As I'm sure you're all aware, I'm still trying to figure out what the purpose of this blog will be. Honestly, so far I'm not that impressed. All the good blogs I've read (admittedly a small sample) have two things in common. First, they are focused on a particular topic, whether that is movies, the software industry, or the author's daily life. Secondly, they are interesting to read and speak with a unique voice. So far I'm failing on both counts. I think I'll continue this experiment a while longer, say a month, and then re-evaluate and see whether it's time to get a master plan or pull the plug.
My old web site actually had a good amount of focus. While I originally intended wide-ranging updates, everything that eventually got posted was a story of the form "Here's what Chris did last weekend and what he thought about it." I haven't been doing that much on here, frankly because the amount of interesting stuff I'm doing here is far greater than that in Kansas City , and it would be both repetitive and time-consuming. At the same time, though, I'm finding my original rationale still holds: I get asked about some of these events repeatedly, and it's more convenient to point people to one place.
After spending some more time in the festival we swung back towards the library, where we had parked. I love the Martin Luther King Jr. Library and wanted to show it off... it's new, well-designed, and has an insane amount of resources. It is a cooperative venture between the City of San Jose and San Jose State University , which means it combines the variety of resources you would find in a public library with the stacks you'd expect of a university library. It also boasts modern accessories such as a cafe, used bookstore, rooftop access and more.
From there we checked out SJSU itself. I really like the campus. It's located right in the heart of San Jose's downtown, but it feels closer to Washington University than, say, UIUC. There's a great quad and plenty of greenspace throughout.
The next day was our beach day. This was my first chance in a long while to see the ocean, and I wanted it to be "just right." Thanks to the Internet, I acquired a list of promising beaches in the area, then winnowed down the options to a few. In the end Manresa State Beach , on Monterey Bay , won for its advertisement of visible sealife and good views from the bluffs. So we packed up, ventured over the mountain range and headed south.
It was very pleasant at the beach. The water is very cold this far north in the Pacific so we didn't even bother to bring swimsuits, but several people in wetsuits were able to frolic in the water. Several were beginning surfers, others used bodyboards. When we first arrived, around 10AM the sky was very overcast. I was very confident that the sun would come out, and was proved correct: by noon the clouds had completely receded. We enjoyed walking along the beach and sitting in the sun. I put on suntan but a little too late; even now my forehead is still peeling. We brought supplies for a picnic and passed the time in good spirits.
I don't know about you, but being at the beach can really knock me out. The combination of the warm sun, lack of movement and rhythmic waves is practically trance-inducing; I rarely feel so calm as when I leave a beach. Even if I know I've gotten a burn.
That night we checked out a nearby Thai place. This was the first time I'd been to a "real" restaurant in San Jose outside of work. I enjoy eating out and especially trying new foods and places, but it feels weird to do it on my own, so it's nice to have an excuse to drag someone along. Fortunately, it paid off well. They had the deepest menu of any Thai place I'd been to before and I tried a new dish, a pork creation that was extremely tasty. Mom stuck with the always-safe-and-delicious Pad Thai.
On Labor Day proper we chilled in the apartment for the morning. Mom always enjoys contributing to my place, and in this case she picked up some liners and tricked out my drawers and cabinets with them. One of many touches that I wouldn't have considered on my own, but looks quite nice once done.
In the afternoon we headed out to the San Francisco Bay . Getting to the shoreline can be tricky because the bay is surrounded by a system of sloughs, swamps and salt ponds. However, a park near the southern tip took us on a scenic route past an open landfill to a really charming view of the bay. We could see over to the eastern side and, closer in, see some windsurfers experimenting in the waters. It was surprisingly chilly there, even though the sun was out.
My cousin Jennifer generously invited us over for dinner Labor Day. Jenny and her husband Jose will always have a special place in my heart; it was during a visit to see them and other acquaintances in Northern California that I first fell in love with the area and decided I wanted to live here. Although it was many years ago I can still vividly remember loving the weather, and admiring Jose's collection of wine (I was too young) and baseball cards (never too old). Jose had even taken me on a nerd tour of the valley, pointing out the office tours where Oracle, Sun and more were located. Their warmth and generosity as hosts ended up making a profound impact on my life.
Jenny and Jose have moved since then, into a beautiful house on a lake in Redwood Shores . They also have a wonderful daughter, Isadora. That night we were joined by Fran, Jenny's mother and my favorite aunt, who currently serves in a Unitarian church north of the bay area. Dinner was excellent, a delectable and relaxed affair out on the back porch, overlooking the lake. I'm never much of a talker in these situations but I love listening to everyone's stories. They're a fun family and I hope to see more of them now that we're so much closer.
One problem I always have: I never know how to end these reports. I really want to put together a concluding paragraph, but it can be hard to express right. Well, anyways, that was my Labor Day: as a combination of exploring, experiences, companionship and conversation, I don't think I could have asked for anything nicer.
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