Gathering some moss...

Not sure what to write, but haven't put anything out in a while so I figured why not update my post from over a year ago in April 2007, "Like a Rolling Stone."

"Like a Rolling Stone"

So I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1995 and have lived in more than a few different places...

- Leavenworth at Pine - the "TenderNob." Great flat, great housemates who are still all good friends of mine though we don't always keep on touch... Conrad, Crena, Chris, Bas, Melissa, Sonya, Juan.
- Union at Grant, North Beach - My first place on my own. Super cute little place with a beautiful garden patio and lemon tree all to myself. Why did I leave this place, again?
- Bayside Village in SouthBeach - Way back with old housemate, Rick. Great guy, just lived life a little too much in 'the fast lane' for me. Loved that lap pool though.
- Jasper Alley, North Beach - with my good friend, Joe and a housemate I never saw. Too bad our landlord decided to take over and move in to our flat.
- 29th and Anza, Richmond District - With the old boyfriend, Bryan. A good man, but not 'the one.' Learned from that one, will never move so far out in the avenues again.
- Bayside Village in South Beach - Yay! The lap pool I loved so much. This was still before South Beach was cool and lined with palm trees. I stil remember when they were installing them along the Embarcadero. My how things have developed down there. Yup, this was even before the ballpark.
- Golden Gateway Apartments, Financial District - Loved this place, but it was a little geriatric. The average age seemed to be in the mid-sixties. Though I didn't have any hot neighbors nextdoor, still had a great pool nearby at the Tennis and Swim Club.
- Bay at Mason, Fisherman's Wharf/North Beach - My least favorite place ever. I lived on top of a wash and fold. So at certain times every day, my whole place would rattle and shake when all the machines were on spin cycle - fun. Cheap rent, but a nasty place.
- Columbus at Broadway, North Beach - Now this was a great-sized apartment, but the locale was a bit much. The flashing bright neons of Broadway can really do a number on your head. Living there was slowly driving me insane. Seriously.
- Park Blvd in the Lake Merritt area of Oakland - We all make mistakes.
- Green at Taylor, North Beach side of Russian Hill - Probably the most beautiful apartment I've ever lived in with a view of Alcatraz and the Bay and Marin. If it weren't for the insane rent and uptight neighbors, I might never have left.
- Park Blvd in the Lake Merritt area of Oakland - Sometimes we don't learn from our mistakes.
- Santa Clara - Free room and board at Auntie Frances's. Guess it was a time I needed to be around family. I often find myself missing the snack bags she'd make for me every morning to take to work.
- Kearny at Union, North Beach - Love Telegraph Hill. Great housemate, great flat, but an opportunity to live with some good friends arose and I'll soon be on my way again. Looking forward to it, but am currently grappling with North Beach separation anxiety. I'll survive and yes, I know - North Beach is a mere cab ride away.
- Pine Street near Japan Town - The first place I lived in the city was at Pine and I'll soon be heading back that way again. Funny how life sometimes seems to come round in full circle.

So, yeah... At 34 with more than a handful of places under my belt, I find myself still on that quest to find the right time and place to gather some moss.

And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

- Oakland Revisited - A year has passed and I'm now 35. And I though I don't necessarily feel myself taking root, I'm definitely gathering some moss. It's been such a long time that I've felt this settled.

It's funny, I've learned that I'm someone who can't live with friends, most especially good friends. Sonya, who will always be one of my dearest and very best friends ever, even if we lived thousand of miles apart, was once my housemate. Living together wasn't one of the highlights of my years in the Bay Area.

Pine street was good, but in ways, similar.

So I moved from Pine Street in February to a place of my own, in Oakland again. Circumstances led me to a different perspective of this area, and I fell for it in a way I never had before. It's nice. I'm happy to be here and to be establishing a rhythm toward the balance I've been seeking...

even if NorthBeach is no longer a mere cab ride away and I still don't have any hot neighbors next door.