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!