ann was here from NY last weekend to visit, and she helped me find some much needed hip but work-appropriate new clothes. i am still in need of some new things that work well at my new-ish job, though. i wish it were warmer here in springtime, so that i could justify lots of cute little dresses like this one:



sooooo cute!
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on a very different note, i'm still adjusting to life in the 'burbs, and thought i'd share some random thoughts i've been having about it tonight (can you tell steve's out of town? i'm an insomniac and spending my late-night-hours on the computer?).

i am a bit sad about leaving the city, and don't like the idea of driving back and forth to go in for events or to see friends, but i feel a little swell of happiness when i drive home. i come around the bend in the highway and see the ocean over the highway's curves, pass the pacifica city limits sign and then curve around again and see pedro point in the distance. that makes me happy.



i like the silly little white oval bumper stickers i've seen a few times that are take-offs on the european country stickers, and have "PCFCA" in them. cheesy, but i dig it. (and yes, i tried to find an image online to show you, but had no luck).

i try to get at least a minute in the morning with our view, especially on days when i know my evening plans will keep me out after dark. i am trying to drink less coffee, so my original plan of having a cup of coffee while relaxing with the view in the am has been altered, but i still try to at least stop for a few deep breaths before racing out the door to the office in the morning...

the little shopping center down in linda mar (at the bottom of the hill and then across cabrillo highway) isn't unique at all -- there are strip malls like it all over the country. however, i think being at the very southernmost point of civilization (just north of devil's slide and a bunch of parkland) somehow makes the merchants and employees there all super-friendly, as though they're darn glad you came this far and are there at their little store. the donut shop proprietor gave me a free donut when i walked by (gee, just what i needed), the radio shack employees wanted to talk to me for FAR too long about our video game/tv hookup (hey, um, dude, i just needed some cables), the safeway employees seem to always want to chat (one bagger talked to us for several minutes about her experience eating apple bananas in the past), and the little old man at the hallmark store (wearing a hallmark store apron!) wished me lots of luck with the shower when i bought bridal shower invitations. i think there is such a thing as small town charm, since most of my in-city retail experiences were more akin to waking up bored/sleepy/annoyed salespeople and trying to charm them into helping me.

similarly, i'm entranced by our local paper, the pacifica tribune, which comes out on wednesdays. perhaps after living here awhile it will lose it's charm on me (somehow i never found my tiny town's newspaper charming when i was growing up) but for now i get a kick out of it when it arrives on our doorstep each wednesday.

goodnight, all, from our home on top of the hill!