Christmas Update

I realized it'd been a while since I wrote.

A few things have happened since I last wrote.

I had a near heart attack two weeks ago with the rumors of Google buying out Yelp. They were in negotiations for buying us for $500 million. Turns out, it fizzled out. Our CEO feels we're worth more and gave us reason to believe the buyout won't happen now, but could in the future. I'm not sure what that means for my job. In the meantime, I'm still enjoying it. I was the first to hit quota for the month and feel pretty confident I'll do well there.

Christmas I didn't come home, unfortnately, but stayed here. John arrived Dec 7 and we decided to hang out in Napa. He'd not been yet & wanted to see it. It was a nice time to relax and see the sights.

I love this city. I realize that more and more each time I go out and see new things. I've been here over a month now and still haven't seen it all. I can't wait for you all to come visit and see the beautiful San Francisco that I have grown to love. :)

Happy new year to you all!

Here are a few pictures from recently.


Christmas in Napa Valley. Those yellow "wildflowers" is actually mustard planted to help grow wine.


We did a cave tour at Del Dotto Winery. It was so pretty.


No grapes. No leaves. Still beautiful & green. Napa.

Christmas in Napa.

Just me.


This place takes my breath away - Baker Beach.


What's a trip to Baker Beach w/o a jump picture.


Baker Beach. John & I.

My Pad

Here are pictures of my apartment. It is a little bare, but it's a work in progress. :)





Chair (compliments of Ikea), Dresser (Ikea from garage sale) and Beatles canvas. Garage sales are a-plenty here, every weekend. It's wonderful!


Shelving in my wall.


Living room overlooking California Street.


Ok, ok... you caught me. Watching the SEC Championship.


Cute "little" kitchen

My new 'Hood & More

I realized I had not written in a while after someone said, "You should take pictures of your neighborhood so we can see what it looks like." Thanks, Oliver for that reminder.

First of all, I LOVE Yelp! This job has been exhausting the first three weeks, but totally worth it. The learning curve has been tough to get over, but I believe I am over it now. I have already closed my first deal, which was exciting! When people close deals there's a bell hung on a wal and you ring it & everyone claps and goes crazy. It's a fun work enviornment. Again, this is an inside sales job. I am calling business owners all day long (up to 100 calls/day) and setting appointments to talk about Yelp advertising. If they know what Yelp is (and love it), it's easy. I work with such great people! I am so lucky. The job perks are unreal (Odwalla fridge stocked with all juices and smoothies you can imagine, then another fridge for drinks only - soft drinks and water, a tub of Red Vines candy, Kettle Cooked chips of all flavors-bags and bags, corn dogs, burritos, sandwiches galore, bagels and english muffins, chips and salsa, string cheese... and it's for everyone to eat anytime.) So, job is going great! If you're not already using Yelp - you need to.

So, here are pictures of the neighborhood where I reside. It's known as Presidio Heights/Laurel Heights. I might add: I LOVE IT! I am now carless. I took my car to Aaron & Jenna's in San Jose on my first week because of many obstacles to get a parking permit here. I have to first register my car here and get a CA tag. Momma ain't made of that much money yet. :) So, I rely heavily on my two feet and the bus system. I haven't had time to run yet (although climbed the massive stairs on Lyon St yeseterday), but I feel I've still done well with staying in shape due to these hills I'm climbing every day and walking a lot more. I love it! SO, my 'hood has three grocery stores, one high end Italian grocery store, Wal-Green's, the only 24 hour Starbuck's in SF, four little cafes, one b'fast/brunch place, my bank, several cute boutiques and a little movie theatre and the gym... all 1-3 blocks of me! Amazing, huh? I can't wait to show it off to my pals coming to visit :) Also, my roommate, Molly, is fabulous.

So, I am also four blocks from "Billiondollar Row," on Pacific Ave. It's un-belivable. These houses look over the ocean @ Golden Gate Bridge. Taylor & I walked up that direction (believe me, we walked UP the entire way), yesterday. I thought it'd be great excerise to run up and down the Lyon St stairs. They span 3 blocks and pass through the back yard of Nancy Peloski's house. Here are a few pictures from that.

