Abigail M. Schilling

These are some of the most awesome and talented people in the world. We are laughing because someone thought I should be in the middle of the photo because it was my birthday. But I am the tallest! Haha! So ridiculous! Also, how boring does my bedroom look? And the green curtain in the background is another integral part of the cooling system

This is Julia and I outside a Starbucks in Valencia. Valencia is on the Other Side of Los Angeles. During normal driving hours it would take approximately one million years to get here from my house (for example, the day before it took us 2 hours to get half as far) but since we left at 5 am we arrived at the base of The Grapevine in a little less than an hour. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(Also, we are so hardcore that we left before Starbucks was even open and had to get coffee an hour into our trip.) (And also, we like to take roadtrips in our pajamas. You should try it.)

RVs are a common enterprise on the California highway system. They come in all shapes and sizes and often have stellar names. Like the Raptor here who was barreling past us going at least 80 mph. Most everything passes me on the freeway because I only go 65. It is a money-saving technique and it saves me at least a tank of gas for each leg of the trip. It's worth being left in the dust by luxury tour buses and big ass trucks because that is another $50 in my pocket.

(Oh, and we went to San Francisco for the weekend. I can't remember if I've mentioned that.)

Oh, lookey here. It's my birthday and I'm looking all skeptical. I'm also holding a Sharpie and there is flaming pot of delicious in front of me. I don't remember this at all. Juuuuust kidding. The dessert was one layer chocolate sauce, one layer chocolate mousse, and one layer creme brulee. It was just as amazing as it sounds except it was surprise birthday treat from the restaurant but they charged us. For that I will never forgive them. Oh, and the tables were covered in butcher paper. I thought it important to leave quotes all over the table.

Also, some sketches.

Heather, Elle, me, and Julia and some man in a pink shirt by the Golden Gate Bridge. That evening, back at Emily's we relayed our grand adventure to the bridge (we didn't get lost once) Emily told us about this documentary she saw about suicides on the GGB. Apparently, it's the most popular suicide venue in the world. I now feel compelled to talk about this movie any time anyone mentions the bridge. Here is the official site for the movie.

Emily, Elle, Julia, and I in a parking lot. I give hugs on my birthday.

Elle is an Early Career Psychologist. She was in town for the annual psychologists convention where she dressed business cat every day and wore a lanyard. Psychologists aren't all business though. The club The Running Psychologists sponsored a 5K and Elle won second place in her age bracket! Hat = prize. The 5K in early dawn San Francisco fog gave Elle a cold though and now she is dying from the Black Plague.

Every single Amber Alert marquee in the entire San Francisco Bay Area sported this helpful reminder. Imagine seeing it a couple times an hour for FOUR DAYS STRAIGHT. Good times. Most jokes may have centered around this traffic caution.

This is on Filbert St at Hyde on Russian Hill. I don't think the picture does the steepness justice so I googled the intersection. Here are some locals descriptions:

"On your way to the second "peak" of Russian Hill, swing by the Filbert Street hill at Hyde Street. At 31.5 degrees, this portion of Filbert Street is the steepest driveable grade in San Francisco. Exercise caution when driving down this hill or else you'll end up like the watermelons that David Letterman's crew launched during the "Late Show" host's recent taping in San Francisco."

"The steepest of these crests is in the middle of Filbert Street between Hyde and Leavenworth. The roadway mid-block seems to disappear, like an incomplete section of elevated freeway. It looks as if the street is dangling nine hundred feet in the air. When you drive a car up to the lip it drops too steeply even to see over the hood. The drop is demarcated by two yellow and black signs that say: steep grade ahead buses and large trucks not advisable; sharp crest 10 miles per hour."

We had a giggle at the "trucks not advised" signs because we just thought it was a regular, steep SF hill. Then we hit that mid-point and experience the top-of-the-coaster feeling. Julia was a champ though, and drove it calmly and cautiously despite our panicked eeks. Also, if you scroll back up to the photo you'll see that there are cars PARKED on the road. This is unbelievable to me.

The trip was amazing.

The End.

Now I'm going to watch TV.