It's A Dog's Life...

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away…"

     Bailey & I have already learned that the best part of the Bay Area (so far, that is) are all the dog-friendly activities & parks!  Each morning when we go outside to "make our business", & by 'our business' I really only mean Bailey, we head across the street to the neighborhood park, Cedar Rose Park.  Depending on the day & time there could be 1 other dog playing, or 5.  Regardless of how many are around, another dog always wants to play & that's just fine with Bailey.  Although its supposed to be a leashed park, the same neighbors & dogs frequent the area, so everyone knows one another & each dog's temperament, making an off-the-leash play session acceptable to all.  
     See, Bailey had/has some great dog neighbors back in Chico.  Bailey, Stormy & Mazzie could be found every night playing on each other's lawns; you know, being dogs.  So, it was a disappointing thought that Bailey wouldn't have very much daily-doggie-play.  No need to worry about that now!  Although she misses that sassy little Boston & huge lovable Golden greatly (as do her parents…), her new neighborhood hangout is easing the pain.
     We've also found that the dog parks, aka beaches, resorts, "Heaven(s) on Earth", aren't too shabby either.  Um Chico, take some notes…
     On Sunday of last weekend we ventured over the bridge to good ol' San Francisco.  Our friend Laura had told us about this big dog park right on the beach, so we thought we'd check it out.  Here are some photos & videos of our afternoon at Fort Funston…make sure your sound is on!

Bailey & a "red" Boston playing catch…no comparison to Sassy Stormy though!

"I wish my parents would take me here every Sunday…"

Just a taste of our crazy-fast Bailey…don't lose sight of her!

She's a pretty tough 23-pound Boston if you ask me…a long video, but worthwhile!

     Hope you all can come visit; bring your pooch & we'll head over to Fort Funston!
     Love, Bird

The Craziness of it All

"I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind…"
   
    I like to have about 27-30 messages in my inbox at all times.  These 27-30 emails are my reminders to get things done: email friend back, put date on calendar, upload photos, etc.  Some of these emails have been in my inbox since March of 2009, no joke.  Obviously those emails aren't time sensitive.  Um, I might as well admit it, I'm a bit of a procrastinator.
     The point is, I don't like clutter.  I like organization; excuse me, I LOVE organization.  In fact for a fleeting moment just out of college I toyed with the idea of becoming a 'Professional Organizer'.  I'm pretty certain my sisters' still wish I had…
    Back to my neurosis: I can have (small) piles around me, but those piles are very organized.  I actually know what is in each of those piles.  Right now, I am completely out of my element.  My office is a mess & its REALLY difficult for me to work efficiently with heaps of piles filling what desk space I have, the floor of the office, my mind.
     It might not look like much, but here is a glimpse into my own personal chaos….

a bike, an empty file cabinet, a bag full of work...

office supplies waiting for a home...

     (Sorry, I'm too ashamed to show you "real" photos, I had to pretty-them-up to hide my embarrassment.  By the way, these photos were taken with the Hipstmatic app, which I finally learned how to use today.  Yay me!)

     In conclusion, you will have to bear with me a little.  I received so much support & congratulations for my inaugural post ("you like me, you really like me!"), not to mention lots of questions, that I had planned to follow up today with a little more information.  We'll call it "Ah, the Beginning...There's More to the Story".  Problem is that the current state of my office has thrown me.  I guess it's all apart of the learning & growing process--be more spontaneous.

     So, thats it.  I had good intentions, but when you don't feel it, you don't feel it.  For all those unanswered questions hanging out in my inbox, which is now at 50+ emails: we'll see if I get to you.  They might be answered in a post, or an actual 'Robin to friend' email, but the important thing to remember is that I am still learning & growing…let's not forget that I am still a procrastinator.

    Love, Bird

     

Ah, the Beginning

"Let's start at the very beginning, A very good place to start…"

     The series of events that has put me where I am today is a little unclear, but the love of my life, Mike (aka, the Berkeley Grad Student) thinks it best I start this blog with a quick history.  Many of you don't know we've moved, some know we've moved but don't know why & others don't even know us.       
     Well, welcome to the beginning.  My name is Robin, aka Bird, & I will be your tour guide for this blog.  "We're walking, we're walking, we're stopping…"
     Up until about one month ago, The Berkeley Grad Student, Bailey Blue (aka "Poop McPoop", the teenager, Drama Queen) & myself lived in Chico, California.  We were living the "American Dream" with steady jobs, an antique house (with a long 'Honey-Do' list I must add), our families close-by, great friends, etc.  Problem was that the American Dream was a bit too cookie cutter; oh yeah, & the Berkeley Grad lost his job.  Well, what do you do when life gives you Rocky Road instead of smooth, yummy Vanilla?  You realize what you really want in life & you make it happen.  (I personally really like vanilla with hot fudge…that's not a metaphor, I really like vanilla ice cream.)
     So after a tumultuous year of questioning our lives, with my encouragement & blessing, the Berkeley Grad went for it all on a whim; he applied to grad school.  (Seriously, he decided to start the application process about one week before the last GRE test of 2009 was offered.)  And then about one stressful month later of portfolios, letters of intent, statements of purpose, letters of recommendations…the list goes on, Mike had applied to 4 of the top 10 programs in the US for Masters of Landscape Architecture, plus one school in the Netherlands.  Phew!  All that is over thank God! 
     Then the admission letters, & truthfully rejections, started coming in.  The process was brutal for all involved.  Enough said.  But the end was near; it came down to two schools & after a lot of soul searching & advice from his undergraduate professors at the University of Oregon (shout out!), the Berkeley Grad Student decided on Berkeley…obviously.
     Lots of stress, procrastination, & yelling later, oh with a handful of 'Honey-Dos', too (a future post on that), we are officially moved, settled & living in Berkeley.
     Wow, writing it all out makes it seem simple.  Please do not let that fool you, as I am still recovering.
     Now Bailey (of course she made the journey, too!), the Berkeley Grad Student and I have two years of Berkeley adventures ahead of us.  You're invited to come on our journey…ok, not really "come" with us, more like read along.  I hope you make it part of your day, I hope you enjoy what we do, I hope you enjoy how I write & I hope I can do this!


     Enjoy….Love, Bird