Fun Fact #40: Running and smoking do NOT go hand-in-hand

So, today is my last day at work and I leave Pittsburgh permanently early Tuesday morning. I'm excited to get back to California and have no qualms about leaving Pittsburgh early. I have absolutely nothing to do at work and today has perhaps been the most unproductive day of my life. There's a bike/running path that goes by the office windows and I've watching people using it for the past hour or so.

Anyways, my favorite person I saw on the trail during today's people watching session had to be this older man, probably about fifty or so. He was dressed head-to-toe in Nike running gear and seemed to be ready for a pretty intense workout, but one accessory of his was totally out of place.

He was carrying a lit pipe during his whole run. There was a trail of smoke following him and every minute or so he would would lift it up and take a puff or two. It was pretty surreal. I'm assuming that it was filled with tobacco since Pittsburgh has pretty strict weed laws.

It made me think of CKC and her dreadful smoking habits. Let's hope CKC quits before she needs a cigarette to sustain her during a run. Maybe she needs another beautiful cigarette shaped birthday cake to remind her of the horrors of smoking...

Fun Fact #39: Death notices are certainly a way to liven up getting the mail

It's no secret that I'm living in Pittsburgh, but it may come of surprise to some people that I'm basically living in a retirement home while I'm here. I truly believe that the average age of my "neighbors" is about eighty.

The fact that I'm living with a group of people about six decades older than me means that death is a constant presence here. I often see an ambulance parked out front when I come back from work or the gym (my only two activities here besides eating). The deaths don't really bother me since I don't know the people, but it's just a kind of sad situation all around.

What makes it even more awkward is how the building handles these deaths. The deaths are so common that the building managmment has a box pre-printed signs that read:

We're sorry to inform you that blank from apartment blank has passed away on blank date. The funeral is scheduled for blank date.

It makes sense to have these signs but they still come across as a little morbid to me. They're also posted by the mail box, so everyone gets a chance to read the news while they're getting their mail. It's pretty a pretty special experience to learn that Mildred from next door passed away the night before while you're thumbing through the newest issues of US Weekly.

I don't think I ever want to live in a place where death is such a constant part of life that having 20 or so death notices on hand makes total sense. I'd much rather retire someplace where I'm not constantly reminded how close death is. Of course that opinion could very well change in the next fifty or so years.

Fun Fact #38: I've come to some major decisions...

It should be readily apparent to anyone who reads my blog that I'm not a fan of Pittsburgh. I don't like the city, the climate, or the culture. I haven't really had the best experience here and I'm excited to be leaving in May. But, all in all, I'm still happy with my decision to come here because it taught me that I need to live in someplace with a relatively mild climate.

Therefore, I eliminated New York, Chicago, and Boston from my law school search due to the weather and a variety of other criteria. These had all been places that I planned to end up in but my time in Pittsburgh allowed me to see that I am a true West Coaster. I even miss all the hippies!

So I applied to schools in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. I got into a variety of schools, some were a better fit than others. But I've decided that California (specifically the Bay Area) is the place for me and therefore I am going to be attending UC Hastings (located in the heart of San Francisco). I'm extremely excited and I believe that this will be the best place for me.

There are so many things I'm looking forward to: finally living in a city that I love, actually going to law school, being surrounded by an amazing city with an amazing culture, leaving Pittsburgh, paying 1,500 a month for a closet, being the perfect distance between my Oregon friends and family, making new friends, and a million other things.

I know that people have asked me to post more often but I can't really think of anything to write about. Ask me some questions or give me some ideas and I'll totally start posting more.

Also, any advice or tips regarding San Francisco would be totally welcome. I lived in Palo Alto when I was kid but haven't ever lived in the city itself.