View of the La Jolla coastline, right by the "cave" 

Mike! Curry! Sideways! 

La Jolla beach again. Beautiful day. 

La Jolla and surfers! They're everywhere! 

Wireless! Internet!

Live from San Diego- it's an update from a wireless internet cafe! So it looks like the wireless card does indeed work. Anyway, it's beautiful enough here that I may just hide and never leave. Sigh. I've been in La Jolla with Mike while he's at work the past 2 days. But I don't want to get boring and talk about every little thing that we've done. Instead, I'll make a list of 8 strangest, funniest and coolest things that happen here.

1* Waaaay too much money spent on dogs. Seriously. I have never seen this many stores geared soley to our canine friends.
2* Sign at park reading "Field closed. No play" Mike and I could hear the children weeping from miles away.
3* Torrey Pines Road changes names and directions approximately 5 million times.
4* Is that the judge's house? No- it's an empty lot!
5* Streets intersecting with themselves. We've seen Torrey Pines intersect with Torrey Pines. Ludington intersect with Ludington. Via Capri with Via Capri. And more. Why does this happen? Why? Is it seriously there just to confuse the average person? Is this San Diego's cruel cruel joke?
6* Two words- sushi boats. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat sushi that doesn't come from a boat again. I told Mike that we could eat there eeeeeevery day and I wouldn't have a problem with it. Somehow, I don't see that happening.
7* Mike's co-worked Hannes offered me a gig with the San Diego Symphony! On oboe! For the Rite of Spring! Am I doing it? Dude, of course not- I'm not that good! But it was a fun thought during the half second it existed in my head.
8* People bike places. And walk. A lot. There aren't just the few token people who walk. It's more of a way of life here, like in Eugene. People in other cities should take note of this and join in.


I really am having a wonderful time out here. I'm going to try and upload some pictures later and post them. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to update often, since I know all 2 readers are on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what I do next!

Met you on a traffic island, we were there all day...

Sooooo, I'm getting ready to go to San Diego to visit the smaller me (aka little brother Mike).  To prepare, I've listened to "San Diego Zoo" by the 6ths lots and lots (actually, most of their Wasps Nests album- check it out, it's awesome). Then I watched the Amazing Race and made sushi and other yummy things with some friends. 

side note- Honestly, I'm getting way too emotionally attatched to that show.  Is it normal to be that close to a reality tv show?  Is this bad?  Should I go to "Amazing race lovers anonymous"?  Would that be like Oboe Players Anonymous (Uh-Oh!)? 

And what's reality tv without ice cream?  Note to guy at Cold Stone- if you're trying to flirt- more gummy bears with our cake batter ice cream! Then Megan won Candyland AND was the Pretty Pretty Princess. Sigh. But it was great, I really do have wonderful friends.

Oh wait, yeah, the getting ready.  I packed too.  Eventually.  At first, I only had bathing suits and 2 dresses, but was then encouraged to add more by well-meaning people (ahem, Heather and Julie).  I leave tomorrow, but am going to make a special point to write in this with up-to-the-minute information about the wild and wacky adventures of Gina and Mike in San Diego!

Tune in next time for Close Encounters of the Trader Joe Kind...

 

Grandad, me, Bonnemaman and Mom at Lakeview's 'beach party' 

Pony-on-the-Finger had a good time too 

More of Millenium Park- beautiful! When you stand under this your image is reflected approximately ten bagillion times (estimate is author's own) 

Gina at Millenium Park 

Part of Millenium Park in Chicago- we were there for opening weekend 

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's CHICAGO 

I made friends with this dolphin at the Shedd Aquarium! 

Testing- the Oregon coast! 

But where'd all the pink go?

I have successfully proven that I'm smarter than  I look by uploading this template to make the blog purple aaaaaand my adding links on the side.  Go me. 

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Since I have now confirmed that this works, I thought it might be appropriate to add a little information about myself for anyone who cares (which may turn out to be no one).
 
Who are you?
    I'm Gina. Who are you?
 
What are you doing here?
    Well, I think it's quite evident that I'm making a blog.  But I'm also trying to make my life easier by having this instead of having to email everyone, and then feeling bad because I left someone out.
 
When are you going to update this thing?
    Whenever I can, thank you very much.  Since I'm a student and a teacher, once school starts it might not be as often as I'd like.
 
Where are you?
   I'm in Eugene, Oregon. 
 
Why do you think you're interesting enough to have your own blog, anyway?
   Well, my brother's interesting enough, and I heard that being interesting runs in the family.
 
Didn't you just forget and/or skip how?
    Yes I did. 
 
Other useful information...

• I'm a graduate teaching fellow in French at The University of Oregon.  That means that I'm working towards a Master's Degree in French and earning my keep by teaching at the same time.  Last year I taught the 100-level French sequence, and next year I'll teach the 200-level.
• My undergraduate degree is from Ripon College.  No, you probably haven't heard of it.  It's really small.  And it's in Wisconsin.
• My parents both work at the University of Arizona, and my brother goes to school in Baltimore, so we're pretty spread out. 
• Sometimes when I go out with my friends here, I'm the only American.
• I like music that some people think is a little strange.  Some of my favorites are Belle and Sebastian, Saint Etienne, Magnetic Fields and the Sixths. 
• I worked at the Gap for a long time, in Kids.  But I always liked Banana Republic better.
• I love shoes and lip gloss.  A lot.  And when I say a lot, I mean really really really a lot.  Some of my friends have considered doing an intervention.
• I'm learning how to cook.  Or really, to be a better cook. I'm trying.  I can bake good cookies!
• Teen Girl Squad, at Homestarrrunner.com, always makes me laugh.  "I have a crush on eeeeevery boy!" 
• My favorite things to do in the classes I teach are talk about "La Double-Vie d'Eliana," make overheads with my finger puppet collection and play "Quel est ton probleme?" (which is also my favorite game on the Late Show)
• Once Marc asked my class what they would have to do to be like me.  Some of my favorite answers were- wear a lot of pink, have lots of finger puppets, drink a lot of coffee, live at the Gap. 

I think that I'm supposed to be doing laundry and trying to get ready to go visit my brother in San Diego right now.  Whoops.  Until next time...

First time...

Just checking to see if this works.  Do colors work too?