The Initiation into Oakland and Urban Life
Basic summary of the last month:
It is time to get the ball rolling on this blog... I arrived in Oakland, CA on August 4th. The trip out was uneventful minus noticing that one of the trailer tires was beginning to shread. Somewhere between Idaho Falls and Elko it was replaced simply to prevent a blowout, and the dumping of all my possessions on the interstate. The "houndletts" traveled so patiently, quietly, and sportfully in the Jeep. Although, it was a bit cramped, even with the seats flopped down they managed to sleep pretty much the whole 3 days of travel. Finley was offended that the front seat was not available for her to perch at her viewing pleasure, however she survived. Jeep, "Earl the Pearl" also did superbly well in the heat of the Nevada desert towing the Uhaul trailer (that was stuffed to the brim). In-In-Out Burger was attained promptly at the first sighting.
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| Ft. Funston, CA |
Upon my arrival, I had already signed a lease for a very cute and quaint 600 sq ft. "cottage" that I found on Craigslist in July. My landlord, a super groovy lady who is a total throwback from the 6o's is an avid dog enthusiast and supporter of the arts. She welcomed us with much enthusiasm.
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| Sully @ Ft. Funston, CA |
I had also pinned down a job before my arrival, working as a large animal vet tech for a vet up in Santa Rosa. My plan was to work Monday/Tuesday. Commute up Monday, work, shack up at Mom's (in Santa Rosa) on Monday nights, work Tuesday and drive home. This would leave me plenty of time for school, which I only have Thursday/Fridays, and still allow 3 days for studio work, while still escaping the suffocation of urban life two days a week.
Seamless plan. A house, a job, admissions to one of the best art colleges in the country! What could go wrong?
Well, there was a small stint that seemed to be a series of unfortunate events. These were magnified and amplified by the general stresses of relocating across the country (which will happen, no matter how seamless your plan is! Note to self). Earl the Pearl, my Jeep, met it's demise somewhere along the commute to Santa Rosa, Mom's house, work, go home, what ever. Upon being rear ended, the Pearl was declared totaled. Now I'm cruising around int my Mom's sweet-ass ride (not so much, but trying to be grateful) that I think I have named Betty. Betty, is a Toyota Rav4, she makes me feel like I am my mother, 30 years ago but in present time. Betty is also flamboyantly red. It goes quite well with my blonde hair, pale skin, and oversized dog/dairy cow that all combined surly don't attract any attention in the predominately African American, somewhat ghetto neighborhood I have plopped my self into. Additionally, after obtaining a rental car, before borrowing Betty for a non determined amount of time, a flat tire was discovered the next day. Nail in an unrepairable zone of the tire. Shortly following that, a flat tire was discovered on my bicycle. Making note that all bad things/annoyances/inconveniences etc... come in series of threes: I think I am caught up on all damages to my modes of transportation.
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| Slobber + Sand = Love. |
Despite all those things above, My job is nice. Kind of far I am coming to realize. It is a single Doctor practice, dealing with solely equines of the sport horse caliber. It makes me miss horse showing, Jay, and barns (minus the caddy women drama). It is a big contrast from the vet work I was doing in MT which consisted of mostly emergencies, lacerations, cuts, X-rays, vaccinations, and colics. Now I am doing preventative and performance care like IRAP therapy, joint injections, Tildren therapy, and detailed pre purchases of high end performance horses. I think I like what I was doing in MT better, but I should be lucky to have a job here where the unemployment rate is so high.
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| Sneak Attack @ Ft. Funston, CA |
Orientation sprung its self on me Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week. I took Bart for the first time, and made it! I only got harassed my one transient and one crazy homeless man on my one mile trek from Civic Center Bart station to CCA SF. I also decided I should learn the Muni Bus stations/schedule so I don't have to walk and deal with the crazies... however the exercise was really nice. I finally got to meet the only other Metals/Jewelry Grad at CCA. She is also a 1st year, and seems very nice. We are quite the opposite of each other, her yielding from urban live in Seoul, S. Korea and myself being some what of a country girl descending from Montana (I identify myself as a Montanan much more than a Californian, It will be interesting to see if that changes). She is quiet, shy, and soft spoken where I am outgoing and seem to strike conversations with everybody where ever I go. I think we will learn a lot from each other. Orientation consisted of many lectures and standing in endless lines to receive security passes, informational packets, etc... I am very glad I came and toured both the SF and Oakland campuses before I moved here! I felt like I knew a lot of what they were telling us, and made me feel pretty secure in my decision to come to CCA. I got a nice studio space in SF which I will just be using as a meeting/installation/brainstorming space. They do not allow fire/chemicals in this building, so all of my making will be in Oakland, in my studio space there. I have access to the entire metals studio, as well as my own shared room with the other grad student. I also have my little bench in my house to work too.... So plenty of space everywhere to work! I am excited to begin working, but don't know where to start!
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| Finley @ Ft. Funston, CA |
The dogs have been adjusting well. We have found some awesome dog parks: Pt. Isabel (10 min from my ghetto-chic cottage) and Ft. Funston (30 min from my ghetto-chic cottage). I think they liked Montana better, but are just most happy to be with me. I try to take them every day to Pt. Isabel and for a short walk so they don't feel too cooped up. See pictures taken today at Ft. Funston in SF.
The last month has taught me that all good things come in good time. Settling in, adjustment, and change are hard. But, despite the material things and the stresses, I am so thankful to have Sully and Finley by my side. AKA Munchie and Girl. <3 <3
