An update to the 101 in 1001:

059 – Host a Couchsurfer.
I didn’t really think that I would be able to complete this task until I moved out of my own house, but luckily, RV is receptive to the idea of occasionally hosting people. Our first Couchsurfer was a guy from Sweden that we met at the Wordpress Lounge opening party. I was surprised to run into a friend of mine from Couchsurfing at the party. It turned out that she was there because her Couchsurfer was attending the party. RV and I ended up hosting the guy for one night during his stay. He was in town for a few weeks, attending the various conferences. Hooray for randomly completing a task without really expecting to!

I saw JM again.

This time, I sent him an email basically giving him my number since we had only been communicating via emails and online messaging. I invited him to the Zombie movie/BBQ. Oops. Did I forget to include that minor detail a few entries ago? So is it a big no-no to invite someone you barely know [at least, under these circumstances] to an event that your friends are throwing? I didn’t really introduce him to anyone since it was all dark outside, and people were coming and going. Does that make it okay?

The evening ended awkwardly. At least, to me it did. Am I just way too observant of the silences? I think I am. I worried that I’d totally messed it all up, even though at this point, I’m not sure where I stand along the lines of interest, but I do think he’s cute. I’m totally jinxing this by writing about it. That’s what happened to MH. I wrote about him, and shortly thereafter, he was dating this hyperactive young thing.

Anyway, JM’s contacted me about lunch. A good sign? GAH!

Sidenote: A guy I met recently asked when he could take me out for dinner. It was awkward as I tried to figure out if it was a date or not [just as friends]. I’m starting to think that was what he was going for since he kept trying to get me to pinpoint a time and location. I think he’s nice and all, but I am really not that interested… I don’t like it when people are pushy like that, so I hope [with fingers crossed] that he is just looking for a friendly dinner companion.

Recently, I have been spending a lot of time in coffee shops. Working. Studying. There’s one in particular that ends up serving wine and beer in the evenings that Couchsurfers are looking into holding a weekly gathering. Very exciting! They were able to hook it up with the owners and get us some deals.

The Specials:
- $1 Coffee!
- $3 Happy Beer
- $5 Happy Red and White Wine
- HALF OFF some Incredible Food
- DJ spinning the tunes you want to hear
- Outdoor Patio to enjoy the Great weather
- Staying open 2 extra hours for your Party Pleasure!!

Yeah, guess where I am hanging out every Wednesday evening from now on? I still feel so very awkward at Couchsurfing gatherings, but I think that over time, I’ll find a few people that I am comfortable with and then expand my circle from there. That just seems to be the way I operate. Start small, expand, and then connect.

Last night, I attended WordPress’ 5th Birthday Party. Of course, I was as socially awkward as ever. How awkward? So much so that part of my conversation with someone I’d just met was regarding that very fact. Ugh, lame, right?! Thankfully, I wasn’t there alone. There were some familiar faces, just a few people who know that when I’m in my own element, I’m not all that bad.

So two new websites to check out: Reschool Yourself and AirBed and Breakfast.

Reschool Yourself: Melia of Spark [the non-profit organization, not the networking site] is taking a one-year sabbatical to revisit her schools [from elementary school onward] to understand how her experiences in school shaped her identity so that she can reshape her way of thinking and doing. She will also learn the things she’s always wanted to learn. It reminds me of the 101 in 1001 Project, only in a fewer number of days and with a more precise focus. I stopped tackling that project a few years ago, but perhaps it’s time to hop on that wagon again.

AirBed and Breakfast: Essentially, it’s a site to find a place to stay or to offer a room. Hosts and travelers put up profiles. Similar to the idea of Couchsurfing [perhaps one notch above it], it’s about staying with a local while traveling, rather than in a hotel. What differs is that money is involved. Hosts decide how much to charge, and travelers pick a room based on the hosts’ profiles, the description of accommodations, and the price. I’d probably use the site if/when I travel next. Finding a host on Couchsurfing can be tedious, and this just sounds a little bit more reliable.

My world seems to be shrinking. Everyone knows everyone else. As it turns out, Melia is a co-worker of a gal I’m acquainted with, and one of the founders of AirBed and Breakfast appears to be a friend of someone else I’ve met in the past year.

That’s pretty fantastic.

Photo taken on the rooftop where we played beer pong.

I have lived in San Francisco most of my life, and I’ve only been to Baker Beach once. I’ve passed by it just a couple of times, but yesterday was the only time I’ve stepped foot onto the beach. We were very lucky because it was such a gorgeous day out. It was a relaxing afternoon, hanging out with a large group of random people, and bonding over the booze and the burying of each other in the sand.

It has the reputation of being a clothing-optional environment. Did I see any boobies or wieners? No. They tend to stick to the northern end of the beach, and I didn’t move very far in either direction. Just enjoyed the spectacular views of the Golden Gate and Pacific Ocean. It’s easy to tell yourself not to wear sunscreen when the sun doesn’t seem to be beating down… I have the sunglass tan to prove it too!

