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Continue reading →: Golden State of Mind: Ringing in the New YearIt’s the last day of the 2024, and 2025 will start my first full year in California. I am running toward it with open arms and a full heart! I am so grateful for what the past year has brought me. In fact, I could not be happier. In the…
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Continue reading →: Thankful and giving thanksI cannot believe that my first semester at Cal State is wrapping up in just two short weeks! Today is my final day of fall break, and then it’s a short sprint to the finish line. I’m happy to report that my break has been mostly unproductive. I am currently…
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Continue reading →: Somebody Get Me a Doctor“Doctor, doctor — give me the news.” 🩺 “She’s got a bad case of runny poos!” 🤮💩 Lemon did. Not me. I kid, but only because I finally can. It has been a hell of a week in the Hopkins household, but I think we’ve finally achieved homeostasis. After two…
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Continue reading →: Routines and road bikesThere’s a line in My So-Called Life where Angela Chase says, “People are always saying you should be yourself, like yourself is this definite thing, like a toaster. Like you know what it is even. But every so often I’ll have, like, a moment, where just being myself in my…
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Continue reading →: Back to school and adventures in Long BeachWhat DIDN’T I do this week? It is bonkers how much I did and saw in just seven days, and it’s even crazier that it’s taken me this long to properly explore the attractions that bring visitors flocking to Long Beach each year. The absolute highlight of my week, however,…
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Continue reading →: Orientation week: Finding my bearings at The BeachCal State Long Beach’s fall semester begins Monday and so do I! I’ve watched the population around campus steadily increase this week as students began to move into their dorms and bustle into the Target closest my house for groceries and last minute home essentials. The influx of student isn’t…
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Continue reading →: One month on the West CoastToday marks one month in California, and while my posts have been few, my days have been absolutely beautiful. My first week was jam packed with official business, but the calm yet steady pace of the past three has really allowed me to settle in and find my footing in…
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Continue reading →: California: Week oneWoo-wee! My first week in California was both incredibly fun and ridiculously productive, and I barely know where to begin. Such much has happened and so much accomplished! Rosie’s Dog Beach/Essex Pool It took me two whole days to touch the coast, but on Sunday afternoon I took Lemon for…
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Continue reading →: Home: Long Beach, Calif.It’s official — I’m a Californian! I made it to Long Beach yesterday afternoon, but I’ve been up to a lot the past couple of days and I wanted to provide a full update. FRIDAY, July 19 I “slept in” on Friday until 7 a.m. After walking Lemon I packed…
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Continue reading →: Yavapai Point, Grand CanyonI don’t even know if I have the words for this post after the incredible evening I’ve had, but I’m going to do my best! Beware — cliches are sure to abound. As I mentioned in my last post, at 10 hours, today was the longest leg of my trip,…
Hello, I’m Ash! I am an assistant professor in the Journalism and Public Relations Department at California State University, Long Beach. This blog serves as a personal love letter to Long Beach, as I find my community and tread toward tenure.
Doc Hop 