Engaged!

Every time I write, I resolve that it has been too long and that I need to write more often. But then my life gets in the way. So I just write when I can.
There was a weekend in July when I was going home and I took Allie to stay at a friend's house. I had to take two buses to get there and on the second bus it was a little crowded. I had Allie and my suitcase and Allie's carrier, needlesstosay, I was a bit of a mess. And I went to get off the bus and some man handed me something, I assumed it fell out of my bag or pocket and took it and left. Then I read it. It was a yellow post-it that said: Hi, I'm Jeffrey, Have dinner with me when you return. And then his phone number. I never called. Honestly, I should really pay more attention because I couldn't even tell you what Jeffrey looked like.
I got engaged since my last post!! I was having a pretty stressful week, where things were not going my way. Which never happens because I am the luckiest girl in the world. But for some reason, things were just not working in my favor. And I had planned on taking the first flight out on August 23 but missed my flight...my super shuttle driver was 20 minutes late picking me up and then we had to pick up 5 other people and by the time he made it (via side streets) to the airport, I was too late. So I had to wait for a flight at 10 something. Luckily, the guy working at the gate was so nice and calmed me down. Tim picked me up from the airport and I made him run an errand with me. And then we drove to the top of the hill by my parent's house where he had carved T + C into a tree and he was freaking out! I could sense his anxiety and just started talking. I have no idea what I said. But little miss chatty over here wouldn't shut up and I am sure it was not helping. And then when we got to the top of the hill and were walking around I finally just said, "what's wrong with you?" then he pulled out a little ring box and I asked, "whatt're you doing right now?" and since I had essentially spoiled any bit of romance in that moment....he very sweetly asked if I would marry him. And then gave me the prettiest ring I have ever seen. We flew back east and told him whole family! It was great!!
There have been some interesting adventures on the N Judah lately. I had one guy who was very drunk trying to find the Castro (note: the N Judah does not go through the Castro) and he got mad at some dude who apparently gave him bad directions. I told him where to go but that he had to walk up a huge hill and he said, "I don't like hills." Then you're not gonna get to the Castro, buddy.
There was also a guy who came up to me on the bus and said something really quietly and I couldn't hear him so I said so. His response was, "can I have your phone number?" and I told him I was taken and he said, "but you don't really like that guy, do you?" Then I said yes, I do and he yelled, "damn!" and got off the bus at that stop. Super creepy.
My friend Courtney and I went to a bar awhile ago and we were talking with a group of people and one of the guys came over to say bye to his friends. And introduced himself to me and then told me to have a safe passage through life. We also got stopped while walking to that bar by some man in a parking lot. He had his trunk open and was looking for something then saw us and said, "I have something for you. I'm Russian." I'm pretty sure Courtney and I did our best to get away as quickly as possible..no one will ever know what he had for us..probably for the best.
Whelp, goodnight.

Summatime

Being home for any long period of time makes me nervous because of what happened last summer. But, good news - I came back to my apartment and everything was here! Safe and sound.
While I was home we celebrated Tim's birthday. We had a nice dinner and for after dinner I had planned a surprise with his friends at the bay to set off Chinese sky lanterns. He has wanted to do them for awhile and I thought it would be fun. No event is complete without a little batch of crazy...we were all having a great time and way in the distance we hear, "FIRE!!! FIRE!!!" Up comes this crazy woman yelling at us that we are gonna burn boats and houses down and that we are "gonna arrested". She asked some vacationers for a phone and they said they didn't have one so she proceeded to yell "POLICE! FIRE! 911!!" We kept lighting them off....and a short time later someone came running up and said, "she got a hold of a phone! You guys might wanna clean up!" We packed up our stuff and walked down the alley to one of his friend's houses and sat on the patio for awhile. Sure enough, the police came, drove right past us, looked at the beach for a bit, then left. Nothing like breaking the law for a bit of good luck and wishes. Turns out, they work. We did have good luck. No one arrested.
Speaking of luck, we all know I am the luckiest girl in the world! I won tickets to an Artist Den showing of Imagine Dragons. It was a fairly small show, larger than I thought but it felt really intimate. And they recorded for PBS, it'll be on August 11. They are awesome, if you ever have a chance to see them, do it. My luck intensifies when I am with Kelly. We went to the Padre game to get pet bandanas, got there too late and missed them. I know, you think that means I am not lucky. But here is the lucky part: we ended up with 2 bandanas, free golf, two nights in Cabo, free dinner, and free parking. Then two weeks later, I got two more bandanas. Amazing.
Now I am back in the City and so of course the craziness ensues. My friend, Sophie and I were going to grab a bite to eat the other day after seeing Superman. (note: I was wearing a coral colored shirt, shocker, I always wear coral) and this man says that the color looks so nice on me. So I said thank you and he said: "Are you an Aries? Your sign? Aries right?" I said no, I am a Libra. And he responded with: Oh, you're very calming.
I am gonna leave with this quote from Tim, "Like Jesus had a lot to live up to, but you're like a girl and you have a lot to live up to."

