Something to Look Forward To

As of late, clear, sunny, days have managed to crack through the perpetual fog and grey that usually engulfs the city around this time.
Spending time at Dolores Park as made me excited about the summer time and what's to come. Given that I can break free of the cancer hell that has taken over my life in the next several weeks, there are many things to look forward to. Road trips, beach time, hot weather, Big Sur and maybe a little vacation in the Dominican Republic...
Here...two videos that make me feel like a carefree summer has already arrived.

Away from It All

I had originally starting writing this post on a more somber, self pitying note, as I'm pulling through a hellish 2nd round of chemo. I had started talking about the fear, the sadness, the loneliness, the worry, the frustration, the anger, the pain and all the dark feelings that start to sweep up and threaten to swallow you whole the more you find yourself drenched in drugs that take away your body and mind.
I could go on about the blessing and the curse that is chemo and how wretched this has become at times. But last weekend I was treated to an idyllic escape at the beach. My energy level was back and I was feeling pretty good. One of my best friends was visiting from the East Coast and with other friends, we decided to rent a cabin for the night at Stinson Beach and Camp Tamalpais.
The weather was gorgeous, we went on a somewhat scary hike and just hung out in a beautiful surrounding. It's quite wonderful to get away, to leave the city, to be by the ocean.
The weekend was finished in glamorous style with bloody mary's and a delicious dinner with two other of my dearest friends.
One of the best things about those few days...I was able to forget.

It's Just a Game

Under the Sea

Recently my friend Devon and I took a trip to the California Academy of Sciences. Albeit fun, I saw about as many strollers and babies as I saw fish. Not what I had signed up for. I got home and threw up 6 times in the space of two hours. I don't know if I was seasick, if it was my stupid tumor or too many babies. Perhaps an overwhelming combination of all three.
Flag at full mast.
It's not polite to point.
What are you looking at?
A reptilian love affair.
Camera shy seahorses.

Bite Size Big Apple

I came across the beautiful video, called The Sandpit by photographer and visual artist Sam O'Hare on Vimeo and just had to share. Best seen in bigger dimensions and in HD.

Stop Motion Magic

Sitting in my bed, summoning strength to start my day I came across this lovely video. There is something wonderfully enchanting about stop motion. I had to repost this from my friend Rebecca's blog because it's just that great.


It seems pretty silly following my previous grim posts, I realize. But then again it's stop motion and that's a bit magical and these days that seems to be in short supply.

The Earth Shakes and the Seas Rise

Some of the most devastating and moving images I've found of the earthquake in Chile so far. There are more here, from the Boston Globe.










Luckily, my family is alright. During my teen years I lived with my aunts and uncles in Cañete, a small town of about 16,000 people, one hour south of Concepcion, the epicenter of this past weekend's earthquake. Looking at pictures of the destruction that rocked such a vast region of the country, it's scary to be able to recognize locations, building and bridges.
Concepcion is one of the cities where I spent alot of time as a teenager visiting. My family and I would go there on weekends because it was the closest real city nearby. The closest movie theater was there, the closest mall and department stores where there. It was where most of my classmates and cousins went to the university and later settled when out of school.
Always drawn to the road less traveled, opted to move to Temuco, in the south, which was farther away. Concepcion was just a little too close.
Now after the quake, Concepcion has been rocked by looting and violence. It will take time to pick up the pieces.