I love San Francisco. I never knew I'd love it this much!

Parts of my little neighborhood - Vouge is the theater that plays one movie per week.


View from the top!


Lyon Street Stairs

Momma's Lil Yelper

Monday was my first day at Yelp! What a day it was... since I'm living in San Jose right now, I woke up and was out of the house by 5:45AM to catch the 6:20AM train into San Fran. An hour later I was there. I then hopped on a bus and took it to the office building. I met Taylor at Peet's Coffee across the street, because I was soo early. We chatted and talked about what we thought it'd be like. We are two of 32 new Account Executives, (Sales). Most of everyone is from California or has some tie to it. Of course the question of the day was, "Are you a Bama fan?" Meh. Everyone seems pretty nice, cool and easy to get along with. It was a typical first day at work, pretty easy.

The office and culture is so cool. I wish I could paint in your minds what it looks like or take pictures and post, BUT I don't think that's legal. :( We were briefed on so many things of what not to say to friends/family about Yelp and what we could say. They are so transparent with information that we will basically know everything that we would want to know - but we can't go telling people or else it'll end up in the press and having "Catherine Hartman" as the person who broke the new, interesting news info about Yelp. (They said that's happened)

But I will say this, Jeremy (CEO) has his dog roaming around all over one of the floors, such a cute dogie. There are kitchens on each floor and STOCKED with cereals, b'fast foods, sandwich stuff for lunch, fruit, an Odwalla fridge, waters, sodas, snacks galore. My eyes have never seen such a glorious site! And, it's all for the taking. There's a ping bong table on one floor. They have off site team building exercises where you can do all sorts of fun. The benefits are great.

The CEO, who is close to MY age, came in and spoke. This company was a start up in 2004. He worked at PayPal & then after a year at Harvard Graduate School he dropped out to form this company with his friend. They had some people give them money to start it and the rest is history. It has now expanded into Europe. I feel so lucky to be a part of this company. We are the last huge group of sales people they are ever going to hire. Talk about luck....

Yelp is SO huge out here. HUGE. It's used as a verb basically in normal vocab. "So after lunch today I'm going to go and yelp about this new place." Seriously. When I tell people where I work, I thought I would have to explain, but everyone says, "Yes! I use Yelp all the time!"

I wish I had known more about it while in Birmingham. I could have planned so many trips better and easier. It's also great for those new in town (ie Me!!) who don't know of a dentist to go to or a mechanic and read reviews and find one close to me.

This is a sales job though. It will be tough. It's a lot of information to learn. I am excited though. Most of the people there say it's a hard job, but they stay because of the culture and the people they work with. To me, that says a lot.

So... so far, so good! I am just ready to move to San Fran so my commute is 20 min instead of a 1.5 hour commute.

A Change of Pace

To sum things up that have happened in the last few weeks.... I celebrated my 29th birthday! It was lovely. I went to see David Gray in Nob Hill (SF) with a friend. I loved every minute of it! It was the second year in a row to be away from friends/family... so it was odd, but I'm getting used to it.

And some other great news: I start my job at Yelp (finally) on Monday! AND I found a place in San Fran to live! I am going to be moving in with a great girl, Molly, from TN. The area is wonderful and the apt is great - it reminds me of my old apt in Bham. I am moving in Thanksgiving weekend and I can't wait! Finally - my own space again!

I will post pictures of my new place as I get them. Since I came out with just my clothes, I hope it's an easy move. The place is already furnished and all I need is a bed ... Craigslist can help me with that. Craigslist has been my best friend while out here!

I will probably pick up a waitressing job on the weekends to make a little more money until I start making commission. So, I am excited to do that, as well. I will look more seriously for a weekend job in SF once I get there.

Also, more interesting news... Johnny has decided to move to San Fran. He has already turned in his notice at work and rented out his loft. He will arrive Dec 11th. It'll be great to have a friend from home here.

That's all I got for now! My life is about to go from zero to 10 in the matter of a few days. I will one day look back and think "Wow, I was not doing much for 3 months, I can't remember what that was like!" Although I have been borderline poor, I have enjoyed this experience. I have seen so many places and enjoyed it the best I probably could have. I have learned so much, too, especially how to live on MUCH less. I am thankful for this time I've had and also for this job I'm about to start.

