Riding the Rails

Feeling nostalgic on my last day commuting from Sunnyvale before I move to SF. My daily commute has been extreme: a two-mile bike ride to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station, then a train ride from Sunnyvale to San Francisco that can take anywhere from 45 to 76 minutes (assuming no delays), and then a mile-long walk to work. All told, I have been spending 3.5 to 4 hours per day commuting.

In the past six months, I have traveled 9,801 miles by train, 484 miles by bike, and 242 miles by foot.

But, it hasn't been all bad. I have loved having a bike ride built into my day. The train is perfect for reading, and way more relaxing than driving to SF. I enjoy that I've become a regular at the Bean Scene, my favorite cafe in downtown Sunnyvale.

All the same, I am looking forward to my new roundtrip commute of 0.4 miles!

Let's Catch Up

Hey gang, I've been on a blogging hiatus for a while!  So many things have happened in the past four months:

I became a full-time, permanent staff lawyer at HomeBase.

I took the CA bar exam, and it felt good.  (Results coming in mid-November.)

I went to Yosemite for Siobhan & Sean's beautiful wedding.

I went to St. Paul for work, and went to the Minnesota State Fair with Molly.

I saw Jim Gaffigan do stand-up at the Mountain Winery for my birthday.

I went to Lake Tahoe to celebrate Morgan's birthday.

I began my San Francisco apartment hunt, which is ongoing.

I went to Seattle to visit Jaki and David (and ran into Saleema).

I went to the Big Game with my dad, and we had fun even though Cal lost.

I could spend an entire post on any of these events, but I think this will have to do.  I'm hoping to be more frequent in my posts in the future!

Phoenix

Last week, I took my first business trip.  I was a last-minute add to the trip.  I was working with two colleagues to prepare for some meetings in Phoenix, and they said, "You know, it would be easier if you would just come with us...  Let's look up some flights!"  And so, I found myself in Phoenix on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.

The intensity of the hot weather in Phoenix cannot be overstated.  It was 108° when I was in town, which is extreme.  As I exited the airport for the first time, I was shocked to learn that even one's eyeballs can feel hot.  And yet, it was freezing in all of the buildings with air conditioners blasting, so my Bay Area instinct to dress in layers nonetheless proved useful.

We stayed at the Hotel Valley Ho, which is a historic hotel in Scottsdale.  The architecture was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it has an awesome "Jetsons-in-the-desert" feel--that very 1950s concept of the future, mixed with Arizonan elements.

Our meetings went well.  Having spent a lot of time preparing the materials for the meetings, it was great to see our work in action, and meet a lot of our clients.  I should be heading back to Phoenix in early August for another set of meetings--hopefully I'll be able to spend a little more time there and explore the city.

Settling In

I've been at HomeBase for six weeks now, and it's been awesome.  Having been an intern, it was easy for me to jump right into the work and start taking on responsibility.  It's a bit frustrating to have to study for the bar exam while gearing up in my new job, because I'd love to be able to pour 100% of my energy into work.  But, in another six weeks, the bar exam will be over, and things will really start to fall into place.

The nature of my work is very fast-paced and eclectic, which I love.  In a single day, I might research pending legislation, draft a grant proposal, write a memo on some best practices, or facilitate a meeting with clients to brainstorm how to improve their system.

While most of our work is in the Bay Area, we also have some national technical assistance work for HUD, which takes us all over the country.  Indeed, I will be going to Phoenix for a couple of days next week for some meetings. I am excited by how quickly I've begun to feel like a valuable team member with things to contribute.

Last week, I gave a presentation at our regional steering committee on Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.  It felt a bit like a "fake it 'til you make it" moment, because I'm by no means an expert on heath care reform, but I think it went well.  I, like most folks in the policy world, am awaiting the Supreme Court's opinion on the ACA with baited breath.  My hope is that they'll leave the entire law in effect, but my prediction is that they'll sever the individual mandate.

Today was lovely, because it was the annual intern hike, which is like our version of a company picnic.  We all carpooled out to the Marin Headlands for some hiking, followed by a BBQ picnic near the beach.  What a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday.