Home alone on a Sunday afternoon.

I recently got back from having dim sum with a new friend of mine. Well, she's the wife of Non's best friend, so she's been recruited to be my friend, though I think we'll become actual friends soon, if we aren't already. I like her. She looks people in the eye, and she laughs loud and hard -- not politely like some people do, as if they're ashamed to be having a good time. She's from Sweden, and she's the only Swedish person I know, but based on just her, I feel nothing but fondness for the country as a whole.

Non is over watching football with some guys friends of his. I'm glad he's there -- I don't want him to worry about having to entertain me (being new to this area and not really knowing anyone but him, and all). I like having my alone time; in fact, I need it to stay sane. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to his return and to spending time with him this evening, but it makes me happy that we're both able to have some separation, too. I don't want the kind of relationship that depends on spending every waking moment with the other person... it's not healthy, and it feels wrong. What I have with Non feels right, and I love it.

We had our first visitors to the new apartment last night. Several of Non's friends came over for a belated birthday party. He and I had a great time, and (I hope) so did all the attendees. It was fun to show our place off -- I'm proud of how it looks, and I'm so happy being here. This place feels like home. It's been a long time since I've lived in a place that felt like that. I'm pleased to report that everyone (Non's friends and family) has been wonderfully welcoming with me; I so appreciate it. And I can actually say I genuinely like all of Non's friends. That's a wonderful thing. I just hope they genuinely like me, too.

So... what to do with the rest of my afternoon. I need to go through the Classifieds and job hunt. There's a local (I think) website that people keep mentioning I should check out ( craigslist ), so I'll do that, too. Otherwise, I'd love to take a walk -- it's a beautiful day -- but I think I'll wait and walk with Non. We've both been saying we'd like to start taking walks together in the evening... why not start today? And you just can't beat walking hand in hand with the love of your life in the crisp, Bay Area air while the sun is setting.

All in all, a really wonderful day.