December 7th: The Bird SF, Joana's Birthday Party, and Hanging Out

Today was nice and pretty fun, though not the most productive.

After hastily waking up and getting ready in the morning, I took the bus to Rockridge BART to get to San Francisco. I met up with someone special to me at the West Oakland BART station. After getting off at Embarcadero, we searched for a spot nearby for a quick bite before attending Joana's birthday party.

We ended up going to The Bird. I got a spicy chicken sandwich and some fries while she got a regular chicken sandwich. It was really, really good. The flavor in the spicy chicken sandwich was extremely present; it wasn't just spicy, so it was really enjoyable! We actually found the spicy chicken sandwich to be more flavorful than the regular spicy sandwich. The flavors linger on your tongue, making you want to continue taking bites; it was a really strong and delicious umami flavor. I loved the pickles too, very crunchy and flavorful. I think the apple slaw was essential to boosting the flavor of the marinated chicken. We ended up getting too full and unable to finish our delicious food, which was a tragedy. Before leaving, we shared a "treat." Since we were so full ,we gave our leftovers to a random homeless feller on the street. 

Then, we showed up Joana's birthday party after a bit of trouble navigating. It was at Darling Tea Lounge. I didn't know tea lounges were such a fad outside of Chinese Yum Cha and Dim Sum, but the place was really cozy and the vibes were really nice. First, the teas came out: Mr. Carson's Secret Stash, License to Chill, and The Woman. I like tea for caffeine but I'm not the biggest tea connoisseur, but I found all the teas likable. Adding milk and sugar was also nice for my teas.

The conversation was amicable. Then, the snacks started coming out. It was finger food: some sandwiches, some pastries; there were both savory and sweet options. Everything was very delicious and it paired well with the tea. Joana also got a sweet chocolate confection since it was her birthday, so we were able to sing her happy birthday. Afterwards, she started opening her gifts. I got her ferrofluid and some PCB coasters; hopefully she enjoys them!

After the party ended, we shared another "treat." Genesis, someone special to me, and I walked around for a little. We ended up heading to Union Square to see the giant Christmas tree. Then, we got on BART and went on our separate ways.

Someone special to me and I hung around for a little bit. After a top dog, we went our separate ways. Unfortunately, I forgot to finish my slidedeck for the presentation I have to give tomorrow about my research paper before falling asleep!

Thanks for reading,
Issac