So, I just finished typing a completely stream-of-consciousness e-mail to one of my dearest friends in the whole world, Heather. Heather (AKA: HAO) is getting married this weekend. (Huzzah for HAO!) I'm one of her bridesmaids, and the only one living in this state. (I'm talking about California, for the record, not "state of insanity" for you smart asses out there.) So, I've been doing a lot of "bridesmaid thingys" in preparation for the wedding.
Anywho, I had a quick question to ask her in regards to the wedding this Saturday. The only problem? There is no such thing as "quick" when it comes to communication with me. No quick e-mails, no quick phone calls, no quick stories -- nada. I take a dang long time to say what I've got to say, and I've got a lot to say. But, hey, if I didn't, you wouldn't be reading this blog now, would you? O=)
Awww, who am I kidding? No one is reading this dang blog, to begin with. >=(
Anywho, back to my earlier story. After hitting "send", I realized that this is a perfect glimpse into how spazzy and random my brain is. I make "Family Guy" look like a geometry proof.
So, here is the e-mail, which I found quite amusing after reading it. I should start doing that BEFORE I hit the "send" button, but then I wouldn't have as much to blog about, now, would I?
And now, without further ado, (or is it "adieu"? Feh, I think "ado" makes more sense. D'oh, I keep proving my earlier point), here is a glimpse inside ElizabethWorld. Bring a flashlight, and please forgive the spelling and/or grammar errors. Again, this was stream-of-consciousness e-mail written at work.
------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Quick Wedding Question
From:xxxxxxxx@someemailprovider.com
To: xxxxxxxx@someemailprovider.com
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 3:27 pm
Hey HAO! I had a quick wedding question for you (hence the appropriately named "subject line"). =)
I'm trying to get the wedding schedule together in regards to Scott. See, his Mom (and I just realized how ironic this sentence is about to become), is going in for the Lasik eye surgery. (You see! Dang it, I did it again. LOL! I'm sorry, you, Scott, and my Dad are the only people in my life who appreciate this punnery, so I have to take full advantage of it.)
OK, so back to business. Scott's Mom is going in to get the Lasik eye surgery on Friday. She'll be in and out the same day, and will be resting up at home by the afternoon. Still, Scott and I both thought it would be nice for Scott to spend the evening with his Mom on Friday night, just to add a little extra comfort factor for her.
So, I'm trying to figure out now what time should Scott meet up with me for the wedding. I was thinking he could come along with me to the photo session portion (around 2:30PM), but I wasn't sure if that would be bad wedding manners. (If so, please forgive me -- I WAS born in a barn. And by "barn", I mean Cedar's Sinai.) So, either he could come along with me for the make-up & dressing portion (but, I'm thinking that's "girl" time), or he could show up for the photo session, and just hang out with our wedding gift (it's quite large), OR he could just show up for the wedding before 4PM.
How do you feel about having Scott meet up with me at the church around 2:30PM? Obviously, I'll just have him hang around outside the range of the camera lens; and, if he's late I'm not going to wait around for him and hold up the wedding pictures. Otherwise, I'll just have him show up at 3:30PM, a bit before the wedding.
Again, let me know if you need any last minute assistance! =D
Take care,
Elizabeth
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Two Plus Months
TWO PLUS MONTHS
It’s been over two months since I moved down to San Diego. Thanks so much to everyone who has asked me how things are doing here. I really appreciate that my friends care… or at least are able to fake caring in a manner in which I can’t discern if it’s real or not. Kudos to you either way! =D
Overall, I’m very happy here. San Diego still doesn’t feel like home, and I’m not sure it ever really will. But, for now, it kind of feels like an adventure, or an extended vacation – not too shabby either way.
Really and truly, the best thing about being in San Diego is getting to be with Scott all the time. =) Instead of seeing him only on the weekends, I see him almost every day. I must admit, while I was for the most part confident that everything would turn out fine, there was a little seed of doubt in my mind, worrying that perhaps we’d get sick of each other.
