Californication!

He said, "you should have a different pair of shoes for every place you visit." And so it begins. I arrived in Berkeley yesterday with Lulu in tow, donned my new shoes ("satisfy your sense of adventure without ignoring your sense of style"), and more or less passed out the moment I sat down. I was pretty tired - the whole night before was devoted to packing up the apartment, and I didn't get to sleep on the plane due to my yowling companion. It's all good though - this vacation is all about relaxation and adventure. I'm chilling with Sapna and David in Berkeley/San Francisco for a few days, stopping over in Los Angeles for a night, and ending with a roadtrip to Chicago through Zion Ntl. Park, Grand Canyon Ntl. Park, Yellowstone Ntl. Park, and Badlands Ntl. Park - it's the second beginning of my world travels. In 2006, I lived in Paris for 3 months and spent my weekends exploring other countries, and I've been yearning for a similar experience since I returned to the States. I was recently granted authorization to work in Britain for 6 months, so I'm taking time to explore the US and stack up some moolah before I head over to Europe in December.

First stop: Sapna's place in Berkeley, where there's a fridge full of organic food and beer (seriously, the pic on the right is just a sampling of what she offered me last night), streets lined with thriftstores and quirky shops, and lots of tree huggers. I spent today wandering around the Berkeley campus (it has its own eucalyptus grove!), and exploring the shops on Telegraph St., which offers lots of good food and vintage clothing stores. Though it's cold, I like it here. The people are very relaxed and friendly, and the scene on every block offers something intriguing. I probably wouldn't live in Berkeley - it's too cold and a little more hippie-ish than I prefer - but there's a definite charm about the Bay Area and that I really appreciate. Tonight, we're picnicing in the mountains and hitting up a pub, and tomorrow I'm going to San Francisco. I can't believe I've been away from the hustle of Chicago for so long already. It's almost Wednesday - I feel like one of those celebrities who goes to rehab for a month and ends up having a blast, eating fresh organic food and exercising in the mountains the whole time.