Somewhere Out There

It's been a crazy few days. I reconnected with an old Odeon friend, Lauren Payne, and stayed with her in SF a few nights ago. We went out in the Castro and I saw Dan Conti, (St. John's Shoutout) and a few of his friends out and about. Walking around a city again was great. SF has it's own vibe, not at all like NYC - more open, low key, but very cool - a softer edge. Lauren was my amazing tour guide the next day and I've posted some great shots that I got of the bay. It was so clear, and my camera got some great shots. So I haven't experienced that famous fog, but I was lucky enough to enjoy the sun. Labor Day Shanelle made a wonderful BBQ with help from her friend Amber, a sweetheart and grill master. I met some of her friends from the Coast Guard (Ryan, Shanelle's husband is currently deployed), and WOW - great people. That night we went Out. There was a Reggae night at a local place called Kitty's. After Shanelle fairy godmothered me into one of her hot dresses, we danced and played late with some more of her friends, some from the area, some from her time in college. Already, in less than a week, I've met such an amazing group of dynamic, interesting, and kind people. Yesterday we had a Law and Order marathon (gotta love tv days) and now I'm catching up on a few things. I fly out of the country on Sunday, and my phone goes on standby Saturday morning at 12:01 - it's all a little overwhelming. There is definitely a part of me that would like to go home, see my family and settle down into security, but what's life without a little bit of fear, right? Forward - Forward! Shanelle's apt. is actually above a mall (hence the name of this entry), and while she's at work, I'm going to explore some stores: try on some make-up at Sephora, see if there are any free samples at the chocolate shops, in short, Ultimate window shopping. Wish me luck!