It’s quite the opposite, though. I love every minute I spend with Scott. Even right now, Scott is in the other room working on some 3-D modeling for his class, and I’m sitting in the living room typing out this blog. But, just knowing that any time I want to, I can get off my ass and go see him (among other things not suitable for print)… well, it’s pretty much paradise. =)
Kind of off topic, but July 29th will be our 1 year anniversary. I’m not quite sure how to make it special. I'm sure you'll read all about it later… well, probably not ALL about it later. I’d feel bad if I burned out my friends’ retinas. =(
SAN DIEGO VS. LOS ANGELES
Like I said, SD doesn’t feel like home to me. But, really, if I had to move anywhere outside of L.A., I’m glad it was San Diego.
For starters, San Diego’s landscape, environment, and the plant and animal life are so similar to L.A.’s; it helps me to not feel so homesick. It really doesn’t look so different around here.
Then again, there are some things that I really miss about LA… things I wouldn’t have expected to miss three or so months ago. More than anything, I miss the freeways. It sounds weird, but I miss my freeways where I knew all of the exits and recognized all of the numbers. I’ve spent so much time on them, both driving and riding as a passenger. To me, a huge part of LA is its freeway system. We all spend so much time on there, and we don’t really realize how much a part of our lives it becomes until we’re away from it.
I miss the San Gabriel Mountains, too. I mean, San Diego is by no means flat, but there are no mountains here the size of the San Gabriels. Living in the foothills all of my life, they’ve just always been there. Again, I never really noticed them until I didn’t see them anymore.
Oh, how human that is – you really never notice the things that seep into your subconscious, the things that become a part of you, until they aren’t there any longer.
I miss Pasadena, and I miss the old Pasadena place I was living in. That place was so flippin’ awesome. I loved living in that old, Craftsman-style bungalow. I liked having all of those friendly families around who’d say hi to me when I was walking around the neighborhood. I miss that huge ass backyard, and being able to have parties with my friends. I mean, the apartment I’m living in now is cool, and I love my roomie. (Janelle is the best roommate I’ve ever had.) Still, I miss that house, and I miss living the Pasadena lifestyle.
That being said, there are some things about San Diego that I really like. I LOVE living so close to the beach. I've always wanted to live within walking distance of the beach at least once in my life. Now that I do, I am so glad that I made that goal happen. Last Thursday, Scott and I went to the beach after work, and we just swam around and played in the ocean for a bit. That’s such a luxury, and I won’t soon forget just how blessed I am to be able to do that.
That’s another thing – beaches are WAY cleaner and nicer here in San Diego. There are a lot more people and volunteer groups cleaning up the beaches around here. I don’t know why people care more about the beaches here, but it sure is nice to be able to go to the beach and feel free to walk around without worrying about stepping on a used condom.
Really, that’s what I like most of all about San Diego… not the “not stepping on a used condom” part (although that is much appreciated). There’s just a feeling around San Diego that people really care about and take pride in the community – and that there’s a community in the first place.
In LA, everything is so spread out. Even in someplace central like Pasadena, it took me at least a half an hour to get anywhere. The LA Zoo was in Burbank, all the Hollywood sights were down in Hollywood (go figure), the hot clubs were in Downtown (which is a royal bitch to get to). Then, the beaches are 45+ minutes away, and they are so far away from each other. Hiking is up in the mountains, and the hiking spots are so spread out – from Malibu to Mt. Baldy. The amusement parks are in Anaheim and Valencia – a good two hours away from each other (with traffic, which there always is).
It’s just a fact of life in LA that if you want to do something, you have to spend time in your car to get there. And, I think that helps to contribute to the lack of community up there. No one really gets to spend a lot of time in their own neighborhood. People have to drive, or at bare minimum take shitty public transportation for work, home, shopping, errands, and fun. There’s no time for community when everyone is on the move.
