Sunshine

Around, originally uploaded by unfurl.

Today we were blessed with a sunny SF day. Nicole went to yoga training and Jula hung out with Sadie (best babysitter ever). I packed up all my myriad juggling gear and headed to hippy hill in golden gate park.

It was a perfect day for juggling, sunny enough to be hot but enough breeze to temper it. The juggling zen came easy to me today, even while juggling clubs. While the clubs spin in front of me, my hands set in motion now move on their own, handling the blurry pattern as if they mean to never stop. My mind lifts off and I’m free to stare off in the distance, free to wander to any train of thought. Today I watched two eagles soaring far far overhead and contemplated their lives, all while juggling. This juggling zen state brings me so much peace. It’s the beauty of your own movements decoupled from the brain that set them in motion.

Afterwards I hung out at Rockin Java for a bit then hopped the 33 to the Castro to surprise Nicole after her training. I got there just in time to scope out a great Thai place and after meeting Nicole at the Yoga Tree we had a yummy little thai meal. Then we hoofed it back to Duboce Park and hopped an N-Judah home. It was so nice to be out in the world with just Nicole and I. Sacrificing time alone with your partner is one of those things we’ve accepted about being parents but it’s so important to a healthy relationship.

I’m really glad to see Nicole take on this training. It’s an immense task and while she’s dead tired all the time she’s happier than I’ve seen her in months. (and that makes me happy!) Her re-immersion into teaching yoga again has been really inspirational for me too. I’m just starting to take on my own personal yoga practice each morning and I’m already seeing change in the way my body feels.

Further

Toward Ocean Beach, originally uploaded by unfurl.

Lots of things happening now and in the past month. Nikki and I have flung ourselves head first into photography, having set up a darkroom in our bathroom, developing our own film, etc. Not sure where we’re headed with it but we’re having a great time working on it together. We should be developing our first rolls of film sometime next week.

Jula continues to grow and develop as a human being. She’ll be 12 weeks old tomorrow and is a joy to be around. She’s super smiley and happy most of the time. She’s beginning to intentionally grasp objects with her hands which opens up another layer of the world to her.

My sis-in-law Donna is moving in with us soon so she can have a bit of stability in her life. It will be fun to have another person around the house more (and maybe she can babysit while Nikki and I get out alone!)

Europe, one year later

Beguinage ‘De Wijngaard’, originally uploaded by unfurl.

So without realizing it, more than a year has passed since my infamous Europe trip in March of 2006. So much changed after returning from that trip. I’ve been looking back thru the nearly 2000 photos I took during the trip and pulling out some of the real gems but the review of all the photos is bring back so many memories.

A year later, am I really happy with how things have gone? Definitely. I’d make all the same choices again in a heartbeat. Nicole is by far the best thing that ever happened to me. She’s an amazing partner, kind, gentile, rational, and amazingly beautiful. Jula, wow, to go from never wanting kids to being ok with kids to actually beign a parent has been a trip. Some days I look at her and think “wow, there’s three of us now!” Watching her grow is really a treat. Literally every single day she grows or learns something new. Also, now that we live in SF I can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. After having lived on it’s fringes for 7 years, I now know that this is indeed *my city*. So yeah, I’m stoked to be where I am now. :-)

Bike ride to the colo

I rode my bike from home to the col for the first time since we moved here. It was a great ride, lots of fun dodging cars and navigating the city. Here’s the route I took:

From home to the Craigslist Colo and back

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

More foods

This morning the house was so cold that my initial waking thought was “what can I bake for breakfast” since the oven heats things up so nicely both inside and outside the oven. Initially I was just going to make biscuits of some sort but then found a recipe that suggested it could easily be used for scones as well. So I made up this vegan biscuit recipe with nearly a whole basket of strawberries and cut the dough into triangles which is so much easier than dealing with a biscuit cutter. I didnt add any sugar to the mix but sprinkled some on top. They baked up nice while I cooked some fried eggs and soy-chorizo for breakfast.

Lunch was a bit of re-baked casserole and another salad but this time with a fresh vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, dijon mustard, garlic, fresh ginger, and a little black pepper. I discovered too late that our garlic was growing mold so I substituted garlic powder instead, which was less than great.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Breakfast today was plain yogurt topped with a fruit salad I made yesterday (fresh pineapple, mango, apple, banana). On the side was cinnamon bagels with cream cheese. To drink, coffee and the juice made from the fruit salad. Yum!

Lunch was baked idaho potatos, leftover goolash from last night and a fresh salad with romaine, carrots, cucumber and avocado.

Dinner is a casserole with sauted vegetables including white and green onion, zucchini, tomato, mushroom with a cheddar and broccoli soup base. Topped with feta crumbles and shredded asiago, then breadcrumbs and finally a layer of sharp cheddar.

Yum!

Waking with the girl

Waking with the girl, originally uploaded by unfurl.

Waking Jula up when it’s time for feeding, etc is so much fun. She sleeps really deeply so it takes her awhile to wake up and in the meantime she stretches and squeaks her way to wakefulness. It’s truly a special time of the day.

Between Flowers

Between Flowers, originally uploaded by unfurl.

The three of us took the muni out to 25th Ave (where our nearest WaMu is, sigh), grabbed some falafel sandwichs and then walked home through Golden Gate Park. It was by far the longest walk that we’ve taken since Jula was born. It ws a lot of fun but really pointed out how out of shape one can get in 3 weeks time.

On the way hoem we walked past Stow Lake and the Cherry Blossom trees that are near the Botannical Gardens. The bees were enjoying the plentiful pollen and I happened to catch this picture. I didnt even realize that I had caught the bee until I got home and looked at the photos from today. It was a great day all around :)

A Walk in the Park

Perfect Purple Points, originally uploaded by unfurl.

Yesterday we packed up the girl and headed to Golden Gate Park picking up some sandwiches at Lava Java along the way. The girl rode in the Bjorn which is a pretty cool alternative to the cumbersome and annoying stroller. We ended up stopping to eat over by the Conservatory of Flowers, one of our favorite places in the park. Jula ate and had to be changed then too but we all just enjoyed the warm sun and clean air for awhile. Later we meandered over to the Conservatory to see when the Carnivorous plant exhibit would be starting (not till fall says the lady) and discovered that the admission was free for the day. We wandered through the Conservatory for awhile (where I took this photo) and I even managed to get a scolding from the monitor-lady who said I couldn’t lean on the ever-so-thick walls holding up the pond. Pfft. Eventually Jula sent her lunch back for a refund while Nicole had her in the bjorn so we had to leave to clean them both up. Despite the barf, it was a great day in the park.

Things have been somewhat hard living with an infant but it’s still early, she’s only 2.5 weeks old. She needs to sleep more during the day but she hates naps so this week’s goal is to get her to take some naps. This morning’s nap went ok, she woke up twice but I just went in and soothed her for a bit and got her to go back to sleep. All three of us are learning a little better each day how to get along :)

Like father…

Like father…, originally uploaded by unfurl.

Nicole took this great picture yesterday sometime. Jula’s pretty funny sometimes (not only because we put her in funny hats either!) Today we’re totally pooped. Jula’s new hobby is fighting sleep and keeping us up. We took her for a walk today hoping she’d fall asleep and we could swing by Bugermeister for lunch. After about 30 minutes of walking she finally conked out but came back with a strong wail right when our food arrived. Fortunatly we had predicted this and ordered it to go so we walked home and ate our veggieburgers while she nursed. Sometimes living with an infant is really strange.