Robert and I took a spontaneous trip up to San Francisco to see Wicked a few weeks ago. It was great! I had never seen (or heard) the musical before, so every plot twist was a surprise for me. I've got to say, Glinda was my favorite character. Alli Mauzey was so wonderful! Especially in Popular, she was a delightfully high-energy mix of Valley Girl and Elle Woods. It was also interesting to think about Wicked in the context of the war in Iraq, with anti-animalism as a metaphor for Bush's desire for an enemy; as the Wizard puts it, "Where I'm from, the best way to bring people together [. . .] is to give them a common enemy." That line gave me chills.
My uncle was kind enough to treat my dad, brother and me to tickets to Paul McCartney's Up and Coming tour! He--Sir Paul, not my uncle--played to a sold-out AT&T Park. We were in the nosebleed section, but that was fine with the big screens on stage. The Chronicle wrote a great review of the concert, observing that Paul hadn't played in San Francisco since 1966, so the whole concert had a "welcome back" vibe.
Paul impressed me with how adorable and down-to-earth he was, which especially came out during his little stories, like the one he told about Hendrix playing a tribute to him and getting his guitar out of tune. Some of my favorite songs of the night were Paperback Writer, Eleanor Rigby, Jet, Day Tripper, and Helter Skelter. I also loved seeing Paul at the piano; everyone sang along when he played Hey Jude. My absolute favorite song of the night was Blackbird. Paul talked about writing it in response to the civil rights tensions of the late 1960s in America. When he came back out for his first of two encores, Paul ran out waving a huge California State flag. (Go Bears!)
I took a weekend trip to Portland, Oregon, with my dear friend Alissa to see our dear friend Morgan get married. Portland is a great city; it reminds me of Berkeley, but bigger and more urban. Morgan's wedding was awesome: a five-minute ceremony, followed by three hours of samba dancing, complete with backup dancers! It was lovely to see friends from middle and high school whom I had not seen in a while.
The last day of my internship was Friday. I absolutely loved working at the Law Foundation this summer, and was sad to see it end. I actually did substantive work, including memos, mediation statements, and motion practice. I attended a lot of interesting proceedings, such as depositions, mediations, and a settlement conference. I now know a ton about housing discrimination and predatory lending. And, my colleagues were friendly and fun-loving, leading to many coffee outings and urban food adventures, not to mention an afternoon in Santa Cruz and a San Jose Giants game.
It was great to know San Jose this summer. If you're in the area, you have to check out Broken Door Espresso (try their Vietnamese iced coffee), Falafel's Drive In (try their baba ganoush), and Día de Pesca (try their breaded halibut burrito). Also, I have fallen in love with the Farmers' Market in downtown San Jose at San Pedro Square. They have the sweetest strawberries and nectarines I have ever tasted, along with fresh hummus, samosas, kettle corn, and spring rolls! Simply delightful.
Up next: the removal of all four of my wisdom teeth, to take place Tuesday morning. What a joy! I have stocked up on soft foods such as pudding, applesauce, and rainbow sherbet, and my mommy is going to take care of me. I'm a little nervous about the procedure, as I have never done anything like this, but it'll be fine. Besides, I'll be sedated. Hopefully the recovery will be easy... Keep me in your prayers, please!
2 comments:
I had all four removed sophomore year of high school, it was a piece of cake! Well, maybe more like a cup of pudding :) I'm sure you'll look adorable with your swollen cheeks. Plus, it is a great excuse to eat ice cream, sleep, and watch movies all day. Good luck!
why would you need an excuse to eat ice cream, sleep, and watch movies all day?
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