Hello SoCal

So I moved to San Diego in July. After 18 years in the Bay. 14 years in my little Berkeley garden retreat.
My truck died. After 16 years and 220,000 miles.
All these numbers seem(ed) important. And I guess the main thing they might say is:

IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE.

My main squeeze, Ross, got a super dreamy job at Francis Parker School (middle and high school English teacher) and I grabbed Storm and said, "Let's do it!"

Here is a bulletin board I helped him make for his new classroom. I drew all the characters. That comic-drawing lesson plan for RMDS really paid off!

First impressions of San Diego:

1.  Overall, people are incredibly friendly, warm and open.
2.  Everyone seems to know someone in San Diego, and it only takes an email introduction for those people to agree to meet with you and tell you wonderful tips about San Diego.
3.  There are so many delicious beers! And...You cannot drink delicious beer every day without gaining weight. 

​I saw an awesome show at Blindspot Collective that was beautifully acted. And that made me so happy! The audience was filled with students, which also made me happy. Beforehand, one of them asked me: "Is this going to be real people?" I assumed he meant, actors, since the play was based on actual words of immigrants interviewed over several months. I struck up a small conversation with him, noting that even the teenagers are open and friendly here!

Ross and I in front of a mural in our neighborhood. Even the walls are filled with positive energy!

I've been hired as a teaching artist at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. So far I've done amazing training on restorative justice, arts integration and emotional intelligence in curriculum design. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I have to learn. So happy to continue what I started at the Sojourn Devising Institute this summer. It has been a year of learning so much.

Storm and I have been exploring a lot and there is still lots more to explore. I am missing my Bay Area family and I miss Berkeley Bowl more than I ever thought possible. But I am also continually reminded how much growth can come out of change and for that, I'm so happy to be here and can't wait to see what continues to unfold

I still managed to go on year 5 of backpacking adventures with this crew. We did the southern half of the JMT. 125 miles! All that San Diego beer did not make these passes any easier. But 2 weeks was a great boot camp toward getting back into shape. Storm and I are keeping it up exploring Balboa park and surrounding areas.