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

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.

Happy in San Francisco, but most of my close friends have left. I’d like to get out of my bubble of loose friends, and develop some deeper friendships with people who live very close, where we can have more spontaneous dinners / hangouts

Overall, quite good. I'm in the midst of job searching which has been hectic, but I think I'm finally coming to the tail end of it. I would like to be spending more time on my physical therapy and am optimistic that once the job search settles I'll be able to do that and heal my body...as well as have some more time to try rebuild my community in SF

Fitness & Outdoors: Tennis, pickleball, yoga, gym, walks in parks, hiking, skiing Indoor stuffs: Reading, writing, board/card games, eating (out :))

Mostly tennis though!

Meeting new, interesting people, and especially ones who live close to me, and/or play tennis!

I’ve gotten super sucked into the world of Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson fictional book saga )

Just moved to the city late last year! Trying to figure out what exactly I want to do with life and figuring out who I am/growing comfortable with myself. Trying to keep my enthusiastic and positive energy steady with all interactions I have with others. I just want to make genuine connections and learn from others. Self discovery and growth is at a high for me now!

Life is okay. I have a good job and a decent support system but something feels missing, and I'm not entirely sure what it is. I've been learning a lot about my past and how it affected me while actively trying to practice positive changes.

Going out on walks/drives/being in nature. Eating good food!! Any kind interaction with a stranger. Those little memorable exchanges make a huge difference. Also dogs and cats haha.

Just being more comfortable being vulnerable! It's something I've always struggled with in the past and i feel like I closed off parts of myself that I actually like. I want to grow out of my shell again and I think just having meaningful conversations with others and allowing myself to meet new people/try new things would help!

I heard that if you see a banana slug for the first time that you're supposed to kiss it (Santa Cruz local tradition haha).

Not where I wanna be. Not where I ever imagined, both in good and not-so-good ways. I’ve just hit midlife (yikes!) and still not married (no partner either) and no kids. I’ve never desired having kids but have always wanted to be married. Unfortunately fate/karma had/has other plans for me, it seems. So here I am! Seeking a new chapter of MEANINGFUL friendships!

All in all, I’m lucky in a lot of ways. It’s easy to complain about things not going my way, esp seeing everyone around me having what I want. But I have a roof over my head, can afford the necessities (food, clothes), and some luxuries. I have a job that allows me to afford my life, to which, I am grateful, even though there are parts of the job that aren’t ideal. I have more text friends than actual friends I meet up with regularly. I hope to start a new chapter here, making new connections in an unexpected way!

A good hearty catch up with friends over either a home cooked meal or a nice restaurant, followed by a glass of wine.

Most imp to me is finding something, anything that keeps me living. Not in the physical sense but emotionally/internally. I want to find that zest for life through friendships. I may never find a partner but friendships are a necessity. I want to find people who enjoy different activities; things that I like and things I’ve never tried and want to. I do love learning as well so all the better if I can learn from newfound friendships and equally share my knowledge as well!

I wouldn’t say this is interesting but I recently have been into library book sales and am trying to read more. Granted, I still can only read fiction, as I use them to mentally escape reality, I’ve grabbed the occasional non-fiction!

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.

I’m in my early fifties, work from home as a writer (fiction and nonfiction), and run a small publishing business and podcast with my partner. We moved to the Bay Area during the pandemic for work and meeting people hasn’t been the easiest thing but I love the weather and natural beauty here.

Overall, better than I could have ever imagined. Far from perfect but generally fulfilling and meaningful. I miss having lots of close friends nearby to do things on a whim. Most of our friends are back where we moved from or scattered across the world.

Writing. I mean writers write. But also having big goals and dreams still. Things to look forward to. And our cats. Working from home would be lonely business without my boss walking across the keyboard every few minutes.

Connecting. Making sense of things. Not getting in a rut or bubble that echoes back the same thoughts and ideas at me. Learning something every day.

So many things. I’m interested in foraging but nervous to try it beyond my back yard. I really want to learn to do small water color sketches of plants.