But, in San Diego, there is a much stronger sense of community. I would have to say in all of my experience traveling around California, San Diego has the most proud citizenry, and the most sense of a community. A perfect example: Balboa Park.
As I mentioned above, in LA you have to drive all over the place to get out and do things. In San Diego, one of the many options is Balboa Park (www.balboapark.org). It’s centrally located next to the downtown area. There, they have over 15 museums, including the Museum of Photographic Arts, the SD Air & Space Museum, and the SD Natural History Museum (which currently has the Dead Sea Scrolls, which I’m dragging Scootz to soon). =)
But, that’s not all Balboa Park has. The San Diego Zoo (WITH PANDAS!!!) is right next door. You don’t even have to move your car to go from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Pandas – you just walk your ass over. Then, if you go to their calendar on their website, you’ll see that there is always some art or cultural event going on there. When Scott and I went the last couple of times, they had an Orchid Festival, and a Native American Pow Wow out by the Cultural Center (also right next-door to Balboa Park).
There is NOTHING even close to Balboa Park in LA. The closest thing is Griffith Park, and even with that you’ve got to drive from one end of the park to another – especially if you want to go to the Observatory. But, places like Balboa Park are common around San Diego – places where people can go, learn, and have fun – and can mix and mingle with others without having to spend half of their day in the car.
That’s really what I love about San Diego: everyone is so proud and happy to live here. Even though I really don’t consider myself a “San Diegan”, I am enjoying the area and all of the different activities immensely. I’m sure you’ll hear more about them as the months go by. =)
One of the classic buildings of Balboa Park. I believe this is for the SD Natural History Museum, but I could be wrong... stranger things have happened. UPDATE: I went there this past weekend for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit w/ Scootz (I'm a woman of my word), and I realized I WAS wrong. This is actually the Casa del Prado Theatre. See, I AM wrong every now again. (What do you mean you didn't doubt that?) >=(
One of the many beautiful orchids from the Orchid Festival at Balboa Park.
Sunset at Mission Bay. This was taken during our first bonfire of the year.
It’s been over two months since I moved down to San Diego. Thanks so much to everyone who has asked me how things are doing here. I really appreciate that my friends care… or at least are able to fake caring in a manner in which I can’t discern if it’s real or not. Kudos to you either way! =D
Overall, I’m very happy here. San Diego still doesn’t feel like home, and I’m not sure it ever really will. But, for now, it kind of feels like an adventure, or an extended vacation – not too shabby either way.
Really and truly, the best thing about being in San Diego is getting to be with Scott all the time. =) Instead of seeing him only on the weekends, I see him almost every day. I must admit, while I was for the most part confident that everything would turn out fine, there was a little seed of doubt in my mind, worrying that perhaps we’d get sick of each other.
It’s quite the opposite, though. I love every minute I spend with Scott. Even right now, Scott is in the other room working on some 3-D modeling for his class, and I’m sitting in the living room typing out this blog. But, just knowing that any time I want to, I can get off my ass and go see him (among other things not suitable for print)… well, it’s pretty much paradise. =)
Kind of off topic, but July 29th will be our 1 year anniversary. I’m not quite sure how to make it special. I'm sure you'll read all about it later… well, probably not ALL about it later. I’d feel bad if I burned out my friends’ retinas. =(
SAN DIEGO VS. LOS ANGELES
Like I said, SD doesn’t feel like home to me. But, really, if I had to move anywhere outside of L.A., I’m glad it was San Diego.
For starters, San Diego’s landscape, environment, and the plant and animal life are so similar to L.A.’s; it helps me to not feel so homesick. It really doesn’t look so different around here.
Then again, there are some things that I really miss about LA… things I wouldn’t have expected to miss three or so months ago. More than anything, I miss the freeways. It sounds weird, but I miss my freeways where I knew all of the exits and recognized all of the numbers. I’ve spent so much time on them, both driving and riding as a passenger. To me, a huge part of LA is its freeway system. We all spend so much time on there, and we don’t really realize how much a part of our lives it becomes until we’re away from it.
