![](http://princessleia.com/images/journalpics/022010/philly_from_camden_sm.jpg)
2010 began with New Years in Philadelphia with MJ, on his final visit before my move, and our friend Nita.
![](http://princessleia.com/images/journalpics/012010/mj_lyz_new_years_2010_sm.jpg)
I then had my final weeks in the Philadelphia area. This final Philadelphia winter turned out to be the snowiest winter in recorded history. What a send off!
In February my apartment was converted to box land and on February 16th, MJ, the cats and I bid farewell to Philadelphia and flew to San Francisco.
![](http://princessleia.com/images/journalpics/022010/paboxes2_sm.jpg)
My life with MJ in San Francisco these past 10 months has been amazing. Insert all the mushy stuff here :) I miss Philadelphia and certainly miss my friends, but I haven’t for a moment regretted my decision to move out here to be with him.
Conferences! Surprising to many these days, I hadn’t actually been to a tech conference until the spring of 2008. In 2010 I went to 4.
- Open Source Business Conference (San Francisco)
- Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit (San Francisco)
- Ubuntu Developer Summit (Brussels, Belgium)
- OLPCSF Collaboration Summit (San Francisco)
Plus various Geeknics, LUG meetings, Ubuntu Hours and other Linux events. I’ve never been so active in a local community, and while I have to admit that it was a lot of fun, by the end of the year I was seeking to reclaim some of my free time to get back to core project work. Finding a balance is challenging when there is always so much cool stuff going on, but it’s certainly a wonderful problem to have.
![](http://princessleia.com/images/journalpics/012011/conferences_2010_sm.jpg)
Travel! I hit Silver on the USAir Dividend Miles program. While travel has always been on my list of things I wanted to do, it’s always taken a back seat to more pressing needs. This year I was exceptionally fortunate to get sponsorships and other opportunities that allowed me to travel quite widely and modestly (sponsorship to Belgium, hotel paid for in Dublin).
- February: Philadelphia to San Francisco (one way – the move!)
- May: San Francisco to Brussels
- September: San Francisco to Philadelphia
- October: San Francisco to Dublin
- November: San Francisco to Las Vegas
- November: San Francisco to New Hampshire
For a total of almost 40,000 miles. I have come to the conclusion that (in spite of crazy TSA stuff) I love to fly and I find no shame in being a tourist. Plus I’m infinitely grateful that I’m finally in a position to travel, having the monetary means (including sponsorship opportunities) and flexibility with work so I could travel outside the constraints of typical “2 weeks per year” American vacation time allotment (the conference in Brussels? I was able to use PTO, not vacation time. Philly trip? I worked from the hotel all week.). We also took advantage of a long weekend over the 4th of July to drive to Las Vegas.
![](http://princessleia.com/images/journalpics/012011/places_2010_sm.jpg)
When we weren’t traveling or doing local Linux things, we were playing the tourist in our own beautiful city. I love San Francisco, I fell in love when I first visited here in 2008. I love the climate, I love that it’s such a tech mecca, I love the touristy nature of it, I love the food, I love the cable cars, I love the Giants and the A’s! Loving all of this probably means I’m not nearly cool enough to be here, but I do feel at home here. And without a doubt, nothing beats being near an ocean again. The Pacific on a crisp day brings me back to when I found solace in late night walks to ocean in Maine as a teenager and I find a peace that has been elusive for years.
![](http://princessleia.com/images/journalpics/012011/sf_from_alcatraz_sm.jpg)
2010 was, without a doubt, one of the best years of my life so far. May 2011 be just as grand.
Saturday, Jan 8th, 2011 at 16:44
Please show us a screenshot collage of your various Linux desktops over 2010!
Monday, Jan 10th, 2011 at 8:28
I’m afraid such a collage would be pretty boring :) Aside from wallpaper changes now and again my desktop hasn’t changed very much in the past year.
Monday, Jan 10th, 2011 at 10:21
A beer collage would hit the spot….I’ll have a pint of Wychwood Hobgoblin please…