I can't wait for friends to come out and visit. I am looking forward to showing you around my new city ... the city I have grown to just love!

"You take a nap-a, you don't move to Napa!"

And a line from Sex & the City to start this post off ...
Taylor & I went to Napa yesterday. It was a lovely day spent lunching at Bounty Hunter Winery (BBQ!! Great BBQ too, made me miss the South), then we drove through the beautiful valley. It was a nearly perfect day, execept for the way back - we took the Bay Bridge - our first mistake. As I had just told Taylor about how the 1989 earthquake made the bridge collapse, we sat parked in traffic for 1 hour. Then we heard on the radio a cable had snapped and they shut the bridge down. (great) We had a huge detour, but made it back safely. I may never take this bridge again.

Taylor is getting tired of taking these photos of me...

Mondavi Winery.

My favorite of the day - V. Sattrui Winery.

Biggest pumpkin eva! Beringer Winery.

Mumm Winery.

If you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair...

So, here are pictures from a day spent in San Fran - seeing Taylor's new pad and happy hour at Columbus Cafe with some "Yelpers!" I got to meet some people I will be working with and I must say - I can't wait to start working!

Taylor & I at Alamo Park - where the Painted Ladies are.

Holding my shirt down so no sights of my hot mid-drift. :) Postcard Row aka Painted Ladies.

North Beach, San Fran. Columbus Cafe with Taylor, Katie and some other randoms.

Alcatraz

My good friend, Tonya & her husband, Chad, were in San Fran for their first anniversary trip. They had already been to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and were in San Fran a few days before going to Napa. I had a great time visiting with them. We had lunch on Jefferson (near Firsherman's Wharf) and then we treked to Pier 33 to board the ferry to Alcatraz.

My friend, Taylor, who was my rooommate during training for Readak just moved to San Fran the day before! She moved out a little like I did, no job and just randomly decided to sub-let a place in Lower Haight area for a few weeks. So, she came along with us.

It was a great tour and very interesting. I learned so many things! Al Capone was a prisoner there. There was even an old prisoner in the museum autographing his book. He was transported out of Alcatraz before it closed and severed the rest of his time elsewhere. He went to Alcatraz for bank robbery.



What's a visit to Alcatraz w/o a jumping picture?


Help!!

Tonya & I inside Alcatraz.


Taylor & I with San Fran behind.


Former Alcatraz prisoner. Read his little bio if you can....


The Rock.

HUGE NEWS!

I had two interviews yesterday with two great companies that I would be lucky to work for... Yelp and The North Face. Both positions I interviewed for were for sales positions. It was a long day of commuting into the city for my first interview, but it was neat seeing the offices of Yelp. It reminded me of what I've seen of Google - very laid back, lively, fun, and lots of people sitting on those yoga balls. I loved everyone I spoke with and left feeling nervous ... meaning, I knew if I didn't get it I'd be super upset. I then had an interview with The North Face. It would be a good job, too, a mgmt position, (even 50% off all merch and travelling opportunities to do hiking/backpacking/camping trips).

So, as for the "HUGE NEWS" ... I just got a phone call offering me the job at YELP! I can't wait. I start Nov 16. This means I will have to find a place to live in the city or near it soon! San Fran is a neat city and I can't wait to be living in it.

So, wow, what a journey, from leaving AL in August and finding a FT job after searching (all together) for 3-4 weeks and landing a job! I feel so lucky and blessed especially in these hard times. All those hours on Craigslist paid off :) I probably applied to over 20 companies in the past two weeks.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes :) I can't wait... I'm excited about what my future holds.

Update!

I'm sure you all get tired of seeing pictures from my fun adventures and are curious as to "Is she even looking for a job out there?" Well, my friend, I am. I have a part time job at a golf course in San Jose, where I am constantly making contacts in the tech industry (Hello - I am in the heart of Silicon Valley!). In fact, today, at the golf course, I had two tables (both full of business men) ask me where I was from due to my "slight" Southern accent. Both parties asked me my story of how I ended up here and both asked for my contact info on helping me find a job.

