August 31, 2007 moving on http://www.smartgirlsyndrome.com/blog The blog (and the whole website behind the blog) will be moving tonight/tomorrow to the above URL. Since I am no longer "In The City," I felt it was time to move on. I'm still working on the header graphic, so it might be a little weird for a while. Thanks! Jenn posted at 11:24 AM |

August 29, 2007 as usual, Uncle Lowell was right! After spending another day working on getting myself settled here at RU, I spent some time at home, unpacking. I finally got my books unpacked from their large box, so my bookcases actually look nice now. While I was unpacking one of the boxes from my bookcase in my bedroom, I came upon something interesting. About 50 years ago, my great uncle Lowell used a professional moving company to pack and move his stuff. He joked that the packers were so meticulous, they even packed the kitchen trash. Well, as I unpacked that box, I found the bag of trash from my bedroom also got packed! Thank goodness it was just paper and envelopes or that could have been really awful! I guess some things really don't change. One of the things I did today was buy my books for the semester. I broke the sales guy's record for the most books pulled for one student at one time. All the employees in the store were making fun of me and asking if I hated myself. I had to remind them of that quote from the Simpsons: Don't make fun of grad students. They just made a terrible life choice. Jenn posted at 9:36 PM |

August 26, 2007 a work in progress I'm slowly getting settled in here in HPNJ and it's starting to feel a bit more like "home." I haven't really made any progress on emptying boxes or putting stuff on the walls today, but I figure that if I don't post photos today, I probably won't get it perfect enough to post photos - ever. Today just kinda got away from me, even though I got up around 10:30. Anyway, I've got photos of the new apartment below. Some rooms are done, but most rooms aren't, so please excuse the clutter and the boxes ;) My Room My room is the least done in terms of art work and unpacking boxes. I concentrated mostly on the living room/office/kitchen when my parents were here and haven't gotten much more accomplished since they've left. The Walk-In Closet It is very hard to take photos of a walk in closet from the outside, but trust me, it's a very nice closet and all my clothes fit nicely in it! The Washer/Dryer This is part of the reason that I decided to rent this apartment - I'm living the dream! The Bathroom Down the hallway toward the rest of the apartment The Living/Dining/Office Areas The Kitchen The Balcony and View The furniture is turned that way to protect it from the worst of the rain we've been having I hope you enjoyed that :) Once I get everything actually put away and all, I'll try to remember to take more photos. Now it's dinner time ;) Jenn posted at 7:56 PM |

August 10, 2007 writing from the road I'm in the middle of nowhere Wyoming tonight and not at Macy's like Matt thought. I found this article in the Chronicle and just like last time, it speaks to me in a way that only someone who loves SF can understand. You have to admit, this has been a pretty cool week for San Francisco. Architects unveiled plans for a towering, landmark skyscraper that will transform the city's skyline. And Gap founder Donald Fisher offered to build a museum for his one-of-a-kind art collection, making San Francisco a mecca for modern art. And then, oh yes, there was the national attention when Barry Bonds hit his record-breaking home run at AT&T Park. I got an e-mail from a friend in Asia on Wednesday, the morning after Bonds' blast. He said the story was on the front page of a Hong Kong newspaper. "It's a pretty exciting time in San Francisco," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "We can reflect on where we are and where we are going as a city." The mayor still has to deal with the misery and problems of homelessness and the hassles of the Muni system. But for a moment, these events reminded us what it is like to live in a city of substance, one reaching for the heights. [...] But you have to admit, in an age of hired professionals, where your hometown team's hero may have grown up in Pennsylvania and played college ball in Indiana - sorry, Joe Montana, but it's true - Bonds is a legitimately local guy. He went to high school in the Bay Area, his dad played for the Giants, and AT&T Park will always be the House that Barry Built. He is as much identified with San Francisco as the Golden Gate. My son, no baseball fan, is just back from a summer in Washington, D.C. "Wow," he said when he returned. "People really don't like Barry Bonds." Yeah, we know. But we're dealing with it. As a fan said on these pages not long ago, "He's a jerk, but he's our jerk." Other cities can boo him, but this week they weren't in the national spotlight. San Francisco was. Now let's admit it, San Franciscans can be a little smug. When out-of-towners mention that they've seen one of the four B's - the two bridges, the bay, or Bonds - up close and in person, locals sometimes resist the urge to point out that they live right here with them all the time. And, of course, sometimes they don't resist. That's one of the reasons why the recent columns about homeless campers and dirty hypodermic needles in the city's parks have hit so hard. It runs counter to our image of this as a world-class city, with restaurants to die for, and its own national radio talk show catchphrase - "San Francisco politics." This week's news is more like it: soaring vision, lofty achievement and a reach for the heights. It's like those tourists standing around the Powell Street cable car turnaround in their shorts and T-shirts, shivering. "How," they want to know, "do you stand this cold?" We prefer to think of it as cool. San Francisco, I miss you already! Jenn posted at 9:56 PM |

August 9, 2007 "Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." -Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune, June 1, 1997 I don't know that I'm going soft, but the first part of that advice is absolutely true. I wish everyone could experience the beauty, contradictions and tolerance exuded by the Bay Area on a daily basis. To say that the past three years have been the best of my life might be overstating it a touch, but I can say that I have never been more heartbroken to leave a place. I've moved around a lot since I left high school, but no place has ever felt more like home to me. The people I have met have become lifelong friends, encouraging me and loving me through all my angst and struggles. Most known to you only by their initials, they have anchored me here in my NorCal adventure. We have laughed a lot, cried a little, procrastinated, gotten drunk, traveled, worked hard, played harder for the last three years. They became my Bay Area family and I will treasure them always. This place has a magnetism to it that I can't quite explain, but it has made my life richer. I will truly miss The City and I hope that once I finish my degree, I can return. "Stay Classy, San Francisco!" Jenn posted at 2:40 AM |

August 8, 2007 Congrats Barry! 756 It's a great day to be a Giants fan! Wish I could have been there - but I'm glad it happened before I left the Bay Area. Welcome to history! Jenn posted at 2:11 AM |

August 4, 2007 where to begin?! It's been a crazy week here - and it hardly feels like Friday since I'm not working :) Mom and I have spent all week sorting through my stuff, organizing and basically preparing for the packers to arrive on Tuesday. Daddy comes in on Sunday morning to add to the chaos - I mean, help - so that should be good. The movers come on Wednesday and I drive out of the state for good on Thursday - sniff! It hasn't been all work though. On Monday, Mom and I had our "fun" day after my doctor's appointment. We had assorted stops and events during the day, but the main one was a tour of Pac Bell Park! Even with the annoying, bratty kids that surrounded me, it was SO amazing! I was on the field! I touched the on deck circle! I "pulled up some pine" in the visitors dugout! I stood in the cubby in the visitors clubhouse! We weren't allowed to touch or feel the grass, but still - totally worth the $10 ticket and then some :) Tomorrow, Mom and I finally get to meet Baby MDC and say goodbye to C & Y. Should be a lot of fun as long as I don't break the baby :) Jenn posted at 1:57 AM |