Cha-Cha-Changes

Observations moving to SF from CT

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I Am NOT Selling My Car

When I found out I was moving back to SF, three things happened. I was a little sad because I knew what/who I couldn’t take with me. Excitement to be closer to my sisters and the friends I left behind when I left last time. And then a few minutes later there was panic. I have a 5 speed manual transmission Subaru. San Francisco has a lot of hills, very steep hills with parallel parking… To survive I would need to sell my car. It arrived about 3 weeks after I did and on the day it arrived, I was living in Dogpatch which is near the ball park and very flat. Eventually I would need to drive to my sister who lives in the Richmond district (also flat) and there was no way to get there without hitting a few hills. I needed to get this car registered and sold stat.. The stress I created was a little overwhelming. There was many a time I would be driving and then realize there was a hill ahead and what would result would be just a crazy maze to find the least scary route.. Every time I would drive a hill I hadn't driven before I would tell my sister, I would do a happy dance, and she would roll her eyes. Slowly but surely I would get a little more bold. Now two months later I am not panicked. There are a few hills that I still actively avoid but for the most part I would have to work hard to hit any of the really steep hills. They are super steep and would instill fear in people with automatic transmission. But for now I think I will keep my car. As for parallel parking, I have always loved it... Bring it on the smaller the better..

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Cat tale part 2

In the event you ever have to fly with pets let this be your 101 to air travel with pets (as cargo). I have 2 cats and for that and a litany of other reasons on board travel was not an option. So if you find yourself in this predicament you have a couple of options. There is a services called PetRelocation. It's full service, they pick the pet up from your house and coordinate the transport to the destination. They use air and land options depending on the destination. They work with the travel providers tracking and coordinating all the way..it's high touch and expensive but they were so helpful even when I told them I couldn't afford their services. Telling me all the ins & outs. Another option is driving your pet on your own. But when this isn't an option most airlines have services. I took the recommendation of the swanky pet relocation company and used United's PetSafe services. They said Delta was a distant 2nd and United had the most robust program. If there is a connection there is a van waiting at the gate when the plane arrives. My pets were not on my flight but there was a dog in cargo and as I deplaned in Chicago (where it was 12 degrees out) there was van there waiting for the crate. When my cats plane landed in San Francisco I had my cats about 20 minutes later... I would definitely use them again. Hopefully I won't need to.. Couple things to note before putting your pets on a flight. They need to have a doctors form from a vet within 10 dats of the flight, they need all their vaccinations to be update. Each pet must have their own crate (unless kittens) and it must be airline approved. The crate has to be big enough so that the pet can stand in it and a Baggie with a cup of food should be taped to the crate. You have to have 2 dishes so they can be fed and watered if necessary. They should not be sedated because they are not secured with a seat belt and need to be able to right themselves as the plane moves. The cabin they are in is pressurized and temperature controlled.. I used a mild sedative on Oliver but that is another story completely.. The important part is all arrived safe and sound...

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A Cat Tale part 1

First of all, why is it cool to fawn over and talk non stop about your dogs but a few stories about your cats and all of a sudden you are crazy. Well here I go, call me crazy. I left my cats with my close friend Felicia. I couldn't believe she offered. The move was going fast and furious and the thought having to get my cats on a plane was just sending me over the edge. Felicia could tell and because she is a great friend she offered to have them stay so I could focus on getting me, my stuff and my car packed and shipped in 8 days.. As soon as the offer came out I am sure she was questioning why the words came out of her mouth. As an adult she has never been into pets. The thought was I would be back in two weeks to get them. Two months later I arrived to tear them from their great new home.. What was once a cat free zone. I come back and there are treats strewn around the house for the cats to find.. Both cats are a little shy. Oliver is a full on recluse... I hear stories of both out and about and the night I come home Oliver is going up to strangers (to him) to be pet. They are so comfortable and I am about to tear them from this and put them in a crate for 10 hours, put them on a plane going through sub zero Chicago.. The guilt! Stay tuned for part 2 - the pseudo happy ending!

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For those who read yesterday's tumblr... Say hello to Bubba.. My work morning happy place and thermal protector of all thing Hot, caffeinated and delicious!