Another Saturday Night

Nothin like blogging on a Saturday night...I know what you're thinking, I am out of control and need to settle down!

It's been two months since my last post, to the day. Crazy! I went to Hawaii with my mom the week of her birthday. And where better to be approached by the creepest man ever than at the grocery store in Kona while with my mom. He was on the beach earlier that day and my uncle told us he was kinda weird but at the store I didn't make the connection. Otherwise I would have done a better job avoiding him. But alas, he came over to me...of course. And I was wearing pink shorts and didn't even notice that my toes were painted pink. So that was his line. He asked if I painted my toes to match my shorts and if I did it everyday cause that would be adorable. I said no and that I didn't even notice that was the case. My mom and I started walking out of the store and he followed and then asked if I lived in Kona and I said no, California and he asked if I lived near....I can't remember where...but I said no. Then he asked if I had been proposed to yet. Uh, no sir. And as he is asking all these questions my mom and I are walking quickly to the car and then I blocked the sidewalk with the shopping cart and ran into the car. We saw him at the beach the next day but he didn't say anything, I guess he got the hint with my block and run tactic. Phew!

Back in San Francisco....Adventures on the N Judah (and the 47):
1) A severely obese woman got on the bus the other day and good for her, she rode her bike to the bus stop. Well, she sits across from me and is on the phone. She ends the conversation and in one motion, puts the phone down her shirt while grabbing a large muffin, still in the wrapper like from Walgreens, and proceeds to open and eat it. I never would have known there was a muffin there...and who keeps muffins in their bra?! To each their own, I guess. The guy next to me and I were pretty surprised, I wonder what else is down her shirt....or maybe I shouldn't even think about such things. Brings new meaning to the term "muffin top".
2) A group of kids, maybe 6 of them got on the bus and were standing around where I was sitting. By kids, I mean 15 year old boys, which we all know are kids....the one standing next to me thinks it's a good idea to lean on me while he stands on his tippy toes in order to tag the top of the bus. So I do what anyone would do and move so that he trips slightly. But not enough to put together that it was me and not the bus cause I am not about to mess with a group of teenage taggers. That was weird.
3) There was a guy who got on the bus at about 10am and sat across the aisle from me. He opened a bottle of wine, not the twist off cap kind, like with a wine bottle opener and uncorked it. And then just drank straight out of the bottle. I like his style.
4) This group of three people were on the bus and the youngest one was on something and was jumping on the chairs and doing pull ups on the bar.
5) One day I was eating a granola bar. It was delicious. The bus came to a sharp stop and some guy took that as an opportunity to talk to me for 15 minutes about my granola bar, other kinds of granola and granola bars, kinds of peanut, almond, and macadamia nut butters...neat. 
You just never know what is going to happen on the buses here....

 

Who Even Writes Blogs?

Apparently not me....at least not lately, anyway. Where to even start, so much has happened! I'll start with a couple little stories that happened before the New Year.
My friend Sophie and I went to what I thought was going to be a really fun Christmas party. We got all dolled up and went out on a rainy night. Anddd it was a bust. So we went to one of my favorite bars in the city....drank way to much (thanks to the bartender who kept the drinks coming)...and on the car ride home, I was VERY chatty. When we got to my house she turned to me and said, rather forcefully, get out!. Then we both laughed about it...but deep down...I know she was ready for me to go home. It was time.
There was another night when I went to meet my friend, Matt, for dinner. It was pretty cold and we were meeting at a gastropub that isn't too far from where I live. I was walking fairly quickly around a corner on Haight when a pretty plump man stopped me with, "you're cute. Come over here and rub my nipples!" I did what I do and ran away. It was a smart move.
On New Years, I was out with Sophie and Tim at a place called Union in Encinitas. Sophie was stoked cause she met some dude named, Landon from Real World. (I don't know him) There was a girl in the group next to me, she was all dressed up and having a good time with a group of other people. Then she came over and asked if I was seeing someone because she wanted to set me up with some dude in her group. I told her I was and pointed to Tim, who was standing right by me. And she was like, "oh well this guy that I am with is a great guy". okayyyy.....so we hang out for a bit and then decide we are full up on fun and it's time to go. As we are walking out, I look over at this "great guy" who now has his shirt fully unbottoned, kinda swaying back and forth, then says to me, "you're missing out." Yeah, no.
I'm going to do an entire entry on Thailand...it would make this one way too long!
I was on the bus last week and there was a guy on there who was so funny. I am going to guess he's about 24 or so. He was dressed in a blazer, jeans, dress shoes, and had a cane. The cane was nothing more than a prop, but I bet he was happy he had it when the bus stopped suddenly and he fell. Then he just sat where he fell acting like he meant to do it. When he stood up he explained, loudly, to two guys standing by him that he wrote a song that morning and proceeded to sing it. The two guys walked away. He followed. He ended up standing in front of me hanging from the bar, legs dangling, cane swinging, non-stop talking. At the next stop he noticed a sweater someone else was wearing and offered to trade his blazer for the cardigan. The guy respectfully declined. So he says, offer number 2! My shoes for your shoes. Declined, who knows where either of their feet have been. And his third and final offer, your sunglasses for my watch. I thought this was a fair trade but the guy was not a good sport and declined. Then he turns to me and says: Is it time for our song and dance?! Unfortunately, we were at my stop. I wonder what we would have sang? Imagine someone very theatrical doing this and with a sort of mock accent...a nice way to fill time on the bus ride.
I'm gonna end tonight on that note. I have more but I will save them for another day.

