July 30, 2025

Call me monkey bread because I have been pulled in fifty different directions this summer.  Finding balance in studying for class, working my dream job 9-5, cooking up Hotel Earth business, and having a social life has waxed and waned. While I have been enjoying most of the process, I am relieved that some of my responsibilities have come to a close.  Which leads us to why I can say this weekend is best summed up by one word: culmination. 

For the last ten weeks, I have been immersed in legal research and writing.  Spending my Monday-Fridays looking into discrete issues, explaining why something is the way it is, and–sometimes–finding more questions than answers.  It was exactly what I hoped for, and more.  Wednesday, I took the train up to Sacramento for the last time (likely, for the year) and prepared an off-ramp for my projects.  I found my way back to San Francisco Friday and celebrated with Francis at a new (to us) restaurant.  Should you find yourself in Russian Hill, I highly recommend Saru Handroll Bar on Polk.  And with that, Friday marked the close of my internship.  

Saturday began the way I love: with an activity that fills my cup.  Francis, Bob, Susan, and I spent the morning with Friends of the Urban Forest planting trees in NOPA.  Between the four of us, we planted ten trees!  Trees provide a multitude of benefits in the urban environment.  Just to name a few, they redirect stormwater runoff, provide shade and habitat, and improve air quality!  Incredible.  After we finished planting, Francis and I were off to meet more friends in the park for an afternoon of folly.  The genius that is Morgan Vonder Haar put together a Survivor-style game, complete with voting-off and confessionals.  My confession?  Too juicy to share on the internet, sorry.  

For the last few months, Francis has been training for a half marathon.  Sunday morning, his hard work paid off!  After a 4:30am wake up, he left our place at 6:00am to head to the race.  Just two hours later, he crossed the finish line!  What a truly incredible thing to watch someone do.  Congratulations to everyone who participated in the San Francisco Marathon this year!  While this was the first culmination of Sunday, it was not the last.

Earlier I mentioned that I took a summer class.  The course topic is one that every person should be familiar with: environmental justice.  I say that not in the scholarly- or academic-way, but in the this-impacts-everyone-way.  My final assignment was to write a paper on a community facing an environmental justice issue.  Picking my topic was easy because my grandmother–and most of my maternal-side of the family–grew up next to Onondaga Lake.  Frankly, I can’t recall a doctor’s visit where I didn’t completely fill the ‘Medical History’ portion.  My grandmother and her five siblings all had cancer, but none shared the same kind.  A few years ago, I questioned why that was and pieced together that chemical contamination might be the root cause.  After hours of research, outlining, and drafting, I was finally ready to submit my paper.  And with that, the third and final culmination: I completed my summer class.

Now, I am riding the high that comes from the bliss of knowing I have no deadlines and no responsibilities.  Catch me, Milo, and Mazi loafing from now until August 25!!

Check back next week for Ari’s Weekend Recap!

1 “Dream job” in the objective, current sense. This is exactly where I want to be. Sick, right?
2 Ari and I will be sharing more on this Superfund site another time.
3 Well, aside from Hotel Earth 360°, but that’s fun!
4 Last year of law school, anyone?