A life update.

So, I graduated.

These photos are courtesy of Julie Chow. If you want to see all of them you can go here.

I know I haven't really blogged in a while. What can I say, life has trumped the internet these days. But I've been meaning to get back on here, to sit down and work on freshening up the place and give it a new look for this new season. And indeed, it is a new season. For one, summer is finally settling in. Warmer days, more dresses and a darker complexion. All things that make me happy.

And two, I guess it feels okay to say this on here now: I am dating someone. Whoa! It is very new, very exciting, wonderful and completely terrifying. But perhaps in the best way possible. He is the person I mentioned a few entries back. We met at work but he's wrapping up his time at BL to continue other endeavors. He's lovely. And for the first time in a long time, I feel happy. I'm not used to it. I know I wrote about being intentionally single but this thing sort of happened and for once, timing is being so generous with me by giving me a person who is a great match. I wanted to push this away at first because it feels so foreign to have a good thing come into my life. These beginning days have been great but not without their own challenges and bumpy moments. We're learning about each other, trying to understand each other's worlds. It's a pretty big deal for me to open myself up in this way to anybody because I have never felt more vulnerable.

This experience is so different from anything in the past. There was no months/years of melodramatic torture or pangs of unrequited love. No back and forth or questions of "does he like me? I don't know!". He likes me. A lot. And I could go on and on about how often he tells me I am beautiful or that he is so happy to have me in his life. Since we started out as friends and co-workers, we have a really good, natural rhythm.

So yeah!

These past few days, I've been up in a town called Paso Robles in Central California. I was a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's wedding. It was beautiful but exhausting. But many days of merry - I can't really complain. I'll post pictures once the photographer has them up. Being away from the city for a few days was interesting. I always forget that people live in different places, very different from L.A. Everywhere we went, I would point to things and just shout, "Country!" Like seeing a horse. Or some haystacks. The town saloon. Or stars in the sky. It was so much fun to be with my friends for a weekend and celebrate love.

But I'm back now and trying to get ready for another week. I still have some papers to finish for school (I know, I know - don't judge me - this was a hard semester!), I'm still easing into working full-time but restaurant business is so irregular. One week I worked 5 days, last week I worked 1, this coming week I work 3... But I'm not quite ready to be doing a consistent 40+ hours every single week. It takes its toll on you. In the meantime, I will be looking for a worthwhile internship at a local non-profit.

Life is a balancing act. There are lots of things going on and lots of self-reflection to be done this summer.

Stay with me, I promise to write more as soon as I feel a little more balanced.