Summer Update (or lack thereof...?)

How weird. First, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I updated. Next, I just got a very strange phone call. I'll come back to that in a second.

So summer's going well so far! My semester finished off great, I got everything in on time and my professors were generally very happy with my final projects. Since then, I've just been hanging out, reading, walking and running with my dogs, and looking for a house! Yes, that's right, I officially told our landlords we wouldn't be renewing our lease, so we're aiming to be moved out by the end of July. That gives us some time to find a place we really like, so I'm trying to just take it slow and really find a good place for us, where we can stay put happily for the next few years. I found a *very* promising place that I really like from its description and pictures, and I'm going up to have a look at it in person tonight, so I'm very excited. I'll take my camera, and if it works out, I'll post the pictures. :) It's right by El Cerrito Plaza BART, which is excellent on many levels. First, it's a really great neighborhood - very pretty, but much more homey and relaxed than where we are now. El Cerrito Plaza has tons of shops and is a great transportation hub, but this house is about 2-3 blocks away, which means it's still really convenient but far enough away that it's quiet and feels very residential. Anyway, I don't have my heart set on it or anything, but I think it'd be a good place for us, and I hope it seems as good in person as it does online. We shall soon find out.

Right, the weird phone call. So I decided to join a volleyball team! It's just a Berkeley Parks and Rec District recreational team, but I went to scrimmage with them on Sunday and it was a blast and it made all of my volleyball muscles sore, and I love that. I haven't had sore volleyball muscles in years! It's such a great full body soreness, all of these muscles I don't ever use in everyday life; all of my jumping and hitting and crouching and impact-absorbing muscles. Woo-hoo! Our first real game was supposed to be tonight, but the guy who organizes the team just called to tell me it's been pushed back to next week, which is why I can go to the El Cerrito open house tonight instead.

I'm not sure if I should tell you all why it was canceled, but I guess I might as well. There's been a spate of gang violence in south Berkeley over the past month or so. First there was that shooting not too far from our house (like half a mile, don't get too nervous!) that resulted in a crazy police chase and multiple people dying in a car wreck. (If you hadn't heard about that yet, there you go.) That was apparently retaliation for something that had happened in Oakland a while back. Then just last week, there was a drive-by shooting thing a mile or so southeast of here, which may or may not be related, but in any case, two little girls who were sleeping in their beds got killed when the bullets came through their wall. So so sad. So the city has called a town hall meeting tonight, and they're holding it in the gym where my volleyball team was supposed to play. I suppose gang violence is probably more important than my new volleyball team, however excited I am about it.

Well on that note... I should get going! Ugh, what a terrible note to end on, but I need to put on some nice clothes for the open house and print out a credit report, just in case I need to snap the place up on the spot. I may have pictures of our new place soon - stay tuned!