So if you’re special enough to know about my personal life, you’d know that currently my brother is living away from home at the moment. He’s living in Berkeley, at my aunt and uncle’s house, while he’s interning at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.  Which is interesting to him, because he’s legally blind. Yes, my brother got his awesomeness from me, he’s starting his second year of law school in August as well as hopefully interning with the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office. Well, the point in all my rambling is that while he’s living away from home, my mother still purchases food and stuff for him, he’s quite a picky eater and I guess she feels bad lol. So every now and then when I visit I bring along food and snacks for him. It’s 5 a.m. now and I’ve just arrived in Berkeley and restocked their fridge full of food. Not just for him but for everyone. So that got me thinking about my family.

Everyone knows I’m very close to my family. My father’s side mostly, because my mother’s family lives in the Philippines still, or in Southern California. So basically far away. My dad’s family- my grandmother, my aunts and uncle live in the Bay Area. My 2 aunts, uncle and cousin actually live in the same group of townhouses that my grandmother lives in, which she’s lived in since 1979. So this is where my family congregates most weekends, with my exception of my folks since my dad works nights and doesn’t have the weekends off. I usually pop in at unusual hours though, they’ve woken up numerous times to me just watching tv on their couch haha. Being that it’s 80miles away (an hour and a half drive usually), and that gas is like $4.50 a gallon now, I come here every other week or once a month now. In high summer when the temperature at home is easily over 105 or so I’m down here ALOT.

My whole point in all of this rambling is that it’s nice to have somewhere to go where you’re guaranteed to find family and just have a second home. Like my personal version of a family compound, without the crazy cult-ish feel. It’s like your favorite neighborhood bar where you’re always welcome, but with not as much drinking, people gotta drive home ya know? So I’m greatful for it, I love being here. It’s home.