I have hit the job search full force in the past 2-3 weeks. I feel my hard work is paying off. I have applied with all the companies you can think of that are based here: Google (btw - they have 780,000 applications a year!), Yahoo, Ebay, PayPal, Oracle, Facebook, Specialized (bikes! based here in little Morgan Hill), GU (all BTC ppl would love if I got this, so would I, dream job, I'd get to go to Kona for Ironman!), REI, The North Face, and Yelp to name a few. Yelp is a site everyone & their mom uses here in CA. It's an online review site (Wes Poole - look at it). It's very neat.

So, I do have two 2nd interviews this Thursday with two companies I have mentioned above. One is with Yelp and the other is North Face. Yelp is growing so rapidly that they are opening a new office in Scottsdale, AZ, so I have told them I would be willing to move there if need be. We'll see what happens. I'd be a lot closer to the Grand Canyon, but yet, a lot hotter since it's 80-85 year round.

I feel very lucky right now. I do feel positive and hope to have my own living situation squared away soon. In fact, I will be leaving the RV park soon and moving in with a girl I've met. Kali, from DC. She did the exact same thing I did - left her job in DC and drove here to find work. She already has a job - she's a nurse, so jobs are a-plenty there. I look forward to living with her!

So, keep your fingers crossed for me - working full time again would be an adjustment (laugh), but I'm ready to get back into it.

Biking the GGB

Ali & I decided to go to San Fran on Monday to bike the beautiful, and not so gold, Golden Gate Bridge. (QUESTION: You may wonder why it's called the Golden Gate Bridge, but yet it's red? ANSWER: The "Golden Gate" is the area where the Bay dumps into the Pacific, right there in San Fran. The reason it's red? So when it gets ultra foggy, which it usually is always foggy in San Fran, you can still see the bridge.)

We had a beautiful, non-foggy day in San Fran on Monday. Temperature was a cool high 60s. We rented bikes then took our journey to the bridge then over into Sausalito, CA. It may have been my favorite day yet in San Fran. It's something everyone should do, if not ride over the bridge, walk it. There were a lot of walkers, too.

Interesting fact about the GGB: The GGB is the most popular site to commit suicide in the US. There were phones with signs (I should have taken a picture, I know) that said "Emergency phones and crisis counseling."

Ok, not to end on a depressing note, so here are some of my fav pictures from the day.

Bay Bridge from Ferry Building.

As we start...

Just a beautiful sight.

"Hey, y'all!"

What's San Fran w/o a jumping picture?

I never get tired of looking at this beautiful thing. Unbelievably gorgeous.

Puffer & myself.

One of my favorites...

Yours truly.

Making our way.

Ali in front - crossing bridge.

In Sausalito with San Fran to my back.

Out in San Jose

I have grown found of this town. The heart of Silicon Valley as they call it. I've met some great, fun people and the weather is just puuuurfect for me. What else could make this place great? Drinking "apple juice" from a big boot? Yep, that. Or going to a fine estblishment where the bartender is known for his "bedroom eyes," (see here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/teskes-germania-restaurant-and-beer-garden-san-jose) {Shamless plug for a company I hope to soon be working for - fingers crossed} Anywho, fun times were had.

Oktoberfest in San Fran!

It's that time of year ...time for pumpkins, leaves changing colors, the weather to cool off and Oktoberfest! My pal, Ali, is still in town and living with some pretty cool people: Aaron and Jenna. They invited me to join them in San Fran for this Oktoberfest celebration. Any event where men dance around in lederhosen and eat spatzle, count me in. Here are a few pictures from the night.

Me & the band...


"Hey, boys... can we have our picture with you? You sure are cute."

The Puffer!

Ali Puffer and I worked together with Readak last year. She has this cute New Hampshire accent. She LOVES to try to talk like me. I don't know why :) She's in San Jose for the month teaching at Bellermine for Readak. I hope I get to see her a lot. We hung out at Santa Row one night and here's our only picture. We did treat ourselves after dinner to some Pinkberry. It's ok, it's frozen yogurt, so it's healthy!

Us!