I miss the San Gabriel Mountains, too. I mean, San Diego is by no means flat, but there are no mountains here the size of the San Gabriels. Living in the foothills all of my life, they’ve just always been there. Again, I never really noticed them until I didn’t see them anymore.
Oh, how human that is – you really never notice the things that seep into your subconscious, the things that become a part of you, until they aren’t there any longer.
I miss Pasadena, and I miss the old Pasadena place I was living in. That place was so flippin’ awesome. I loved living in that old, Craftsman-style bungalow. I liked having all of those friendly families around who’d say hi to me when I was walking around the neighborhood. I miss that huge ass backyard, and being able to have parties with my friends. I mean, the apartment I’m living in now is cool, and I love my roomie. (Janelle is the best roommate I’ve ever had.) Still, I miss that house, and I miss living the Pasadena lifestyle.
That being said, there are some things about San Diego that I really like. I LOVE living so close to the beach. I've always wanted to live within walking distance of the beach at least once in my life. Now that I do, I am so glad that I made that goal happen. Last Thursday, Scott and I went to the beach after work, and we just swam around and played in the ocean for a bit. That’s such a luxury, and I won’t soon forget just how blessed I am to be able to do that.
That’s another thing – beaches are WAY cleaner and nicer here in San Diego. There are a lot more people and volunteer groups cleaning up the beaches around here. I don’t know why people care more about the beaches here, but it sure is nice to be able to go to the beach and feel free to walk around without worrying about stepping on a used condom.
Really, that’s what I like most of all about San Diego… not the “not stepping on a used condom” part (although that is much appreciated). There’s just a feeling around San Diego that people really care about and take pride in the community – and that there’s a community in the first place.
In LA, everything is so spread out. Even in someplace central like Pasadena, it took me at least a half an hour to get anywhere. The LA Zoo was in Burbank, all the Hollywood sights were down in Hollywood (go figure), the hot clubs were in Downtown (which is a royal bitch to get to). Then, the beaches are 45+ minutes away, and they are so far away from each other. Hiking is up in the mountains, and the hiking spots are so spread out – from Malibu to Mt. Baldy. The amusement parks are in Anaheim and Valencia – a good two hours away from each other (with traffic, which there always is).
It’s just a fact of life in LA that if you want to do something, you have to spend time in your car to get there. And, I think that helps to contribute to the lack of community up there. No one really gets to spend a lot of time in their own neighborhood. People have to drive, or at bare minimum take shitty public transportation for work, home, shopping, errands, and fun. There’s no time for community when everyone is on the move.
But, in San Diego, there is a much stronger sense of community. I would have to say in all of my experience traveling around California, San Diego has the most proud citizenry, and the most sense of a community. A perfect example: Balboa Park.
As I mentioned above, in LA you have to drive all over the place to get out and do things. In San Diego, one of the many options is Balboa Park (www.balboapark.org). It’s centrally located next to the downtown area. There, they have over 15 museums, including the Museum of Photographic Arts, the SD Air & Space Museum, and the SD Natural History Museum (which currently has the Dead Sea Scrolls, which I’m dragging Scootz to soon). =)
But, that’s not all Balboa Park has. The San Diego Zoo (WITH PANDAS!!!) is right next door. You don’t even have to move your car to go from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Pandas – you just walk your ass over. Then, if you go to their calendar on their website, you’ll see that there is always some art or cultural event going on there. When Scott and I went the last couple of times, they had an Orchid Festival, and a Native American Pow Wow out by the Cultural Center (also right next-door to Balboa Park).
There is NOTHING even close to Balboa Park in LA. The closest thing is Griffith Park, and even with that you’ve got to drive from one end of the park to another – especially if you want to go to the Observatory. But, places like Balboa Park are common around San Diego – places where people can go, learn, and have fun – and can mix and mingle with others without having to spend half of their day in the car.
