The Situation As It Stands

After one-and-a-half months back in California I haven't done much with this blog, stymied by just which direction to take it in. I had kicked around the idea of converting it into an easily accessible science blog, but perhaps I should learn some basic HTML and website design before setting off on that course (perhaps bone up on the sciences as well). For now, though, I think I'll use it as a platform to keep track of the interesting tidbits I come across on a daily basis and document the happenings in the Republic of Matt.

First order of business, the new digs! Yes, Maia and I have a new cottage apartment on the north end of Oakland, one block from the Berkeley border. It is, in my unbiased opinion, absolutely, balls-to-the-wall, stupendously friggin' excellent! Physically it's about the size of a studio apartment, so not terribly big, but the use of space is creative and efficient. We have a deep entryway that allows for storage of both my bikes, a large living room we've only utilized part of (if we ever get jobs perhaps the rest will get filled), an office nook from where I'm currently typing, a cozy kitchen and, finally, the sleeping loft. I can't properly explain why, but it's been my lifelong dream to have to climb a ladder to get to bed, don't ask me why.

It takes more than just the interior features of an apartment to attract me though--those mean nothing when your neighborhood is an uninhabitable wasteland. The Bushrod/North Temescal 'hood is far from that though. All within a ten- to fifteen-minute walk are: Berkeley Bowl; four tasty Ethiopian restaurants; an intimate book store; the always-versatile Trader Joe's; several different flavors of cafe; the Rockridge/Elmwood strip; and much more. Oh, I am a kid in a candy store, no locale could be more perfect for my current state of mind.

*****

My friend Brian lent me some non-fiction about the people who made the Apollo program happen and it's ignited my dormant sense of get-up-n'-go. I'm jobless, it sucks, there are seemingly no real employment prospects on the horizon for someone with my education and background and the whole idea's got me in a funk. That needs to end. While out riding today in Piedmont I resolved to make at least one blog entry per day here as a wobbly first step towards building my creative output and work ethic back to the level where someone might, conceivably, wish to hire me. Other steps involve copy editing classes at the UC Berkeley Extension, filling canvases and then our walls with color and getting myself in shape for a bike race with at least seven hours of riding/week.

The only exception to me not posting will be some kind of exceptional time constraint or just plain old lack of physical access to a computer and the net.

Alright, damnit, time to get moving...

--Matt