Hello and thanks to Cyn, my unique Patreon subscriber! It felt a bit silly to write about my visit with you, but I’ve been away for a little over a month now, and a newsletter was promised. Here’s what I’ve been up to since saying goodbye in Philly.

Rest of East Coast Trip

I took a morning train up to NYC for an overnight stay with Ricki. It was nice to deepen that friendship and get to know her wife Avital a little better, plus I got to flex my cooking skills for Shabbat dinner. Itamar came over for dinner as well, and it was a good time all around. After that, I headed up to Portland to rendezvous with my dad, my brother, and the Dallas Zerners. There, I visited favorite spots in the city such as Gilbert’s Chowder House, enjoyed the peaceful scenery of Little Diamond Island, and gorged myself on lobster.

Moving Into Berkeley

After many moons of living in Vallejo, I finally moved to Berkeley, near Lighthaven and friends! I got an unusually cheap room by Bay Area standards, in the group house called Godric’s Hollow. Much of my energy this month has gone into furnishing and decorating. With my dad’s help, I moved a mattress, a dresser, and a bunch of my possesions from Vallejo. I put up art on the walls! Despite the length of my stay in Vallejo, I never wanted to put down roots there, so I I didn’t make the space feel like my own. Now, I finally have the stability to make this place my home! I’ve been walking around the neighborhood, seeing friends and exploring the local food and activities. I even threw a party in my new home, for Petrov Day, which I think went well!

Bay Area Events

I hit the ground running for events upon my return to the Bay! First up was Kestel-con, just a couple days after I got back. A gathering of friends at the Kesteloots’ home, where we used their tools to make all sorts of things. I learned how to use a sewing machine; the product wasn’t worth keeping, but the knowledge sure is.

The following weekend was Metagame, which I’d been looking forward to for quite some time. I played some very cool games such as Tessella and the still-in-development second edition of Codex. I also organized a “raunchy drinking games” party, which a couple people told me was a highlight of Metagame for them! Also, the food trucks I volunteered to organize ran smoothly. All around, a successful event!

The weekend after Metagame was packed with several small events. On Friday, a board game night hosted by Aimee from Vibecamp, whom I had run into again at Metagame. On Saturday, my dad took me to the Rhythym Society’s All-Day Dance Celebration, where I enjoyed beautiful weather, meeting cool people, doing drugs, and of course some dancing. From there, I went directly to a cocktail party Kathy was throwing, which I unfortunately had to leave early due to exhaustion. On Sunday, after a bit of rest, I went to the Ren Faire with some new friends I had met at Friday’s board game night and enjoyed a turkey leg, a raunchy performance by Dirty Laundry, views of beautiful merchandise outside of my budget, and equine excellence in the joust.

Finally, the most recent weekend held Folsom St Fair, a beautiful celebration of self-expression! Lots of hot people in hot clothing or lack thereof, in a space with no repurcussions for staring! I saw a wide variety of kinks on display, some enticing to me, others less so, but all fascinating facets of the human experience.

As well as those fun weekend events, I’ve been enjoying Blood on the Clocktower sessions on Thursdays, LessWrong sequences meetups on Tuesdays, and impromptu meetups with local friends. I still have some room in my schedule, but on the whole, my social life is thriving!