At least the beer didn't freeze

Longtime readers of this website might recall my refrigerator woes of '06. I'd just moved into this apartment, I was about to travel for Christmas, and my refrigerator died. But it didn't just stop working; rather, it froze its contents, forcing me to try to defrost milk on the radiator in order to make tea one morning.

Frozen and defrosted milk is disgusting. Trust me on this.

I naively hoped for a new refrigerator in 2006 after this debacle, but was rewarded instead with a replica of the 35 year old one that had died. And I'm sad to report that the replacement fridge has died in the same manner this week. Right before I leave town for a little vacation.

So while my neighbor graciously holds onto some perishables I was able to salvage, I'll be shopping for a new refrigerator. I'm probably walking uncertain ground, but I need a fridge that keeps cool things cool and frozen things frozen, and my landlord is unable to provide that for his tenants (I'm not the only one who's had this problem). So I'm buying a refrigerator, hopefully before next weekend.

In the meantime, anybody want a beer? It's ice cold right now.

Life at the end of the rainbow

Saturday evening was a little unusual in my little city by the Bay. It was cloudy and a little foggy in the evening, after a stunningly beautiful day. And then it kind of rained. And it never rains in July. And then the area was rewarded with this:


This was my view for over an hour. I really do live at the end of the rainbow.

On the upswing

I think I'm starting to feel better. I'm still tired and my spleen still hurts occasionally, but I think I'm really starting to get well. Or maybe I'm just feeling more upbeat because I've spent so much time in the sun lately. In either case, things are looking up around here, and just in time.

Today, I played tourist with some out-of-town friends. We walked a lot between the Golden Gate Bridge, the Warming Hut, and Fort Point. I did some similar walking in April, and thought I was going to pass out along the way. Today, I'm tired now, but I made it down and up all those trail stairs without a second thought.

Tomorrow, I'm going hiking with my Team-in-Training teammates. The hike is in Marin, on trails I've never seen before, and I think there's a pub stop involved. This will be my second hike this year, and I'm very excited for it.

Wednesday, I leave for my mini-summer vacation. I think I'm feeling well enough to enjoy it. But if I'm not, I will be perfectly happy lounging on the deck in the sunshine.

Catching a wave

A few years ago, I took a whole series of surf shots on Ocean Beach. I thought the images were lost forever when my computer was stolen in 2008. But I have again outwitted the apartment burglars - a Flickr-associated company, for a small fee, will make a backup disc of all your Flickr photos. I now have access to most of what I thought was lost last year. Hurrah!!

Really Wrong Number

The only people to use my landline number are two friends, my landlord, and my grandma - and she's not calling anymore. So I was puzzled to get home last night and have a message on my answering machine. It went something like this:

"Hi Katie, it's grandma. I just wanted to see how your trip to Cape Cod was. I hope you had a good time. I'll try calling you later this week. Love you."

That message was delivered in a very nasal-y, Brooklynesque voice. Katie is a very lucky girl. But I did spend a moment wishing my grandma was on the other end of the phone. I'm kind of hoping her grandma calls back. I didn't go to Cape Cod, but I'd like to tell her about my trip.

Road trip!!

In an effort to stave off fog-related depression, and because I haven't seen my friends in the central valley in a very long time, I'm leaving this morning for Fresno. Actually, I'm heading to Hanford, a small city about 45 minutes south of Fresno.

I'll be spending the weekend poolside, catching up with old friends and probably making some new ones. This is the first solo road trip I've done in years, and I'm pretty excited. I just hope my rental car has a good air conditioner, because the forecast low in the valley this weekend is 97. I've packed little more than a swimsuit.

Rope Swing over the lake