Who else is this?

^^about the title: some guy answered his phone by saying that. For real.
Courtney, Sophie, and I went to Vegas a couple weekends ago! So fun. According to rules about Vegas, I am not allowed to share a whole lot....as the saying goes. But I will share that we spent our entire Saturday watching "Too Cute: Puppies" followed by "Too Cute: Sloths". Really...sloths and they discussed a sloth party that was about to happen. Sophie took a picture of Courtney and I still laying in bed at 5pm and titled it something along the lines of a sloth rager. Because really, us laying in our beds watching tv was about as much movement as what happens at a sloth rager. We also met a fairly famous DJ without even knowing it. And Sophie was not as good at poker as she had originally suspected she would be. I will also share that on the plane Courtney said to me: You should date a pilot. My response, "cause they're gone all the time?" Um...no...cause you get free flights. Duh.
I haven't had too many bus adventures with people lately. I feel like the N isn't as crazy as the 71, which runs down Haight. Crazy things happen on Haight street. I walked down there once looking for hand drawn signs for a school assignment. There were two men talking and one was on his way out so the other guy said, "have a good day!" so the man replied, "thanks." Then he said, "Not you, her!" and pointed to me. I said, "thanks" and kept walking. Then he YELLED at me: Hey! Get back here and talk to me! It took everything for me not to literally run. Which is typically my MO.
I went to a bar last weekend in North Beach with Matt and some of his friends. It was a fun night. Then I turned around and witnessed a man lifting his shirt and his two friends (one guy and one girl) started to rub his belly. No joke. Such a weird moment at the bar....
I heard this gem from someone walking by my house: The best honey I ever tasted was honey that bees made.
I thought I should share some interesting notes from the wild world of online dating as well. Sheer entertainment. Nothing too crazy. But here is this one:
. Ok, I admit it. I like your style and I think we might well be the two coolest people out here! We should totally take advantage of it, and elope to Tibet, spend a kick ass year in Shangri La and live happily ever after, throwing money in trash and partying like Charlie Sheen. I have this whole thing planned out, so all you have to do is sit by the pool, drink margaritas and get oiled up by hot pool boys all day while I go on my mountaineering expeditions. So I'm really banking on you to say yes to this or I'm going to have to just find Liya Kebede and I don't think the plan will turn out as well. :) 
Hopefully he doesn't find me and see this. But really...seems extreme. And yes, he did start the paragraph with a period.
Until next time. Happy Thanksgiving!

Bekah's Beats

It has really been far too long since I blogged. I can't go this long, way too much to tell! I am gonna start with a new sub-section called "Adventures on the N Judah". (The N Judah is the bus I take to get downtown.)
Adventures on the N Judah
I ride this bus often and I am sure that I don't remember everything. But some hi-lights include:
- One guy who was getting on the bus at a stop a couple away from mine and jumped on right at the last minute...leaving his girlfriend on the platform. Whoops! It was obvious she wasn't thrilled and I don't blame her. 
- I've seen a couple people who get annoyed with the crowds on the bus during rush hour. I would suggest they hang out downtown for a bit before getting on the bus if you're gonna start fights. One dude like accidentally stepped on some other guy and the guy wigged out. Started yelling at him and it turned into a big verbal battle. Scary! 
- So I took Allie down to the Embarcadero one day and had to take her on the bus. She totally freaked out. Especially cause we go through a couple tunnels. She was shaking the whole way. But LOVED being back over there. Sometimes I think she misses the old hood. Anyway, the way back I stuck her in my school bag and some woman saw her and came over to say hi. She said that Allie looks like her dog, Eddie. And showed me a pic, sure enough, they do look just alike! We get on the bus and she tells me about her son and her dogs. Mainly her dogs. She has two yorkies, Eddie and Isabel. She told me about her Christmas card with them and I was reminded of my Christmas card last year...she was the crazy cat lady but with her dogs...please don't let me turn into her. Sort of related - Allie is gonna be a chicken for Halloween. Super excited. Not a good sign for me....