That’s really what I love about San Diego: everyone is so proud and happy to live here. Even though I really don’t consider myself a “San Diegan”, I am enjoying the area and all of the different activities immensely. I’m sure you’ll hear more about them as the months go by. =)
One of the classic buildings of Balboa Park. I believe this is for the SD Natural History Museum, but I could be wrong... stranger things have happened. UPDATE: I went there this past weekend for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit w/ Scootz (I'm a woman of my word), and I realized I WAS wrong. This is actually the Casa del Prado Theatre. See, I AM wrong every now again. (What do you mean you didn't doubt that?) >=(
One of the many beautiful orchids from the Orchid Festival at Balboa Park.
I'm not quite sure how I managed not to have my heart explode at this: a baby panda asleep in a tree. D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! (San Diego Zoo)
Tourmaline section of Pacific Beach on Fourth of July.
Sunset at Mission Bay. This was taken during our first bonfire of the year.
OCEAN BEACH
Of all of the cities and suburbs I could have picked to live in, I’m really glad I chose Ocean Beach as my homestead for San Diego. Now, granted I spend most of my week at Scott’s, anyway, but I do love having my place in Ocean Beach.
Ocean Beach is the kind of place where I always wanted to live: beach town, filled with hippies, eclectic, liberal, tons of vegetarian and environmentally conscious stores and shops, and a neighborhood filled with friendly people who stop and ask how you are – and who give a crap about what your answer is. OB is a lovely, hippie wonderland, and I’m happy to spend at least part of my mid-twenties here. =D
One thing about OB is it’s VERY community centric. It has several co-ops, artists’ communes, and lots of programs to get the locals to support local businesses. (If you want to know why this is so critical, read The Little Money Book by David Boyle and see the DVD “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”.
Probably my favorite part of Ocean Beach is the World-Famous Dog Beach. Dog Beach is the kind of place where my heart feels at peace. The basic premise of Dog Beach is that it’s a beach specifically set aside so that people can bring their dogs down to the beach and let them run free. Because this is such an anomaly along the coast, people take really good care of Dog Beach. Out of the dozen times there, I have only seen one pile of dog poop on the beach. (And, I can guarantee the prick who left it there was a tourist.) The dogs absolutely LOVE running around, rolling in the sand, fetching balls and toys in the ocean, and playing with all of the other dogs. Unless a person has a phobia of dogs, I cannot see how someone could not be absolutely enchanted by the place. It’s about a 20-30 minute walk from my apartment, and I take every chance I get to visit it.
OB also has a very popular Farmer’s Market, which I fully support. (Again, if you want to find out why, get that The Little Money Book.) It’s every Wednesday on Newport Avenue, the “downtown” area of OB. While I don’t often get a chance to go, when I do I make sure to go down there and support our local farmers.
I really don’t know how to describe OB other than it makes me feel satisfied and at peace living there. I still miss LA a lot, but I’m so glad I chose OB as my substitute home.
Of all of the cities and suburbs I could have picked to live in, I’m really glad I chose Ocean Beach as my homestead for San Diego. Now, granted I spend most of my week at Scott’s, anyway, but I do love having my place in Ocean Beach.
Ocean Beach is the kind of place where I always wanted to live: beach town, filled with hippies, eclectic, liberal, tons of vegetarian and environmentally conscious stores and shops, and a neighborhood filled with friendly people who stop and ask how you are – and who give a crap about what your answer is. OB is a lovely, hippie wonderland, and I’m happy to spend at least part of my mid-twenties here. =D
One thing about OB is it’s VERY community centric. It has several co-ops, artists’ communes, and lots of programs to get the locals to support local businesses. (If you want to know why this is so critical, read The Little Money Book by David Boyle and see the DVD “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”.