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A final thought on recycling

So one last point on recycling. In any store, in SF, you purchase something from, if you want a bag to put your purchases in it will cost you 10 cents. This includes any bodega, neighborhood gift shop, groceries, Nordstrom, Macy's, Best Buy, Walgreens, Target or even Home Depot. It's a City Ordinance. The bag you buy will be paper or this weird plastic alternative that is super noisy. Everyone has Eco bags and other types of bag-in-bags..It is to the point that you feel guilty if you don't have them, you would rather carry all your Bed Bath & Beyond purchases out in your arms rather than admit you want to bring another bag into the universe.. In part it's the cashier but mostly it's the looks you get from the people around you.. I swear they are looking at you as if you will be the end of life as we know it on earth.. It is not me... They take this very seriously. Okay maybe it is me. Not everyone is an environmental vigilante, but they definitely exist and I am a little in awe of them. So on my train into work there are two women that carry coffee to work in jars. One is a pasta jar with a Classico lid and the other is a salsa jar. It wouldn't be good enough to use. A recycle able coffee mug because of the materials and energy used to make it...it's pretty incredible. That said I love my mug Bubba and am not ready to go that far. That said I will try to get better and continue to be impressed by the variety of efforts people use to save our environment!!

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Protecting Mother Earth as a SF resident requires a degree.

Recycle, renew, reuse, repurpose, reconstitute, or compost. I have moved to the epicenter of the environmental movement. In SF everyone has 3 bins.. Two big ones and one small one. The 2 big ones are the huge trash cans on wheels the rest on the country uses for their trash. One is for recycling and one is for compost. The trash bin is the smallest - less than half the size of the others. Even at work there are three bins and PG&E recycles or composts 75% of its waste... It's crazy! Does everyone even know what composting is??? I have friends (and you know who you are) that have a recycling bin but it's never used or not to the extent it should be never mind the SF level. But I am on board and i want to be an environmental steward. I really do. My only issue is the panic I go through when I have to throw something out. Especially if there is an audience. You believe in it and you want to be right but there are some things you just don't know.. For example... The dryer sheet. Originally I thought it might be compost able and the recyclable definitely. But no.. It's trash. Aluminum foil- I still get confused I think it's recycling but it might also be trash. A big thing is your Starbucks/Peets coffee cup. Turns out the lid and sleeve are recyclable and the cup is compost. Dirty tissues - compost. Plastic utensils - recycle. Any food waste - compost. To-go food containers.. You have to look because most are recyclable but many are now compost and a few old school are just trash. There really should be a class or a detailed pamphlet or better yet an app that uses your camera to determine the proper disposal method.. Admittedly I try but I have had a few breakdowns and out of frustration it just all becomes trash.. I mean really the mental anguish such a simple activity causes it amazing. No worries though, I am figuring it out and will be launching classes at a community college near you!

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Brrrrrr-errrr

It's December in Northern California.. This tumblr has 2 points, 4 if you count the reminders that it's December and I am Northern California. Today I didn't bring lunch. With 30 minutes I ran out to get lunch... At Aetna there was only 1 viable option anytime of the year with only 30 minutes for lunch. The cafeteria - and no matter how good the place is - after 5 years ( never mind 13) it gets old. Today I leave the building and within a 1 block radius I have 3 Starbucks, 2 subway, a Taco Bell, sushi, several deli's, a Vietnamese food cart, several salad bars, and 2 soup places.. Within 3 blocks the options are endless.. My favs are a food truck alley where 2 different food trucks come everyday and the SF Ferry building which offers awesome but pricey options of every type. I go for soup. The lead up is my first point - I miss the people I had lunch with but I love all of my options. I chose the soup because it was chili.. And I remember thinking BRRR it's so cold... Almost bone chilling cold. It was a sunny 50 degrees and I wasn't wearing a coat. My point being it's just as cold here as CT. Wear a coat.. And with all these lunch options I need to join a gym.

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Looking back

On October 11th with my whole house packed.  My cats safely relocated to a friends house. I boarded a plane to San Francisco and never looked back.  Well not exactly.  I went from suburbia to city, from 250-3000 miles from family to 3 miles.  From a year of unemployment to gainful employment.  From 1200 sq feet to 500.  Its been all about looking back and then forward and then back and then forward.  This new life brings so much I didnt have but I also walked away from a lot and I miss my CT life but I love the city by the bay but I miss my friends but I love being closer to my sister and her family. I think you get the idea. And now I am about to move from my 500 square foot 1 bedroom apartment to my sisters basement, fondly called "the crib."  Probably 300 sq ft.  I decided to delay moving into my own place to save some money and do more investigating to see where I wanted to live.  I am grateful to my sister and her family for making room for me and I am excited to be closer to my niece and nephew.  We will see how long I last surrounded by all these people.. :-)   In the meantime I will use this blog to share some of my successes and insights...