all things new

the past week has produced a whirlwind of new experiences, and all good (mostly).

hawaii.
i spent 8 glorious days on the island of kauai with my longtime friend, hollis. we had a blast! we saw canyons, brilliant blue skies, soft orange-red sand, coffee estates, waterfalls, roosters, tremendous tropical plants, and for the first time since i was a kid, i was livin' life in a swimsuit and flip-flops.

sf stitch.
my good buddy amy was in town, so we decided to gather the first ever meeting of the stitch crew, sf style. my friends greg and chris attended, while amy and i represented the old skoolers and david just had a good time. amy--a prolific and talented knitter--brought a project from seattle and also taught me how to knit with circular needles to make a caplet! i'm VERY excited. AND, i got to debut my super cool new apron (see photo) made by maureen, who continues to amaze and impress me with her sewing acumen and creativity. thanks, maux! our first sf stitch (that's a working name--new identity to come) was a success, and plans are already in the works to add another member and to start meeting weekly. hooray!

driving down market.
this may not be in the "all good" category, but at the very least, it was all good to do it for the first time. i decided to pick up amy at her downtown hotel, and while en route realized that driving down market is nothing like taking public transport down market. it's crazy! all of my senses were in sharp focus as i navigated down roads in the correct direction (watched someone make a dire mistake on that one), deftly weaved in and out and around delivery trucks blocking lanes, and wondered out loud why everyone drove so confidently in the left lane clearly marked "only taxis and buses all the time" (i opted to spend more quality time stopping and starting behind buses). it sure did affirm my love of public transport--it took 3 times longer to get there via car!