Thursday, December 31, 2009

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.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

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