This blog is supposed to be about me?

I don't really talk much about what I'm doing, even though I started this blog partly as a way to keep in touch with everyone through the summer. I guess then it's about time I do a quick burst of what I've been up to since arriving in San Francisco, moving in and not having worked yet.

In the past week I think I've managed to tour most of San Francisco proper, getting an overview of all the family-friendly sites this city has to offer. Yes, the fog does in fact roll in, it's the strangest sight I have ever seen. One of my childhood dreams was to get lost in a fog (shrouded in a fog as it were) and that dream has been somewhat fulfilled, although I wasn't lost or panicking.

I also rode the streetcars, went over and walked around Berkeley. Don't do the streetcars-they're loud and slow and expensive and really just for tourists. I walked on Lombard Street, which I'll be honest is this stupid street that everyone is amazed by because the road zig-zags down (even though the street is safe). We think it must've been intended to reduce speed in the area, but I bet those poor homeowners didn't expect that they'd be bringing the circus to the street, with all the tourists. Hiked (?) around Muir Woods and ate down at Fisherman's Wharf (aren't most wharf's for fishermen?). There are about three Chinese areas here, aside from Chinatown. There's also little Italy and Japantown, but apparently Japantown is a dying area. I love Golden Gate Park, and I love how distinct yet connected the different areas of the city feel. It's really true-one or two blocks makes a huge difference here in terms of living quality and safety. Our friends showing my mother and me around SF know a whole lot more about this city than I do about Boston!

Now that I have all the touristy things out of the way, it'll be nice to settle into just living in San Francisco like a normal person, and meeting different people. Home sweet home until August 29 is a studio apartment about 4 blocks from Union Square, so I'm in the heart of everything. It's just a question of how to balance work, career fair directing, making my way into this city, and doing the little things I had hoped to do more of this summer, reading and writing among them. You can take the boy out of MIT, but you can't take MIT out of the boy.

Work starts Monday, and I am still not sure what sort of projects I'll be working on. HR told me possibly remediation work for BP (yes, BP). As it turns out, the oil spill may now be threatening the parts of the East Coast.