One of the day-trips we took from Madrid was to Segovia. Being the type of traveler that I am, I scoped out the site of the bus station from which we were to leave from the day before. Plus, since we were heading to Bilbao by train the night we would return from Segovia, we also figured out where the train station was and whether not there was a place to store luggage. Consigna automaticas – lockers! So we dropped off our luggage early in the morning and then headed for the bus station. Our hostelmate, Rebecca, also came along.

I’ve really been making use of my Couchsurfing resources. For the day-trip to Segovia, we met up with Leonardo and Romulo, two Brazilian guys studying in Segovia. They showed us around to see the sites – the Aqueduct, the Cathedral, the Alcazar (castle) – and then we had to hightail it out of there. I’m sad that we could not stick around longer. The guys were excellent company (apparently they cut class to join us!), and Segovia’s just a neat little town anyway.

This was also the first time we encountered Pans & Company and Patatas Bravas. Pans is like an upgrade of Quizno’s! And Patatas Bravas are just DELISH.

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[3] [4]

[5] [6]

[1] The Aqueduct – built by the Romans. It’s amazing that it still stands. The rocks are just stacked upon each other.

[2] The Cathedral – while we walked inside, the guys waited for us outside.

[3] Group shot in front of the Cathedral.

[4] The Cathedral from the Castle.

[5] Jump in front of the Castle that inspired the architecture of the Disney castle. How could we resist?! More outtakes are in the set linked below!

[6] It was siesta time, so the streets were EMPTY.

More photos: Segovia – May 2007

Where does one begin? It was a 3-week trip. I was pretty good at documenting the first week or so, and then I just got carried away on the journey. There was just no time to write, especially by hand. Takes a lot longer. I’ve finally uploaded about half of the photos from the trip. They’ve proved to be quite useful for refreshing the memory.

So first stop was Madrid. A city that I enjoy because everything is easily accessible and within walking distance. We stayed at Mad Hostel, which had the most ridiculously difficult locks we’d ever had to deal with. You put your key to the lock, hear it click, then twist… but apparently, twisting was not enough. We heard so many others struggle at their doors throughout the night!

During the first stop in Madrid, we were really just there for a day. We arrived on Saturday night and were planning to take a train up to Bilbao on Monday after spending the day in Segovia. So we really only had intentions of seeing Madrid during Sunday. We actually ended up seeing a lot on Saturday night since Manu from Couchsurfing showed us around after he picked us up from the airport and showed us to our hostel. Gotta love the friendliness of fellow Couchsurfers. So since Donna and I both have pretty good senses of direction, Manu’s tour at night made wandering around the next day a lot easier. We probably saw more of the city because of it.

So on Sunday, we went to El Retiro, Museu del Prado, Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral, and the Palace. At night, we ended up hanging out with a group of fellow hostelers. Good times. On to the photos…

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[5] [6]

[1] El Retiro Park – probably one of my favorite parts of the city. It’s pretty much like Central Park for NYC or Golden Gate Park for SF. Lots of people there on the weekends. There’s also a lake in the middle for paddleboats.

[2] Plaza Mayor – most cities in Spain have one of these. It’s just the main square of the city. The one in Madrid houses quite a few restaurants and is supposedly used as a government building. We saw a lot of people just sitting in groups on the floor of the square.

[3] Museu del Prado – lots of paintings. It was free on Sunday, so it was quite crowded.

[4] and [5] At the Palace – it was closed on Sunday due to regional elections, so we didn’t go inside.

[6] From the rooftop of the hostel – a great view of the sun setting.

More photos: Madrid – May 2007

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On another note, I am being unfair to S. All I want is not to be forgotten. I want to stay friends, but I feel as though I’m holding on for dear life when maybe he doesn’t really want to. I just don’t know. Maybe I should just stop calling all the time. Yes, maybe. Then it would give him room to breathe…

I’m here in Jackson, Wyoming. The drive from Idaho Falls (“IF” according to the locals) was actually not so bad – a quick two or three hours on a somewhat scenic road. I had a minor delay at a gas station on the way – couldn’t quite figure out how to open the little door to the gas cap. Put aside my shy side and went to ask the station attendant. Talk about embarrassing. Freakin’ rental cars! And it’s an SUV to boot. I’m used to driving small cars, not huge SUVs. But hey, free upgrades are always welcome. I think they were out of intermediates.

Now why am I in Jackson? I didn’t want to go home for the weekend, and there isn’t much to do in IF, so I did a quick search to see what was nearby, and voila – the Jackson Hole area came up! I’m currently staying with K, a gal I met via the internet (Yes, I’m crazy like that). Pretty lucky with the whole experience so far. K’s very cool, and so are her friends. I’m having a blast! Went to a local hockey game last night with them, and then we headed over to the brewpub where a few of them work for some drinks afterwards. A most excellent time.

I tried to drive to Yellowstone National Park, but it’s supposed to be closed until a week or two into May. Slightly bummed out about that. No Old Faithful this time around. But on the drive up and down, I spent a bit of time in Grand Teton National Park, stopping for photos along the road.

It’s gorgeous up here.