I am a 48 year old mother of a 10 year old amazing boy. His father and I are divorced but I feel blessed we have a very healthy co-parenting relationship, always putting our son first. We even sometimes celebrate the holidays together!

I have a successful career in Biotech and appreciate what I do as I have many opportunities to learn and grow. But I work remotely from home and it gets lonely. Some friends have moved out of state and others are just too busy with the usual things in life to get together.

Nature and being outside, yoga, eating healthy, reading (I'm in a book club) . I love walking outside through different neighborhoods and appreciating the styles of homes/landscapes especially now that everything is in full bloom! I love trying different ethnic restaurants from Thai, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, etc.

I miss having friends to connect with. I would love to connect with others who live in the Menlo Park/Redwood City/Palo Alto/San Mateo area.

Prior to age 6 children are truly unable to understand the world from another person's point of view. A preschooler can be emotionally sympathetic but he cannot really stand in another's shoes. The ability to do this will not be fully present until around age 16.

I’m a man in my early 30s. My girlfriend and I live in the South Bay, and I work up in San Francisco for work/living (and am eager to meet/connect with people in either!).

I had a pretty active social life prior to COVID, and kept up with my closest friends during the pandemic, but I really lost some momentum on the broader social side of things. I’d like to change this! Some things I really like: deep conversations and talking about big ideas, completely meaningless conversations, goofing around/being at play, learning and trying new things, being outdoors, board games, seeing shows/movies/performances.

It’s alright! I have a lot to be thankful for, although I’ve been known to feel a bit lost and/or lonely some days. I’m not currently finding a lot of fulfillment in my career at a big tech company, although I’m really engaged in my hobbies at the moment (creative writing, improv), and I’m trying to figure out how to make it all work.

Hobbies—I’m really interested in storytelling, and it’s something I want to get better at and have been thinking a lot. I love a great story (in movies, books, plays, whatever) and am trying to learn how to create some myself. I try to consume a lot of stories (I read a lot and try to watch at least a movie/week), and as far as creation goes I’m starting with short stories and a bit of improv for now, but who knows where this will go.

Exercise also goes a really long way for me—I’ve been a casual runner for a long time (I love trail running!), and recently started doing some barbell training. I’m an amateur at both and plan on keeping it that way, but they do wonders for my stress/mental health.

Finding more purpose/direction in my life, and making/deepening friendships.

1. Birkenstock Sandals apparently used to sell a skincare line (!!!), but discontinued it

2. Jack Handey will write you funny/nice notes if you buy books from his website (or at least, he did for me)

I just turned 30 recently and moved to this city from a far away, northern land. I feel deeply entrenched in my work life but desperate to experience what this city's soul is really like. I'm a little confused and conflicted, determined but directionless, and cold-footed yet brave. In a mid-season and sitcom-y fashion I'm redefining myself a little. Trying a bit of everything right now.

Unnecessarily filled with busywork and endless comparisons. It lacks a bit of grounding but generally by all conventional metrics it's pretty good. I'm technically in a good place but there's a lopsided balance skewing towards work right now. I travel a lot and meet great people, I get to try a lot of new things that are fun and weird, and I have time in the mornings to make french omelettes. I plan silly things with equally silly people and it keeps me happy.

Finding the time to laugh, keeping up with old friends, and diving into new, random hobbies. For example I had a niche perfumery phase just recently and am on the cusp of entering my 'building model kits' phase. I also take long walks and go to smaller venue rave shows where I can headbang and lose myself in the music a little. During bad weeks I'll be tied to the couch binge watching TV and eating salty foods. I need places to be anonymous sometimes so I can fade into the background comfortably.

Defining things. I don't like that it's what's most important to me right now, but it's just what I keep coming back to. I recently also had a revived appreciation for my family and relationships so I've been thinking more long term in terms of how I want my life to look. Otherwise, I think unapologetic authenticity is what I'm trying to strive towards. I would very much like that.

The National Havoc Robot League (NHRL) hosts an annual world championship in Norwalk, CT and tickets are actually pretty reasonably priced.

Early/soon-to-be-mid 20s, and moved to the city a little under a year ago after graduation. A good number of my close friends stayed in the area as well, great for an initial base of social life but also causing me to find myself not exploring socially as much as I could. I've been trying to figure out how to define life for myself post-graduation - the routines that keep me sane, and how to break those up to keep things interesting.