Probably my favorite part of Ocean Beach is the World-Famous Dog Beach. Dog Beach is the kind of place where my heart feels at peace. The basic premise of Dog Beach is that it’s a beach specifically set aside so that people can bring their dogs down to the beach and let them run free. Because this is such an anomaly along the coast, people take really good care of Dog Beach. Out of the dozen times there, I have only seen one pile of dog poop on the beach. (And, I can guarantee the prick who left it there was a tourist.) The dogs absolutely LOVE running around, rolling in the sand, fetching balls and toys in the ocean, and playing with all of the other dogs. Unless a person has a phobia of dogs, I cannot see how someone could not be absolutely enchanted by the place. It’s about a 20-30 minute walk from my apartment, and I take every chance I get to visit it.
OB also has a very popular Farmer’s Market, which I fully support. (Again, if you want to find out why, get that The Little Money Book.) It’s every Wednesday on Newport Avenue, the “downtown” area of OB. While I don’t often get a chance to go, when I do I make sure to go down there and support our local farmers.
I really don’t know how to describe OB other than it makes me feel satisfied and at peace living there. I still miss LA a lot, but I’m so glad I chose OB as my substitute home.
A couple of poochies play in the ocean at Dog Beach, Ocean Beach.
Chillin' with some of my new neighbors. (Hey, I'll take them over peacocks any day!) =)
Quintessential OB: The Rainbow Hippie Bus parked in the middle of the Farmer's Market.
The view down Newport Avenue during the Farmer's Market
Local artists beautifying downtown OB. There is a real sense of community down here that I really appreciate.
This picture summarizes everything that Ocean Beach is to me.
NEW JOB
To complete my move to San Diego, I started a new job. I’m working at Skinit.com as a Sales Assistant/Coordinator. (AKA: Still a Snake Oil Saleswoman). It pays more than my last job, which is always nice. But, most of all, I’m REALLY enjoying what I’m doing here.
I’ve always felt that a person’s job determines a great deal of his or her overall happiness. It’s not the only factor, but it is a very big one. I know at least it’s a very big part of my satisfaction with my move to San Diego… probably just third behind Scott (first) and making new friends (second).
Now that I’m someplace where my creativity is not only encouraged, but appreciated and praised as well, it REALLY makes all of the difference. Everyone at my new office has been exceptionally nice, including my boss. I can’t even begin to tell you how much better I feel now that my hard efforts are being noticed and praised. It really makes all the difference.
To see what all I’m selling these days, visit http://www.skinit.com/. And, if you want any skins for your phone, laptops, iPods, etc., let me know. They’re SUPER nice here about letting employees get the hook-ups for free skins. (Which I think is very smart. Hey, it’s near free advertising for us. It sure costs a lot less than any commercial we could come up with.)
THE DIFFERENCE
Really, there have been two main reasons that my move to San Diego has not been wrought with homesickness and loneliness.
The first reason is obvious: Scott. He has been so supportive of me during this move. Not only has he spent almost every day with me since I moved down here, but he’s gone out of his way to make me feel welcome and special, even as he’s working three jobs right now. He’s shown me all around San Diego, and has taken me to some of his favorite places. I won’t go into TOO much schmaltz, lest I jinx the happiest times of my life. All I’ll say is that the whole reason I moved was to be closer to Scott, and my joy has increased more than I ever thought possible.
