Author: Conrad

We received a care package today from my grandmother. After a couple weeks, and multiple inquiries as to whether it had arrived, we got it, and admittedly, we had high hopes. Alas, when we opened the box (rather, when the customs guy opened it in front of us) we were rather nonplussed. In the medium…

Now that I’ve been living here for a few months, I believe that I can safely make some observations that may have earlier seemed to be jumping to conclusions. Regarding traffic and parking: Lanes (when visible/present) are merely suggestions. You can easily get a ticket for overstaying your parking spot (if you’ve managed to grab…

Quote of the day: Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. Yesterday we observed my eleven thousandth, one hundredth and eleventh day of being around, so I thought this an appropriate time for some reflection. No, I’m not going to reflect on all 11,111 days, just the last sixty…

We’re here visiting the Fosters in their hometown. Beautiful weather, delicious food, wonderful people. We’ll definitely be visiting again soon!

Well, it’s been a new year for a few weeks now. I never really felt anything physical or emotional about anniversaries, whether the New Year, or a birthday. I’ve always had to force myself to stop and reflect, or otherwise mark the occasion. Twenty-fifteen has been no different. The New Year snuck in as just…

We’ve been planning this step into the business world for a long time now, perhaps I’ve even been dreaming about it longer. I think all of the hesitation I had in the States that came with every thought of starting something was due to the state of the industry there. I had jumped into the…

We arrived in the stress of the season, people tense, the streets congested, fighting in preparation for a time of joy, passion to be tested. We arrived with grand plans, both near and far our dreams, eager to find a foothold, our fear on our sleeves. Through grace our dread unfounded, blessings of friends and…

We took a little walk the other morning to see the first “snow” that had accumulated the night before. It didn’t last til noon, and the mud added two pounds to each step, not to mention ten minutes per boot in cleaning later. But the walk was brisk, and we were joined, as usual, by…

I’ve been in coffee one way or another for a long time now. Not as long as some people I know, but longer than most. I started at a small cafe in Duboce Triangle back in college called Cooper’s on the recommendation of a friend and had a job making coffee in one way or…

Well, we’re at about a week to go til the eve of our departure. Many things have fallen into place in the last few months and weeks; we’ve sold both of our cars, bikes, furniture—and packed the rest. Our luggage is all laid out in the other room and it’s mostly full except for the…

When we were first married, Santa Cruz had never been in the plan for us. However, due to the way our jobs leaned over the first couple of years, I was given an chance to work at a small studio there, Studio Holladay. The opportunities that Ted gave me in that job truly formed me…

Every new place is like a new book, full of adventure and the unknown. I’ve had wanderlust since I was old enough to go out on my own, whether by bike or train. I attribute this to my father, who was (and still is) always perusing maps and exploring new places on every bike ride…