babies and books
The theme of Bay Area Trip #2 was The Babies Are Coming. Arguably, this is the theme of one’s thirties, but it was especially so in NorCal this past week, where we spent much time playing Blokus with the jaw-droppingly well-behaved children of AK’s high school friend Laura, and playing blink-and-coo with the new baby of Erin and Erin.
Other stuff happened too, like a fun and well-attended reading at Diesel, a brightly lit Rockridge bookstore that gives you hope for the future of books. There were reunions with kid-free friends as well, an art gallery visit and some very good Burmese food. And for some reason I ate a candy bar almost every night I was in town.
In N Out: quality we tasted on the drive up the 5, and again on the way home.
Nan Yang in Oakland: quality you can taste a bit more definitively.
Laura with poodle Ella, also incredibly well-behaved, of course.
Tai is taking piano lessons. Shortly before we left, he composed a melancholy and beautiful song about travel and loss called "Cheryl Had a Car."
In Berkeley, all travel is sustainably powered.
Nicole, Gerilyn and AK at a bar we visited twice during our trip but could never remember the name of. Ben and Dave's? Bev and Dick's? Dave and Buster's?
Persimmons at the Berkeley farmer's market.
Plain orange carrots are so cafeteria salad.
My new Facebook profile pic, naturally.
Erin: new mama of Beck, ongoing mama of Aidan the jealous orange cat.
Other Erin, same Beck.
New parenting is so hard that even the cat needs a beer now and then.
My reading at Diesel: The head in front belongs to Terry Wolverton. The painting behind me is of a man hugging a fish.
With Jen D. and Jenessa.
With Carol and Jen B. We hung out with so many Jens that day that AK actually called me Jen at one point. It was a good guess.
Nicole and Jenessa reenacting a conversation. I think it was about Xanax.
AK doing yoga with the kids.
AK says, "Out of the way, kid. This town is only big enough for one yoga star."
Mikko performs the new lyrics he wrote to "Cecilia." Also about travel and loss, but with some hide-and-seek thrown in. Cheryl had a car, had a great time and was happy to drive it home.
Other stuff happened too, like a fun and well-attended reading at Diesel, a brightly lit Rockridge bookstore that gives you hope for the future of books. There were reunions with kid-free friends as well, an art gallery visit and some very good Burmese food. And for some reason I ate a candy bar almost every night I was in town.
In N Out: quality we tasted on the drive up the 5, and again on the way home.
Nan Yang in Oakland: quality you can taste a bit more definitively.
Laura with poodle Ella, also incredibly well-behaved, of course.
Tai is taking piano lessons. Shortly before we left, he composed a melancholy and beautiful song about travel and loss called "Cheryl Had a Car."
In Berkeley, all travel is sustainably powered.
Nicole, Gerilyn and AK at a bar we visited twice during our trip but could never remember the name of. Ben and Dave's? Bev and Dick's? Dave and Buster's?
Persimmons at the Berkeley farmer's market.
Plain orange carrots are so cafeteria salad.
My new Facebook profile pic, naturally.
Erin: new mama of Beck, ongoing mama of Aidan the jealous orange cat.
Other Erin, same Beck.
New parenting is so hard that even the cat needs a beer now and then.
My reading at Diesel: The head in front belongs to Terry Wolverton. The painting behind me is of a man hugging a fish.
With Jen D. and Jenessa.
With Carol and Jen B. We hung out with so many Jens that day that AK actually called me Jen at one point. It was a good guess.
Nicole and Jenessa reenacting a conversation. I think it was about Xanax.
AK doing yoga with the kids.
AK says, "Out of the way, kid. This town is only big enough for one yoga star."
Mikko performs the new lyrics he wrote to "Cecilia." Also about travel and loss, but with some hide-and-seek thrown in. Cheryl had a car, had a great time and was happy to drive it home.
Comments
Wait... Is Erin and Erin a couple? But they have the same name! And the same haircut! Oh God, I could never tell them apart! Thank God theyre not my friends! (hehe)
So many kids and cats in this post... Kids and cats are just about my favorite things in the world! I quite like the cats in this post, they look fat and sassy!
Also, I meant to ask something. I like some short stories I found online and I can't find any information or mention of them online, it only says they are written by a Cheryl Klein and I just wonder if you are the same Cheryl Klein? (Faux Snow Rabbit and Black Mountain Orphan + The Things a Body Does)
Whoever you are, your blog looks nice and you and those people in the pics sure look like you're having a lot of fun! Are any of those children in the pics yours?
PV: Tai and Meilin make their own crayons, too. They're hardcore like that.
PG: Luckily, most of the orange cats I know aren't easily offended, and very much like to be squeezed.
Sorry for writing lomg ramblings, I never was good at making short sentences, I always tend to talk a long long time to strangers about everything.