The other reason the move has gone successful is friends – both old and new. I must thank all of my old friends. Even as I’ve moved, just about everyone has kept in touch with me, asking me how I’m doing, and keeping me posted on what’s going on in their worlds. That means so much to me, and I thank all of you for it. And, I give a special thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to visit me here: Stephanie, Ray Ray, Olga, Annie, Cornel, and Daniel. It’s always good to see familiar faces, and my home is (almost) always open to everyone (unless I’m in LA). =)
But, by the same token, I would like to thank all of my new friends, most of whom are really Scott’s friends that have so graciously accepted me into the circle and made me feel welcome. Patrishie, Little Justin, Big Justin, Yu, Janelle, Veeral, Sachin, and Bala: you have all been so good to me, and have truly made my move enjoyable. I’m so glad not just to have met Scootz, but to have met all of you vicariously. (Except for you, Janelle – I owe Craig and his list a debt of gratitude on that one.) =)
So, what’s the conclusion to this (admittedly) long-winded blog? I’m happy. And, let me tell you, even with missing home and all of my LA friends, it feels really good to be this happy.
And, with that, I’ll leave you with this slideshow from the past 2 ½ months that I think sums it all up.
Cheers,
E
NEW JOB
To complete my move to San Diego, I started a new job. I’m working at Skinit.com as a Sales Assistant/Coordinator. (AKA: Still a Snake Oil Saleswoman). It pays more than my last job, which is always nice. But, most of all, I’m REALLY enjoying what I’m doing here.
I’ve always felt that a person’s job determines a great deal of his or her overall happiness. It’s not the only factor, but it is a very big one. I know at least it’s a very big part of my satisfaction with my move to San Diego… probably just third behind Scott (first) and making new friends (second).
Now that I’m someplace where my creativity is not only encouraged, but appreciated and praised as well, it REALLY makes all of the difference. Everyone at my new office has been exceptionally nice, including my boss. I can’t even begin to tell you how much better I feel now that my hard efforts are being noticed and praised. It really makes all the difference.
To see what all I’m selling these days, visit http://www.skinit.com/. And, if you want any skins for your phone, laptops, iPods, etc., let me know. They’re SUPER nice here about letting employees get the hook-ups for free skins. (Which I think is very smart. Hey, it’s near free advertising for us. It sure costs a lot less than any commercial we could come up with.)
THE DIFFERENCE
Really, there have been two main reasons that my move to San Diego has not been wrought with homesickness and loneliness.
The first reason is obvious: Scott. He has been so supportive of me during this move. Not only has he spent almost every day with me since I moved down here, but he’s gone out of his way to make me feel welcome and special, even as he’s working three jobs right now. He’s shown me all around San Diego, and has taken me to some of his favorite places. I won’t go into TOO much schmaltz, lest I jinx the happiest times of my life. All I’ll say is that the whole reason I moved was to be closer to Scott, and my joy has increased more than I ever thought possible.
The other reason the move has gone successful is friends – both old and new. I must thank all of my old friends. Even as I’ve moved, just about everyone has kept in touch with me, asking me how I’m doing, and keeping me posted on what’s going on in their worlds. That means so much to me, and I thank all of you for it. And, I give a special thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to visit me here: Stephanie, Ray Ray, Olga, Annie, Cornel, and Daniel. It’s always good to see familiar faces, and my home is (almost) always open to everyone (unless I’m in LA). =)
But, by the same token, I would like to thank all of my new friends, most of whom are really Scott’s friends that have so graciously accepted me into the circle and made me feel welcome. Patrishie, Little Justin, Big Justin, Yu, Janelle, Veeral, Sachin, and Bala: you have all been so good to me, and have truly made my move enjoyable. I’m so glad not just to have met Scootz, but to have met all of you vicariously. (Except for you, Janelle – I owe Craig and his list a debt of gratitude on that one.) =)
So, what’s the conclusion to this (admittedly) long-winded blog? I’m happy. And, let me tell you, even with missing home and all of my LA friends, it feels really good to be this happy.
And, with that, I’ll leave you with this slideshow from the past 2 ½ months that I think sums it all up.
Cheers,
E
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Road Trippin' (Part 3): Central Oregon and Northeastern California
NOTE: Due to MySpace being a pile of crap when it comes to blogs, both parts 1 & 2 were deleted from my account. Part 3 was posted (repeatedly, thank you MySpace), but was never able to be viewed before due to (again) MySpace's pile of crap blog system. Then, it was deleted. Fortunately, I had saved Part 3 on my computer. Here it is now for those of you just DYING to read the conclusion of my Road Trip chronicles.
