first day of school?

So I know my pick-me-up for the first day of school should be something about kids, now that they are all freshly scrubbed and assigned to classes, but getting to an elementary school at 7:30am to be a first day of school partner doesn't really get things started on the right foot for me. I learned that while I am highly educated and experienced, I am not good at papering and bordering bulletin boards.

Anyway, thankfully I don't have to depend on work to pick me up. Watch what happens when one of my favorite people does one of my favorite things at one of my favorite places.

cheating

I'm not sure how many times I'm allowed to use this, but it pretty much works every time.

dear chilaquiles

I know better than to use food to make myself feel better. But when you put together chips and cheese and eggs and crema and chicken and onions, it's hard to see anything else as a pick-me-up. Especially after another 12 hours of work.

chug chug chug chug chug

It's not the work that's getting me down, it's the volume and intensity that made me cry at my desk for a minute.

This helped. Click for more.

new zealand

Started out this morning a little hyped, then got a little disappointed, then got fired up for kids, then got heart-full for popsie.

Now I'm trying to finish the two things I didn't finish today, staying focused on the kids running around in the dim light at the end of this little tunnel.



Thankfully, I have Jemaine to make everything alright. Conditions are perfect.

chickens, dads, and berries

chels' dad came to the party.

and then, chels went berry-hunting. and won!!

4 things

i did four things today.

1. Slept
2. Walked/Ran around the lake (special thanks to DJs who post mixtapes for me to download)
   
3. Made a pizza
4. Watched TV

happy happy happy happy happy

creepy good

Seph and I went to see Rear Window at the Paramount. My first Hitchcock movie, my first time at the culty-fun old-movie-night-at-the-Paramount, my first time being surrounded by over 3000 people I don't know in my own town, and my first time in the high high balcony.

In other firsts, I met Jackson yesterday. He slept the whole time, but when you're 8 weeks old, you get to do that. I think I'll like him, but I can't say for sure yet. We have time.

jetting

I'm going on vacation soon. 12-hour days make me tired. ATL "housewives" are crazy. An hour and a half in the car in traffic is not the best for my car. The Outkast tribute makes time go by really quickly (especially the Bombs Over Baghdad slowdown). People are testing me and my sunshine. I have a new shirt design in mind (NO STANKNESS). I'm too tired for snuggles.

updownupdownupdownupdownupdown etc.

humble + fried cheese

Today at 6am, a man came and cut a square in my office carpet, in preparation for drilling a hole in the floor. Today, at 6pm, while I sat working at my desk, that same man grunted a lot while he dug a 5 foot hole through the concrete and dirt next to me. Next, another man put some white tubes in the hole in the floor and asked me not to touch them until he came back for them. Then he put a large orange cone over the white tubes, for safety. He'll be back on Friday.

In case I'd let my place on the Executive Team go to my head, this decidedly knocked me back down to earth. A little humility is good for everyone.

But then I had fried cheese in the car with Chels.

And then I picked up my mama from the airport!

Great day.

stretch

A's didn't win.
Tash is NY-bound tomorrow.


BUT
I scored good parking!

I'm stretching.

best hats + DUB for the A's

let's go oak-land! clap clap clap-clap-clap.

semi-suburban sunday

Do your suburbs have beach?

small burgers

Workweek from down below over, and Merritt has started making personal burger cakes.

old clothes + toes

Day 2 of new principal training made me almost lose my fire, but not quite. Apparently when everything seems to be crashing down around me, all I need are the ratty old lounge pants I'm not allowed to wear outside anymore and red toenails.

Also, a Real Housewives of Atlanta spree helps for context.

somehow

I worked a 14-hour day today, and I'm STILL fired up about Oakland schools.

fired up

I spent today in the OUSD executive team retreat. I won't go into deep detail, but I am fired up about my work and what we are doing to serve children in Oakland. I feel so focused, I'm not even phased by all of the things I have to do this week.

I am grateful.

I'm also glad Ariel was born, but that's not unique to today.

semi-suburban saturday lady

I had a little bit of a to-do list today.

Got everything done, mostly because of delicious brunch.

Trying not to be annoyed by the failed movie attempt, but I'll have other chances I think.

birthdays

Today had many highlights, but at the top top top was celebrating the birthday of two of my favorites.

Nir, thanks for your quiet consistency, solid perspective, humor, and surprise visits.

Pedro, thanks for setting a good example and always always writing me back.

I toast you both - so glad you were born.

korexican, old friends and new

I got to catch up with one of my favorite people from high school at lunch today and got a really great crash course on the product chain - so much fits in to OUSD! Anyway, thanks Presto, for the context and the humor. Come back again soon!

(I am not going to mention the pirate band I avoided at Quinn's Lighthouse after work today. Oops.)

Then, got a last-minute invite to get Korean BBQ with a new friend. Lots of jokes and meat later, I scored a parking spot a block away from my house. Yesss!

legacy

Today, I'm celebrating my dad's 61st birthday.

One of the blessings that comes from living 15+ years without your father is that you get really good at guessing at what would have made him proud or happy or angry or confused or curious. You get to keep and access a strange rolodex of memories and try to apply them to new situations and relationships to piece together an idea of how he'd see the world and advise you on your path.

My dad has been on my shoulder for as long as I can remember. Today, on his birthday, I am grateful for all of the times he's protected me, steered me away from trouble, sent signs I saw, sent signs I didn't see, gave me a model to follow, and challenged me with mysteries.

One of my favorite stories about my dad (you know I have a lot) is about his relationship with music, particularly his violin. He was an amazing violinist, making girls carry his instrument home so he could practice and not sacrifice looking cool. He earned first chair in his high school symphony orchestra, just before the racist school administration dismantled the group rather than seeing a young Black man in that leadership position. He passed this untraditional love on to me, playing the Moonlight Sonata on my mom's out-of-tune upright in the living room, interspersing Tchaikovsky with "Hit The Road, Jack" and Stevie Wonder records. We wore out a Yitzak Perlman tape AND a tape of Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner on our road trip to Indianapolis when I was eight.

Today, Tash heard about a program in Baltimore that gives young string players a chance to practice and perform in the summer - Thrive City String Academy. I made a little donation, in honor of my pops and his violin.

This story isn't over. Thanks Dad. I'll keep trying to fill your skates.

great day

Alex (fancy red soccer shoes) and I walked over to Lakefest and checked out the booths, snacks, drinks, and music. Then we were joined by Tash, Chels, and Kari, then Adrionna, and later, one of the summer interns in my office next door. After some great music from Kev Choice and Pep Love, we headed east to Fruitvale Chicken (not the right name) for the best chickens and karaoke en espanol. Full and happy, we headed over to Somar for some MAJOR fun, and somehow managed to get home in time to go to work the next day. Oh, and I didn't order the camarones de momia - couldn't make it feel right.