black cats and other things

So much has happened in the past few days. I'll do my best to give you the condensed versions.

But first things first. I got a cat!!!

He was taken to the Humane Society about a week and a half ago.  He was only up for adoption for three days when I found him.  

I named him Bagheera, after the panther in the Jungle Book. At first he hid under my bed, only coming out at night for sleeping. But now he runs all around the loft. 

He did not like his bath.  

Enough about him.. although you should get used to seeing pics and vids of him. He's pretty much the most adorable travel cat ever. He is a travel cat, because he will go with me from one assignment to the next :)

It's beautiful here. Especially when it's not raining.

We met another traveler named Leah and went to some restaurants in Santa Rosa. 

trying to learn about wine..

So work. It's had it's ups and downs.

We decided to get memberships at a 24hr fitness, and leave for work early to go to the gym. It's working out well and is helping us stay healthy while we avoid unhealthy traffic.

Also, an hour long break during a 12 hour shift is pretty sweet. They encourage napping. No joke.

Here's what's not been fun - some rude people.  I've been insulted, judged, complained about, and been made to feel like an annoyance.  Usually things like that I can roll off of my back, but all in about 2 shifts and in the very beginning is a little disheartening.  

That being said, this is a sunset I saw from work yesterday.  A reminder that things that weigh us down and are burdensome (and this assignment) are temporary. There is a lot of beauty and things to be enjoyed outside of the workplace and other obligations.  While work is what brought me to this area, it is not the main consumer of my time.  There is so much to see and do, and I look forward to it.

For example, we had such a fun day exploring San Francisco Friday. Starting with the Golden Gate Bridge.

It's so much bigger up close, much more than I imagined it to be when I saw it on TV.  

And by TV, I mean Full House. 

There are remnants from an old military base, Battery Spencer, at the Northern point of the bridge. 

We drove through the city, gawking at the iconic houses and trolleys, and ended at Fisherman's Wharf. 

Although it's pretty touristy, Fisherman's Wharf is a lot of fun to walk around. There are tons of little chincy shops and restaurants.

You can see Alcatraz from the Pier. 

After we had corn dogs, coffee, found magnets, and watched a really awful stand up comedian on the pier, we headed across the city to the coast.

 The blue sky was hidden behind dreary clouds.  Even the sand here feels different.  It's loose and almost velvety.

The wind blew us off of the beach and into an area of the city called Sunset.  There we stumbled upon a bar with a name that instantly warmed our hearts. 

The owner was a middle aged man from Latrobe, PA. He moved out to the area about 13 years ago to live with an old army friend. He started the bar 5 years ago. 

It was kind of a dump, but full of characters and Pittsburgh paraphernalia.  The owner graciously called out to the bartender, "Hey Debbie, get the girls from Western, PA a drink!"

A traveler that we met working the strike in Sunset is working an assignment at UCSF, so we met up with him for pizza and drinks at a local tavern. 

And now on to another week.  Let's see what this one holds.. 

Loft. Work. Traffic. Life.

Here's some pics of our loft, starting with the outside and working our way in..

Ashley's room..

the kitchen..

the living room/dining room..

 up the stairs..

my room..

There's also a small balcony off of my bedroom.  Because it's a loft, I don't have a bedroom door, you just come right into the area.  We both also have our own bathrooms, which is nice.  

Today we went to the hospital, Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa.  We had class, reviewed some things, and got a tour of the hospital.  

We're excited for this assignment and to explore a new area, but there are issues popping up that are making us regret a few decisions.  For starters, when we drive to work for night shift, we'll be caught up in the heat of rush hour in the evening, and then again in the morning as people drive to work in the city, and we drive away from work toward home.  We've thrown around a few ideas - a gym membership in the area that we could leave town early, go to the gym, then to work.  Go early for coffee or dinner, etc.  This commute may end up being quite a burden, and with gas currently $4.39/gal, we're not looking forward to it. 

Today we got our schedule and found that for the most part, Ashley and I are on different nights - when she works I'm off, and vice versa. 

There are other smaller issues, but nothing I feel like complaining about.. it's only going to be three months, and we are determined to make the most of it, just like we did in LA.  And to make things even more exciting, we have three different scheduled visitors, and we're open to many more!

We have work tomorrow then we start our shifts on the floor.  I haven't worked nights since Pittsburgh, so it should be interesting turning myself back into a vampire.  After our first night on the floor we have about 5 days off together, so you know we'll be blowing those days up :)

San Rafel

Friday was move in day.  I woke up, had a lovely breakfast at the hotel, then went to the loft to get keys and sign papers.  After that I drove South, to Pacifica, CA where my stuff was in storage.  I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, and paid a lovely fee of $6.

 

The above picture quite accurately displays the weather for my move. Cold, windy, and rainy.

The furniture arrived while I was in Pacifica, so when I got back I was able to unload my stuff and move in.  Ashley arrived later in the afternoon and brought her stuff in, also in the pouring rain.  In the evening it looked like an explosion had gone off..

This apartment is significantly smaller than our last.  Especially in the kitchen and storage areas.  We've had to be resourceful with the space we have.. I'll be making another post soon just of the apartment.

Saturday we had to drive about 50min south to Livermore, CA for class. Basically we took tests and signed paperwork.  There was a Costco in the same area, so we stopped there and loaded up on bulk groceries.

In the afternoon we spent some more time settling in, then I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was beautiful out and I got to try one of the local coffee shops.

In the evening we celebrated the start of a new assignment by walking to a local restaurant for dinner and green beer.

San Rafael (pronounced Ra-Fell, not Ra-fa-el) is a really cute area in Marin County.  Our loft is located in the downtown area,  which means we are in walking distance to stores, restaurants, and public transit. 

Today we were up early to greet the cable guy, then I went to the next neighborhood over, Ross, for church. I went to Grace Church of Marin, which is a non-denominational church that meets in Marin Art & Garden Center.  

The people were very friendly, but most importantly I agree with the preaching. I'll definitely go back for another visit.

Later in the afternoon I took a walk in search of the bay.  According to google maps, it would be about 2.5mi through the marina to the bay.

Unfortunately the walk went through an area that I don't think is probably the safest for walking.  Today was fine, at a very brisk pace, but I won't be trying that again.

We're trying to get settled in and adjust to a new area.  This week will be class, next week we'll have two days on on the floor orientation, then we'll start shift work again. I can't wait!