Pretty good. I enjoy my work and am pretty satisfied with my social life even as I learn to explore more socially and find my footing in the city.

Lifting, drawing, reading, cooking when I have the time, and existing around others

Developing and defining my social life further

I started sketching somewhat consistently a few weeks back, without any real knowledge/practice previously. Didn't realize that I'd end up with a fairly consistent style after just a few days of doing it, despite it not being something i know how to describe still

Late 20s!

I recently got affected by back-to-back tech job layoffs in the past 2 years, along with loss of a friend to cancer. The pandemic took a large toll out of who I was so I have been spending the last however long trying to go back to "normal" (whatever normal is in this time). One thing though - I am trying to say 'yes' to more things.

Mentally, the best it has been in a while. I am taking some time off from drinking, "recreational fun" and eating junk which has made things a lot better. Regular exercise has been important but also taking some breaks is also important.

I spent winter of this year heavily socializing but looking forward to traveling more as well as getting a stable job so I can accomplish more of my long and short term goals.

Both a mixture of alone time & time with friends and family. I burn out from one or the other but having a balance is very important.

I blow off steam by myself by going to the gym a few times a week, being a really big foodie (say no to chain restaurants!), playing games & watching my curated interests on Youtube. When I'm around friends we are usually eating (HAHA), going to concerts, and enjoying what the bay has to offer.

Stability, Peace & Routine

Life is a lot better when you are not constantly stressing and managing your stress well. Worrying about the future & past does nothing to help you in the present.

My wife and I are in our early 30s and trying to settle into the bay after moving here in 2022. I've been in my career doing commodities consulting for over a decade and am trying to grow more outside of my career. Kids are in the plans for the next few years, but currently child-free.

In many ways it's great, but since moving to the bay establishing a social circle has been challenging. Working from home only compounds that.

Traveling and getting away from work. My wife and I try to make many small trips throughout the year with some bigger ones. Enjoy as much of our youth until kids make travel harder. I became adept at getting cheap/free travel when I traveled regularly for work, so playing that game and planning the next vacation is my favorite daydream.

Right now getting my wife and I to feel more at home in the Bay Area is my biggest priority. We've been here for more than 18 months but haven't found many close friendships.

It's an hour faster to fly SFO-London than it is SFO-Tokyo. The scale of the Pacific is just insane and makes the success of the Polynesian explorers seem impossible.

I'm 30ish and I've been working as a mechanical engineer for ~5 years. I am married and we have a small Russian tortoise. In terms of life stage, I've felt that I've been in a transitional phase since college, and am finally beginning to feel more established. I get a lot out of meeting new people but have found it tricky to establish in a community since the pandemic, so I am excited to meet some new folks through Around the Corner!

Things are going alright. Work is not bad and I am pretty happy with my core group of people. I have not been able to get outdoors as much as I would like. It has been challenging for my wife and I to balance taking our of our pets with return-to-office, and our dog has been needing lots of medical care. But otherwise, things are going well and I have good activities to keep the psych up.

My main activity is rock climbing which I have been doing since 2011, both outside and in the gym. I multipitch and sport climb but am a boulderer at heart. I'm happy to go climbing with new people, and if we click well, I definitely don't mind "playing guide." Every day out (with no injuries) is a good day!

I also play guitar as well as work on my own guitars. I've done a kit build and do all my own fret work/replacement, so not quite enough to say I build guitars.

Finally, I don't play many video games, but I have been playing Super Smash Bros on the Switch, for the last couple years, honestly putting in more hours than I would like!

In terms of personal growth, I am looking to expand my social circle and make new friends! I am also somewhat trying to evaluate my current career path and get myself to push growth or change when needed. I am trying to be more deliberate with my climbing routine and reach goals for this season, next year, etc. In terms of my day-to-day, the high priority has been making sure the pets are doing well, maintaining the home, and spending quality time with my wife, family, and friends.

The bananas you find at the grocery store are a variety called the Cavendish. Previously, the mainstream banana was a larger, tastier variety called the Gros Michel. The artificial banana flavor is apparently based on the Gros Michel's flavor. The Cavendish was regarded as a "junk banana" but replaced the Gros Michel in the 1920s when the Gros Michel was largely wiped out by disease. You can still find Gros Michel bananas in tropical areas or order them for a high price, but make sure you use a trusted banana dealer, as unscrupulous sellers will try to pass off hybrids as the real thing.