did my social media detox in January), but I also feel the FOMO very strongly when I know that other people are doing things and having fun. I want to be included in everything! (stereotypically ENFP)

My "monthly resolutions" have kind of fallen apart. April, I didn't do anything (because I was traveling). For May, technically I have been "celebrating" every single day; i.e. I have had at least one alcoholic drink every single day so far this month. It's definitely not a healthy habit. I'm thinking of redefining it as "doing something for me" each day. Enjoying each day (which I should be doing anyway?). Maybe I'll re-join improv. Maybe I'll take a fitness class. I really need to exercise (my doctor really told me, and Alex has been trying to get me to as well). Why am I so lazy! I know that exercising makes me feel better. It's just getting over that hump. I should go for a run every day. I really want to get in shape for Puerto Vallarta (in 2 weeks!).

I'm meeting with Yun tonight (from trivago). She's got a new job and is in SF for training. Excited to catch up with people from a past life period.

As for lately - last week has been a non-stop celebration, with Amanda in town + my birthday celebrations (+ drag race). Last night, I "treated myself" to watch the new Avengers Infinity War movie. I had chicken tenders and a beer too. A guy in the theater was listening to his phone, and it angered the guy sitting directly in front of me.

The movie itself was good, but I wasn't a fan of the plot. It's way too stereotypically "summer superhero movie" with lots of fight scenes and crowd-pleasing special effects and shallow jokes. But it's a part of our current pop culture and I want to get the references. Also, I've heard that MoviePass is losing money and I want to make the most of it before it goes bankrupt.

Started a new podcast today: The Daily Zeitgeist. It seems good - I want to keep in touch with our culture, while avoiding politics. I've also been listening to The Elite Man Podcast, the Indicator by Planet Money, and Slate's Hit Parade. (I'm considering advertising us on podcasts soon).

Lately I've been trying to "go keto" (i.e. avoid eating carbs), but it's tough, especially with all the drinking. I was doing well yesterday (Greek salad + gyro meat) until dinner (beer, then I had chips + salsa at home).

Ah - Daniel and Jensen have arrived. I guess I'll get back to work ;)

It was my birthday yesterday. Had a lot of fun.

At work, we went out to lunch as a team (this is the lunch that we were supposed to do last Friday). I got to pick the place - pizza! We all walked to Navi, a pizza/Indian fusion place on Adeline. Shared some beer - because it was also David's birthday (on Monday, but he didn't tell anyone!)

After work, I was a bit stressed trying to plan my birthday event. I had made a reservation for 17 people at Pa'ina lounge in Japantown. I wasn't sure whether to get a cake for myself, what to wear, if I'd have time to rest beforehand, etc. I ended up stopping by Walgreens and buying some birthday hats and stickers, as well as candles. I rested at home for a few minutes, put on a dress shirt and green tie, then shared a Lyft with Alex and Sam to the restaurant. Our driver was telling us one-line jokes as he drove us up Webster Street.

I was told that we would have a 2-hour time limit, so I pushed back the start from 7 to 7:15. Amanda showed up, then Velin, then Ed, then John. I was starting to relax a bit. We had four tables but ended up only needing three (we gave up two to other guests). Others showed up - Jay, Ben (and his Portuguese roomate Kat), Steve, and Emilia. Wayne even showed up toward the end! We ordered rainbow shots for the whole table (which weren't very strong), and I was drinking several Blue Hawaiians. Also $0.25 wings were great!

It was lots of fun. I was making sure to mingle with everyone, being the good host that I am.

We ended up going to karaoke at Pagoda Cafe (my local spot!). Sang the night away. Steve ended up driving me (and Ben and Kat) home. Great times.

I woke up with a slight hangover today. And we had our All Hands meeting today too. But thankfully my job is chill and it's a good day at work.

I had lunch today at Panera Bread and then went to Starbucks to claim my birthday reward (I learned that it is now only valid on the day of your birthday - but they gave me my venti triple mocha frappuccino anyway)!

It's Wednesday.

It's chilly. Nearly record cold across the Bay Area this week. This comes after a warm and dry winter so far.

I was in LA for President's Day weekend (Feb 16-19). I had the house to myself; because my mom and uncle are both in the Philippines (my mom on her cruise). I joined Eric (and his bf Jason, along with Sara and Stad) for an escape room I met with Jenn and Ray to plan for next month's wedding ceremony. I also spent plenty of time with Juan, going out on Saturday and Sunday - WeHo Saturday night (with Alex and a group of gay bros including Eric, Alex R, Henry, William, and Markose), dim sum Sunday morning (with new friend Adriana), stopped by Juan's house, then back to my house, off to Westwood to pick up Alex and off to Eric's place for birthday games (Jackbox). Then went to dtla and drank at Redline (where I ended up leaving my credit card, and where Alex and Richie left together). Then walked to Precinct (it was lightly raining along the way), which was mostly empty. James and Juan had a little get together, and then Jose's party showed up. Adrian, Priscilla, Michelle, Naomi, Mo. The two groups merged together and it was fun.

Monday I had the whole day to myself. I went to Glendale, bought a 3V battery and watched Black Panther - AMAZING! Then rested at home, Netflixed a bit (Queer Eye), and then went to dinner with Chris and Michelle. We are old, lol! Good times to catch up with friends. So glad that Michelle's back in LA for good. And good quality time with friends all around - a successful weekend.

Tuesday, I woke up at 5:30 to get to the airport in time (my flight was at 8:30). It was cold. My Lyft driver was really friendly and interested to hear stories of my well-traveled life. I had a breakfast burrito and got on my flight, landing in Oakland and heading straight to work. I was exhausted and couldn't really focus all day. But I persevered, even without drinking any coffee. I also skipped lunch - because I wasn't hungry. I ended up fasting until today's lunchtime (over 24 hours). By fasting, I hope to unlock several health benefits and lose weight. I left work around 4:45 and got home and immediately laid down and soon slept. I ended up sleeping over 11 hours, with only a small break to watch the first episode of Netflix's One Day at a Time.

Today was a good day. I was well-rested. Made sure to bundle up. Podcasted on my way to work, and I was notified that my coworker had 2 free tickets to tomorrow's Warriors game (vs the Clippers) and I took them! I offered the second ticket to my flatmates, and Evelyn offered it to her sister (whose dream it was to see a Warriors game.) Because I had a call (Criteo) I had missed the lunch order. So I went to Panda Express and redeemed my 3-item combo coupon (taking the rest home for dinner). I'm counting my calories on My Fitness Pal and trying to stay within my 1570-calorie daily limit. Lazy afternoon, then back home (getting a forward-facing seat in an otherwise crowded BART train) to watch another episode of Queer Eye and One Day at a Time and Chris Rock's new comedy show.

Now I've grown accustomed to sleeping early, but I know I'm going to a basketball game tomorrow, so we'll see.