Okay back to other stories. My friend Courtney and I have had a few adventures together. One of which involved a place called Smuggler's Cove. We went there to meet my friend, Matt. And this guy came over to us and tried to guess our names, he guessed Melissa for Courtney and Janice for me. So I decided to spend the rest of the conversation only replying with Mean Girls quotes, whether they applied or not. And then he drunkenly knocked over Courtney's drink - which would be one thing if it was a $3 beer but it was like a $10 cocktail. And then I said something like, "aren't you gonna replace that?" and his response was, "Wow, you really are a mean girl." Uhhhh....thankfully the bartender was awesome and witnessed the whole thing so he made her a new drink. 
Next weekend Courtney, Sophie, and I are going to Vegas. I'd say I'll have a lot of stories, but am I allowed to share them? I don't even know! 
This past weekend my friend, Tim came up from San Diego and we went to the Bridge School Festival. So fun!!! The first day we had lawn seats and we managed to squeeze our way in this tiny space up against some dude's chair and in front of a big loud group. There was a big walkway a couple groups over but people were drunk and stumbling through us anyway. One guy full on stepped on Tim's legs and he yells, "THAT'S ME! I'M A HUMAN!" Too funny, who yells that they are human? Only Tim! I'm pretty sure that happened during some depressing song that I laughed all the way through. The next day we had actual seats, which were amazing. Foster the People were incredible all acoustic. So great. And Tim has a man crush on Ray LaMontagne (He wont be mad at me for posting that, he told like everyone that Ray was, "All hot and homeless looking.") So anyway, day 2, Sarah McLachlan is on, she's playing depressing songs on the piano, amazing but depressing. The woman in front of us in a green fur-like coat and black beanie, was super stoked on Sarah M. The set ends, and this woman stands up, holds her churro in the air, and spins it around. As churros do, it breaks apart hitting people around her. She is left with a little in her hand so she throws it and it hits some man. Hilarious. She laughed (and so did I) for a LONG time after. Guns 'n Roses played - so my old neighbors are super jealous and don't even know it. One more funny Tim story - but I wasn't present for this one. Still funny. Tim's brother and his family live up here and on Monday he was baby sitting his 3 year old niece. I guess the mom is a science teacher and so they watch a lot of educational shows and the one on Monday was about bananas. Tim fell asleep during the show, real good baby sitter, and she got up and went into the kitchen, got a banana, threw it at Tim and it hit him in the face. They did not pick up the banana and when her mom got home she tells her, "I threw a decaying banana at uncle Tim's face!" Such a smart 3 year old! 
You're probably over reading this. I'll write shorter blogs and more often from now on!
 

A fresh start

It's time for a name change for my blog. I recently moved out of the TL! I am going to continue to blog because weird things happen to me on a daily basis regardless of where I live. For example, I was out today and some man, clearly visiting SF, was in his car and started yelling questions at me. First he asked, where's your backyard? Then, How do you live here, the houses are so close together? (They are literally touching, it's actually a quite picturesque neighborhood, here's a photo).

Then he told me he wasn't from here. As if that wasn't obvious...but I digress...
Over the summer I went home for a bit. And I had been home for a couple weeks when I got a text from my resident manager, also my next door neighbor, saying that my door was ajar. He asked for permission to enter and when he did, you can imagine what he found. Or maybe you can't, it was that bad. Everything in my apartment was in disarray, LOTS of things were missing, and well...my bed had been "slept" in. My mom and I flew out and with the help of some pretty wonderful friends (Tony and Sophie) I was able to pack everything up, break my lease (after threatening a lawsuit), find a new apartment, and got outta dodge. So now I am in a whole new part of town where there are kids playing soccer, Golden Gate Park is like 2 blocks away, and I can actually go outside without having to cross a soup kitchen line. It's a whole new world and a fresh start! Looking forward to what the next few months..or years...have in store for me. So stay tuned. Goodnight, America.