If I think back to all of my spring breaks, none have ever gotten close to the standards set by MTV. (Yeah, I had cable until the 7th grade. I know what goes on in Ft. Lauderdale.) My first spring break in college, I drove up to the bay with a group of other do-gooders to volunteer and learn about the "justices": environmental justice, food justice, social justice, and the list goes on. It didn't change my life (as you can tell, I'm not dedicating my twenties working for a non-profit), but it was still interesting. I think we started a community garden behind a charter school and removed invasive species from some piece of conserved land. It's as though the need to impress admissions counselors was engrained in my bones. You got in already; just stop.
I had to dig deep through the Facebook trove for these.
Aw, look at 19-year-old Jasmine.
So eager to change the world, one weed at a time.
While all my friends are now leading real adult lives, in which spring breaks do not exist, I am again facing the question, "What should I do with this one random week that will do little to refresh my work ethic and only leave me disgruntled that I got a taste of freedom only to have it snatched away?"
I set aside Monday for my final adventure, Friday I will be leaving for Portland, and the rest of the days I'll be stuck in the back of a Walgreens trying not to get in the techs' ways as a bajillion customers demand their prescriptions.
Eagle Point Labyrinth was on on the thrillist, "Secret things in SF you didn't know about," that inspired most of my Monday adventures. I had planned on visiting this place sooner, but the hike looked pretty daunting every time I google mapped it. Today I finally put on my Nikes, filled up my water bottle, and headed out.
The 18 drops you off at the Legion of Honor. (Probably the coolest name for a museum.)
I'll be back for you Legion of Honor.
Don't let the golf course fool you. Just keep walking along the greens and you'll get to the start of the trail. If you swing a right at the fork, you'll reach the labyrinth. A left will take you all the way to Sutro Baths ruins. I hit up the labyrinth first.
The walk to the labyrinth exceeds my descriptive abilities.
I think I had this huge silly grin on my face during the entire trek to the labyrinth, repeatedly exclaiming, "대~박!" (translation: holy smokes/awesome/woah/omg). I couldn't believe how beautiful Land's End trail is! I talked to this lady for a portion of the hike, and she told me that she comes to the trail at least three times a week with her dog. What a life! That's what I want. A life that gives me time to go hiking in beautiful, peaceful places with my adorable russell terrier.
I didn't do much documenting at the labyrinth since a group of kids basically hogged the entire thing with their selfie sticks. Plus, it's a bunch of rocks arranged in a circle. Pretty self-explanatory.
It was okay. A lot smaller than I envisioned.
I thought I'd wait for a picture in the center.
But after 10 minutes of watching this couple attempt jumping shots, I gave up.
I took a bunch of awesome panos.
If you need a new cover photo, let me know.
Next up was the Sutro Baths! To be honest, I wasn't planning on going there. But when I got back to the fork in the road, I thought about my upcoming quarter. Unless I become a changed person who time-manages like a boss, I probably won't be making it back to Land's End anytime soon. Might as well!
I met a cute chihuhua named Apple on the trail to Sutro Baths. No picture. Just fyi.
Panos for days
Hi! Wish you were here!
I wish I had more to say about the Sutro Baths. But it was just effin' awesome. I can't wait to go back. With my russell terrier.
I walked a lot today.
I felt no guilt as I ate a dinner-for-3 as my lunch.
It wasn't a great quarter. Time flew by. Not in the "I'm having so much fun" way, but in the "Oh shit, what was all that? How do I retain all of this?" way. I struggled with some personal stuff as I tried to make sense of relationships, friendships, and "networks." I had been nestled in this comfortable bubble, surrounded by people who loved me because they had to (by blood or 10+ years of friendship) for 3 good years. The coping mechanisms that I had leaned on were no longer relevant and I stumbled every now and then trying to devise new ones to deal with the stress. I still don't have it down and get worried when I think of all the upcoming changes that I'm not prepared for.
But I think I'm fairly resilient. I've gotten through shit in the past, and I'm sure I can make it through shit in the present. There will just be a lot of melodramatic complaining along the way. Sorry (and thank you) family and friends.
At the beginning of the year, one professor gave a lecture on how we should all try to be a "rainbow." (Optimists who can see the silver lining in all situations -- I didn't think they existed, but they do! I've met a couple, and they amaze me.) I can't promise Rainbow Jasmine by the next time you see me, but I'll definitely try to adopt more of this rainbow philosophy in my life. Because everyone hates Negative Nancy. Like, we'll all take her shit for a little while. But eventually, you're just like, "Shut up, Nancy."
Wind always gettin' in the way of my selfies.
But I persist. With the help of Camera 360.
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