places to study

Now that I live off-campus, and BUDGET CUTS HAVE KILLED OUR LIBRARY HOURS, i've been working hard to find new places to study. My criteria for an excellent study spot are: 

1. well-prices coffee and snacks

2. spacious tables

3. lots of power outlets

4. moderate overhead noise

5. location-view

With these standards in mind, I recommend to you: 

PANNIKIN coffee and tea, Downtown La Jolla; 7467 Girard Ave., La Jolla, CA 92037; 858-454-5453

drinks and snacks are moderate-expensive - i've generally only ordered house coffee. they dont have any other coffee blends(no french roast, vanilla, etc...). as for the food selection, they have a chocolate-marshmallow smore-like bar that is quite delish, but i wouldnt highly recommend the quiche or hummus plate. 

seating is excellent here! i'm a big fan of the set up - compartmentalized into different vibes. there's an outdoor seating area, perfect for sunny san diego sunshine-y days and generally people meet out there to chat and talk. it's a pretty international crowd so you'll get to eavesdrop on a lot of different languages, as well. inside, you'll find a fireplace, lots of outlets, and a cool chess board in the back.

CLIFF HANGER CAFE at Torrey Pines Gliderport. 

drinks (coffee $2/cup) and sandwiches (about $7) are pretty pricey, but the view is great. just sit here and watch all the paragliders/hanggliders take off from the gliderport. 

next up is LESTAT's in normal heights - hillcrest. 

My #1 recommendation for its good prices, 24/7 hours!!!, comfort and overall greatness! the one catch is that its pretty far from campus: a 15 minute drive, only worth it if you're going to get at least a few hours of work.  pictured left is hamish with the lestas menu. on the bottom shelf you can peek at their specialty cupcakes!!

Kurdistan Oil, Cont'd

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/world/middleeast/01oil.html?ref=global-home

Constants

So, BIG life changes in the past month! Moving back into the country, home and then south to San Diego. Big life changes, but some things are good and stable. I've sought out all those good, stable, dependable things in an effort to counterbalance all the change. And now I'm at the end of a month of de- and re-stabilization. Here's a short (and hopefully sweet) recap of my findings...

Being next to the water is universal-ish. The San Diego bay was a bit reminiscent of Istanbul, sans the 10million extra people, skyline of minarets, nightly fireworks and palaces. Nevertheless, it has a similar effect on the psyche.

Below are some pictures from a night out with my older sister Stephanie. We dined at Peohe's Restaurant on Coronado. The food was not bad, but also not amazing. Cool design in the restaurant and nice because it's right on the water.

 

And the San Diego sunset...something I really looked forward to, and didn't let me down in the least :). How ridiculously lucky I am to live in a place where I can run along this every day? 

 

I went back to the bay this weekend and got even MORE stabilization via suburbia: 

 

 

 

 

ah the rows of houses and cars, little coffee shops, the newly paved everything, shiny libraries and neatly planted trees. oh, SUBURBIA! 

 

and finally, the most stabilizing of all forces, the family...a couple of pictures from this weekend and one from christmas because i couldn't find a more recent whole-family picture.