![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
it's always better on holiday...
Mar. 25th, 2022 10:58 pm...so much better on holiday
that's why we only work when
WE NEED THE MONEY
i am on spring break, aka the week of the year that i deliberately take off of work because i just need a fucking break from these people. spent the first half of the week (+the end of last week) in chicago visiting one of my good friends/ex-coworkers who's getting his ph.d. out there. the transitional weather worked out nicely -- we visited museums when it was rainy and cold, explored neighborhoods when it was sunny and warm. i traveled alone, which allowed me freedom to sort out my own itinerary, but since i'm boring, most of my stops were just bookstores and record shops. i also spent a fair bit of time sitting in cafes writing, but that was fine with me. with the amount of relaxation i got it really felt like a vacation.
a few other things i did: spent the entirety of business hours in the art institute of chicago (and still didn't see everything), navigated the L alone (and lost a lot more faith in humanity on the red and blue lines), dabbled in fine dining (not sure if it's for me), and made friends with strangers in bars (church songs seem to be the perfect icebreaker for queer recovering catholics). i also visited northwestern, bought a sweater like princess diana's, then briefly entertained the idea of getting a graduate degree in computational bio. fortunately the illusion lasted all of one hour (thank tuition sticker shock for that). then i met my friend's cohortmates who all sort of reinforced the idea that i didn't actually want to commit to anymore years of school. but they were all kind and hilarious, and i surprised myself with my social skills and would like to think i came off somewhat likeable, because i really liked all of them.
i returned here on tuesday to 80-degree weather and gas prices close to $6. it kind of just takes being out of california to realize how much california sucks. it felt very much at the crossroads of gentrification out there, where trendy, cookie-cutter high-rises and white-walled wood-countered businesses are slowly creeping into neighborhoods, but the core of local flavor is still predominant. suffice it to say it was a bit begrudgingly that i returned to bland ol' silicon valley, where those cookie-cutter high-rises obscure all our major skylines, commercial-residential communes wipe out entire blocks of small businesses, and you could ask any bland ol' techie transplant "so, which model are you: the type that hikes, cycles or boulders?" and get an answer. you can't help but wonder which major metropolis is next.
okay, fine. i admit i'm unreasonably scathing with my critiques on the bay area after i've returned from vacation, but it's hard not to grow disillusioned with living here, especially after being someplace else. it seems like unless you're coasting along on a six-figure salary or a generous dose of generational wealth, anywhere is better than here. i think a lot of my bitterness also stems from the fact that i can't bring myself to go anywhere else because my family is here. even with all the trauma they've inflicted (blah blah blah) i still find myself defaulting to "blood is thicker than water" despite knowing the full, actual quote.
this is so depressing. so anyway. probably against anybody's better judgment, my best friend and i are currently trying to flesh out a UK trip. ideally it would be at the end of this year, but i'm also fine with keeping it purely hypothetical because even the act alone of planning it out gives me enough joy. if in the event it does happen, though... literally the only reason we chose the end of the year is because franz ferdinand will be playing in england and i'd much rather see them over there than here. plus she's never been, and i enjoyed the UK quite a lot last time i went with family. i have a cousin over there, and i spent a fair bit of time sitting alone in cafes before anyone else was up just so i could theorize moving and building a life there. it was definitely within the realm of possibility at the time but with you-know-what who knows how much of that still holds true.
midnight now! i should go and savor my last 48 hours of freedom...
that's why we only work when
WE NEED THE MONEY
i am on spring break, aka the week of the year that i deliberately take off of work because i just need a fucking break from these people. spent the first half of the week (+the end of last week) in chicago visiting one of my good friends/ex-coworkers who's getting his ph.d. out there. the transitional weather worked out nicely -- we visited museums when it was rainy and cold, explored neighborhoods when it was sunny and warm. i traveled alone, which allowed me freedom to sort out my own itinerary, but since i'm boring, most of my stops were just bookstores and record shops. i also spent a fair bit of time sitting in cafes writing, but that was fine with me. with the amount of relaxation i got it really felt like a vacation.
a few other things i did: spent the entirety of business hours in the art institute of chicago (and still didn't see everything), navigated the L alone (and lost a lot more faith in humanity on the red and blue lines), dabbled in fine dining (not sure if it's for me), and made friends with strangers in bars (church songs seem to be the perfect icebreaker for queer recovering catholics). i also visited northwestern, bought a sweater like princess diana's, then briefly entertained the idea of getting a graduate degree in computational bio. fortunately the illusion lasted all of one hour (thank tuition sticker shock for that). then i met my friend's cohortmates who all sort of reinforced the idea that i didn't actually want to commit to anymore years of school. but they were all kind and hilarious, and i surprised myself with my social skills and would like to think i came off somewhat likeable, because i really liked all of them.
i returned here on tuesday to 80-degree weather and gas prices close to $6. it kind of just takes being out of california to realize how much california sucks. it felt very much at the crossroads of gentrification out there, where trendy, cookie-cutter high-rises and white-walled wood-countered businesses are slowly creeping into neighborhoods, but the core of local flavor is still predominant. suffice it to say it was a bit begrudgingly that i returned to bland ol' silicon valley, where those cookie-cutter high-rises obscure all our major skylines, commercial-residential communes wipe out entire blocks of small businesses, and you could ask any bland ol' techie transplant "so, which model are you: the type that hikes, cycles or boulders?" and get an answer. you can't help but wonder which major metropolis is next.
okay, fine. i admit i'm unreasonably scathing with my critiques on the bay area after i've returned from vacation, but it's hard not to grow disillusioned with living here, especially after being someplace else. it seems like unless you're coasting along on a six-figure salary or a generous dose of generational wealth, anywhere is better than here. i think a lot of my bitterness also stems from the fact that i can't bring myself to go anywhere else because my family is here. even with all the trauma they've inflicted (blah blah blah) i still find myself defaulting to "blood is thicker than water" despite knowing the full, actual quote.
this is so depressing. so anyway. probably against anybody's better judgment, my best friend and i are currently trying to flesh out a UK trip. ideally it would be at the end of this year, but i'm also fine with keeping it purely hypothetical because even the act alone of planning it out gives me enough joy. if in the event it does happen, though... literally the only reason we chose the end of the year is because franz ferdinand will be playing in england and i'd much rather see them over there than here. plus she's never been, and i enjoyed the UK quite a lot last time i went with family. i have a cousin over there, and i spent a fair bit of time sitting alone in cafes before anyone else was up just so i could theorize moving and building a life there. it was definitely within the realm of possibility at the time but with you-know-what who knows how much of that still holds true.
midnight now! i should go and savor my last 48 hours of freedom...
