Fish Out of Water

Musings and observations about life from an East Coast native now living on the Left Coast in the California State Capitol since 2004. This fish has made her home in Madison, WI (7 years); Portland, OR (2 years); Las Vegas, NV (7 months); Middlebury, VT (3 summers); Marne-la-Vallee, a small town east of Paris, France (6 months); Middletown, CT (3 years); and Marshfield, MA, the fish's coastal hometown 40 miles south of Boston (17 years).

Name:
Location: Sacramento, California, United States

11.29.2012

September & October

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 6: Baseball
Much better outcome for "our" team than during the Red Sox vs. A's series a few days earlier.  Go River Cats!  Post-season play for the Minor Leagues!

Sept. 7: Lunch at Kupros
Finally managed to meet up with A, a former colleague at CPCA who was abruptly fired back in July.  I've really enjoyed getting to know her outside of work since then, and we've met for coffee or lunch almost weekly, which has been fun.

Sept. 12: Lunch at Sapporo
Ditto for above, but a bit closer to the CPCA office this time.

Sept. 14: Monthly Happy Hour w/ S
We realized that we'd end up missing October, due to scheduling, so we already chose two dates in November to compensate for the lack.

Sept. 15: Sac Ballet
An in-studio performance - always enjoyable in the smaller, more intimate setting.

Sept. 16: Massage & Dinner
Our monthly appointment followed by an outing to The Press.  Such a lovely way to wrap up a weekend.

Sept. 20: CPCA Happy Hour at Ella
The unusually warm weather was just barely bearable for sitting outside.  This month has been VERY warm, and I'm so ready for the cooler fall weather to arrive!

Sept. 21: Lunch at Kupros
This time with my beloved Mr. E.  Unfortunately, my desired grilled calamari salad was unavailable, so I had to settle for grilled shrimp instead.  Still tasty, but not quite what I was craving.

Sept. 22: Monthly Brunch at Orphan
The whole gang got together, and Mr. E was able to fuel up for his volleyball tournament later in the day.

Sept. 23: Book Club
We read "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote and watched a film version of the story as well.  A fascinating and disturbing read, and very topical given that the California ballot included a proposition to abolish the death penalty in the state.

Sept. 25: Monthly Dinner & Drinks w/ L
A return to Michelangelo's, where patio seating was the perfect temperature and a great environment for what became a rather intense conversation at times, as we shared some very personal information and discovered an unusual bond that was a surprise to both of us.

Sept. 28-Oct. 5: E Travel for Work
A weekend in Dallas with G, G, & L followed by meetings in Houston.

Sept. 29-Oct. 2: Mom in Sac!
We joke that whenever Mom comes out here to visit, Evan is always away!  Not entirely true, of course, but quite frankly, it does make things a bit easier in terms of sharing space and arranging activities. :)

OCTOBER

Oct. 3-6: Road Scholar Trip w/ Mom
We headed off to Berkeley for a trip that revolved around day cruises on San Francisco Bay.  On Day 1, we headed north towards Richmond and Angel Island.  On Day 2, we aimed south to pass Alcatraz on our way under the Golden Gate Bridge and then skirt the shoreline, anchoring near AT&T Park for lunch, and completing the journey with a trip into the Port of Oakland.  Beautiful weather, and almost too warm during the second afternoon!

Oct. 7: Urban Cow 1/2 Marathon
L and I did the 1/2 marathon relay, which should have provided an even 6.55 mile split for both Leg 1 and Leg 2.  However, the cyclist leading out the pack for Leg 1 (my part) took a wrong turn into the 5K route, so we all ended up running an extra .74 miles - oops!  The race organizers apologized and eventually sent all participants a special sticker for the "udderly long 1/2 marathon" along with a discount for next year's event.  Despite the extra distance, we had a great run with perfect weather and a yummy post-race brunch at Waffle Square.  In fact, we decided that we'd do something similar for the California International Marathon and form a relay team with Mr. E and L's new partner, M.

Oct. 9-12: CPCA Annual Conference
Back down to the Bay Area for my first CPCA Annual Conference.  The best part of the entire event was having opportunities to hang out and bond with my colleagues outside of work.

Oct. 14: Monthly Massage
Such a necessary part of our wellness regimen!

Oct. 17: Fremont Community Garden
Mr. E and I attended a brief ceremony to appreciate the public art in the FCG and to thank Rob Fong for his leadership as our Council Member, since he's finishing up his term this fall and didn't seek re-election.

Oct. 18: Sac Ballet
A reprise of "Romeo & Juliet," which we also saw last year.  Our season tickets are for Friday nights, but we changed up the date this time around to accommodate another activity on Friday, and we were so pleased to be at the Thursday performance instead, as we got to see our favorite duo as the leads (Stefan and Amanda).

Oct. 19: Oktoberfest at CAC
Mr. E got to take advantage of the multiple meat offerings, and I stuck with the salad, bread, cake, and wine.

Oct. 20-29: E Travel for Family & Friends
Off to Chicago to celebrate his Dad's birthday and see family and friends.  I'm so glad he's able to telecommute from anywhere, as it gives him the opportunity to take these types of trips and spend time with the other important people in his life.

Oct. 23: Monthly Dinner & Drinks w/ L
We had planned to go to Firestone Public House, but L gave me some sad news about D's declining condition, so we headed over to T's house and were able to spend some time visiting with and comforting her before we walked to Kupros for dinner.

Oct. 25-28: J's Sister J in Sac!
Scheduling a trip for J to visit (or for me to visit her) can be extremely challenging, but we made it work, and we lucked out with the weather for the entire visit.  I took J to Bikram yoga each morning, and we took advantage of Sac sites on Saturday, doing the Underground Sacramento tour in Old Sac, taking a boat tour on the Sac River, and going to an in-studio rehearsal at the Sac Ballet.  We also had some good quality time for conversation, so it was a very successful visit overall.

Oct. 28: Massage & Memories
Unfortunately, I had learned that T's beloved spouse D had passed away the morning of 10/26.  So very sad.  Way too fast.  Just not fair.  After my "extra" monthly massage in the afternoon, I biked over to T's house and spent over an hour with her just talking and listening and having some quiet time.

Oct. 29: CPCA Conference Team Lunch
In appreciation for all the work that went into planning and conducting the Annual Conference, my supervisor, V, arranged for a team lunch at Grange.  Luckily, S was available to pick up Mr. E at the airport, since his flight arrived during that exact same time!


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