ll, its not really the state that is so wonderful (not that it's bad or anything), but rather the people who live there who are so great.before i ever even went back home, my mom came here to visit! i can't remember exactly what we did, becuase it was so long ago. but here are a few highlights:
- walk at town lake
- lunch in the park downtown
- road trip to san antonio to see little baby zofia (and agi and roger--my cousins)
- shabbat services at hillel - this was just mom and me greeting students
- dinner at ztejas with jackie (my roomie) and rachel (my friend)
- outing to target (aka julia getting a little spoiled)
- good times at the clinique counter (more spoiling!)
i was initially supposed to fly to berkeley for the Cal/USC football game. but when our football team started sucking (read: our starting QB was initally our 3rd string) i decided not to fly out for the game. i decided to fly out for the people and the fun. there was no need to change any flights. just change my outlook--no longer being pumped up for a Cal victory (though i was still hoping deep down that we could pull out the upset) but just being excited for a fun weekend pretending to be a college student again.
the weekend certainly lived up to my expectations. Cal lost and i had lots of fun. i got in pretty late on friday night and after a ride from my savior matt and his sidekick annie, i made it back to berkeley. first, i indulged in a little wine with justine--we reminisced a little on israel as we drank from some ghetto cups her friend supplied us. the two of them passed on going to a co-op party (i dont think i went to ONE of those while i was IN college!) and came to straight to bears lair with me. there i bumped into lots of old friends and acquaintances and just had a generally good time.
game day was interesting, except the game itself which was a bore. it wasnt even that U$C kicked out butt, it was that the game was just not interesting. i began searching through my
purse for things to entertain me--not characteristic of julia at sporting events. but it was good family time, nonetheless. after the game, it was 
back to the chi omega couches for some resting up and then to pomegranate with my dad's side of the family and all the good friends i cuold round up. this restaurant is pretty far down university but its sooo good. we almost got an entire room to ourselves...what a treat! it was definitely one of the best parts of the weekend.later, it was time to go out again. the plan was to go to bears lair again (i like bears lair i guess) but they were closed. hmm, we thought. is this really possible? honestly, it was strange. the next day i found out it was closed because they ran out of beer. come on. that's weak! so we went to blakes and kips--two of my least favorite berkeley spots. but alas, it was fun to hang out with my friends and bump into some randoms. after that? top dog. i dont even remember eating it (not because i was drunk but because i was so hungry) but i know it was good. and i know i am glad i made it there becuase that was one of my few goals for the weekend. i miss top dog.
sunday morning, it was time to say bye to annie (*tear) and head off to walnut creek for some family time. we ate at my aunts restaurant and had a generally nice time. then back to berkeley for some chi omega down time. i just hung out at the house, napped and watched tv with my girls. just a normal XO sunday. it was nice. i even made it to yogurt park--my other goal for the weekend. mmmm. and then, it was to sleep and back to austin early monday morning.
just when you thought you were done with my recap, you realize that only catches you up through november14th. so depending on how bored you are and how much you care, you should keep reading. you wont be quizzed on any materials from after november 14th, just the pre-november 14th information. so at least go over the first few paragraphs again to be on the safe side. good luck. ;-)
a bunch of things happened after i got back from berkeley. one of them was that we moved into the new hillel building. exciting but tiring. so much is still getting settled over here and the kinks are slowly being worked out. but i must say i am a huge fan of my herman miller chair. yes, herman miller. i know its ridiculous. i didnt pick it, i just get to use it.
i cant quite recall what else happened in that week and a half. i probably went out downtown once or twice, watched some quality reality tv, cooked a little--the usual. oh wait, no, i do remember. it's all coming back to me now. i went to three frat parties in one weekend. don't go into shock just yet. i know its strange--julia at a frat party? but i did it to be supportive of my greek jewish students. i didnt "engage" in the party, but rather just stopped by to say hi and tell them what a great job they did with the decorations they spent over 2 months building. poor pledges. really though, i think thats more frat parties than i went to in all of college.
so then it was last wednesday--time to fly home for thanksgiving weekend. such fun. sarah(sister) and brian (her man) picked me and my bro up from the airport and met my parents for dinner at alfonso's. it was my brothers selection, as he hadnt had "real mexican food" for soo long. apparently the mexican food in davis is sub-par. i, on the other hand, seem to eat mexican food for every meal. well, tex mex at least. so this was just a normal meal out for me! but it was more than the food, it was the margarita my mom drank and the good quality family time. later that night i met up with some friends (sarah and lins and bryan and more--such fun) in pacific beach for a little night out. we saw an 80s coverband and just had fun. minus seeing wierd old people from high school. i am really not a fan of seeing people i never cared about in the first place. its just awkward.
thursday it was turkey day. me, sister, brian and bro did the father joes 5K run. hard, but we got free orange slices. what could be better? then home to nap (love it!) and cook and then eat and watch football. lovely if i say so myself. special shout out to brian for staying up till late the night before to cook pies. impressive. he even made the crust from scratch. wow! i also loved the sweet potatoes. mmmmm. and the 2 hour turkey--way to go dad. click here for more details. 2 hours for 18lbs? it's amazing! http://shop.safeway.com/corporate/safeway/2hrturkey.asp
even better than the food was the game--apples to apples. my dad always pretends he hates playing board games but then gets super in to them. so much laughing. also classic was my mom cheating her way through the game becuase "she's the mom!"
friday we did some heavy lifting at the gym. and lots of squats. still sore from that. seriously. then to brunch at an old favorite--OPH. YUM!!! then to buy some new running shoes at road runner and to get a new cell phone with the bro (please call my cell phone so i can program in your number--verizon lost all of mine!). then derek decided to show up and we watched some bball or football or something and then made our way over to the condo where my sister lives for shabbat. lots of wine and good conversation. just generally fun. and later, high school friends showed up for drinks and then a night out downtown. the field was our bar of choice and i got to see lots of randoms i hadnt seen in ages. after last call, derek decided to buy a whole pizza at the pizza place next door. innnnteresting. he only got one slice, but, needless to say, made many other people very happy and satisfied.
the next morning was a little lazy and then we headed out for brunch at crest cafe. power pancakes were the highlight. the service, not so hot. oh well. after some shopping at the thrift stores and a random book store (where derek got a nirvana coffee table book for only $7) we headed home to watch a movie. mom and derke stayed awake. i slept. shocking. i dont remember what the movie was called. maybe time to kill or something. no that wasnt it. but i did like the first 12 minutes or so.
the rest of the day was pretty lazy. i dont even remember what happened except for derek and i going to vons to get stuff to cook for dinner. we made salmon and rice and salad. classic unger dinner. so good.
sunday morning i went for a jog around la jolla. it was georgeous out and there were lots of tourists taking in the scenary. that always makes me realize how lucky i am to live in such a beautiful place. i was still sore, though, so i was going pretty damn slow. then it was football time. chargers and others--good games. i saw dereks lovely apartment and the fam had sushi for dinner. the funniest part was we ate "fantasy football-style" meaning we had a huge plate with all the sushi on it. it was like a lottery...mom started, she got to choose one piece, then she passed it on. it continued around and around the table until it was all gone. this was to encourage sharing and make it so the people who eat faster dont neccessarily get more to eat!
the next morning mom woke me up and it was off to the airport. i made it back to austin and even managed to find my car in the massive parking structure. then it was home to get my life back in order. i even got up enough energy to go out with a few friends for drinks, too. now i am back at work like a busy bee.
more good times to come!
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