highlight of the week: meeting Frank

This week really flew by. I don’t know if it was because of July 4 or because I finally feel established here but it just seemed like everything was a blur. My weekdays have just morphed together to become some depressingly adult blend of waking up early, making myself breakfast and lunch, driving to work, working, working, working, driving home, then doing stuff of which has no real significance because I have to wake up at 7 again the next day (more like 7:20 because of all the ‘snoozes’). I say of no real significance not because it really has no significance but more so because I’m a night owl whose inspiration and work ethic are at its peak at 2am. So considering I am a very nap-loving human being who needs at least 6 hours of rest to not set up shop underneath his office desk like George Costanza, I must go to bed well before I can blossom into the sleep-deprived individual who I was born to be.

Despite this lack of energy and sense of accomplishment outside the workplace, within the workplace I am inspired! On Monday, we didn’t go into the office but got work done at the college’s library instead. There, Miles had Catie and I make a very detailed outline for this summer. The document is extremely thorough and literally covers every day of the internship along with what we plan on doing those days, meetings scheduled, and the amount of hours dedicated to each task. While it was pretty overwhelming to create such a future-oriented plan (I can barely even plan what I’ll be eating for dinner some days) it definitely made things clearer as to what I will be doing this summer and the skills that I’ll be taking away once I head back to San Diego. And I can happily say that I am excited! However, this excitement did not hit immediately but rather built up as the week progressed. Various meetings, daily duties, talks with Miles, and my own observations of the South Coast have not only opened my eyes to the various issues and things that are trying to be accomplished here, but it’s helped me understand where I may be able to fit into it all. I know I’m only an intern but there’s just so much potential for change and progress and it’s just really neat to be a part of it all.

I’ve been thinking of whether I would move here if I had a job lined up for me. I know it’s rash and maybe unrealistic to think I could get a job position out of this but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fantasizing about the future. So with that being said, I’ve been fantasizing! I’ve just been imagining if I could see myself living in such a small place like this. I drive around the town, staring at the stores as they pass by just wondering “Would I be cool with this being my life?” I’m enjoying the work and I think there’s a lot of potential for growth, both in this position and the South Coast community in general, and that’s neat, but it seems scary to think I may one day uproot myself from California. But hey, I figure there’s no point in getting too invested in fantasies so I’m just gonna enjoy these next 7 weeks here and live as if I was living here.

In other news, on Friday, Catie and I went to the beach to take photos of people kayaking. We also got to kayak ourselves which was awesome. It was definitely a surreal experience to just paddle out and gradually hear the voices on the beach drown out. After that we enjoyed an incredible seafood barbecue, adorable dogs, good company, and country music. I went to the Oregon Country Fair in Eugene this weekend. My roommate Brendon and I drove up on Saturday and met up with some of his homies who joined our party. The fair was interesting to say the least. I have never seen so many painted boobs in my life, that’s for sure. That was my first real taste of Eugene and I can confirm, it’s a beautiful town. But as sweet as my weekend was, it was very relieving to finally see the Coos Bay bridge, it was a very home-y sight.