The only stop of note was at Gold Lake, which we only stopped at because Sachin had to pee and we hadn't seen a town in about 75 miles, and didn't know if we'd see one before Klamath Falls. Gold Lake is a perfect example of how beautiful the landscape is, but how annoying it gets if you need some semblance of civilization (AKA: gasoline, running water, and/or food and potable water).
Driving through Central Oregon. Lots of Forests, not that many places to stop.
Gold Lake, Oregon
How the heck do we get out of here?!
KLAMATH FALLS
Speaking of the town Taco Bell, my gosh -- I don't think I've been to a worse Taco Bell in my life. (And, if you've ever eaten at Taco Bell, you know just how terrible it must be to garner such an achievement.) Now, granted, Taco Bell isn't exactly the crème de la crème of Mexican restaurants. In fact, Taco Bell is to "Mexican" food as Panda Express is to "Chinese" food. But, this place was truly awful.
Alas, being in the middle of the only town with any sort of facilities at 9PM for approximately 300 square miles, we were left with no other choice.I will say our hotel was surprisingly nice for Klamath Falls. So, shout outs to the Red Lion Inn Klamath Falls and their excellent staff. They had a fabulous selection of teas in their continental breakfast, so I can't hate on that.
The boys splash around in the hot tub at the hotel. (They added WAY too much chlorine out there. I'm glad they only stayed a half hour, because I was getting massively nauseous having to smell it.)
One thing that Klamath Falls did have was beautiful Azaleas. These were in the parking lot of our hotel.
NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA
Pretty, no? Yes, but try driving through 200 MILES of this seeing ONLY this, and the only signs of life being towns with the names of "Likely" and "Canby" with the populations between 20-70 people per town.
Oh ho ho! I was just googling for a map of Northeastern California, and I just came across this gem (AKA: BOLD FACED LIE) describing Modoc County, the most horrible of the Northeastern CA counties: "Modoc County, the land of Indian Lore, unparalleled scenic beauty and abundant natural resources, encompasses the extreme northeast corner of the Shasta Cascade region. For those Twentieth Century Americans who long for a quiet, calm lifestyle surrounded by the beauty of nature, Modoc County, is a tempting Garden of Eden."
What I don't get is how there could be so much road work in those areas WHEN NO ONE LIVES THERE!!! Has anyone taken a look at the roads in the three main CA cities lately (L.A., San Fran, and S.D.)?! Dude, spend some of the tax payers money HERE!
Then again, there is no possible way the Cal Trans workers would get away with that "closing down roads" shit in any of those cities. It was absolutely RIDICULOUS how much time we wasted at these stop points.
Here we are at one of TEN stop points. At least these Cal Trans workers were nice enough to let us use their porta-potty since there were no towns for the next 70+ miles.
The big rigs start piling up on the road.
It is lovely scenery. Too bad it's in the middle of nowhere.
They make it look so nice on the map! Too bad I didn't take pictures of the town so you could see just how "charming" the area was.
LAKE TAHOE
Despite the challenges and mind searing boredom we had to go through to get there, Tahoe was beautiful. We picked a really good time of year to go there. Because all of the winter sports were over, but the summer sports hadn't really begun yet, the area was nice and not at all crowded. Plus, it was still nice weather (although there were some storm clouds over the Reno area -- go figure).
View of Lake Tahoe. Even on the 1st of June, there is still snow in those Sierras.
View of the surrounding forest area at the Logan Shoals View Point
Scootz and Me with Lake Tahoe in the background.
SEQUOIA: THE LAST HURRAH
Our last day of the trip was spent getting to and driving around Sequoia National Park. I really love both Sequoia and Kings National Park. Again, I really wish we had gotten more time to spend there, but we only had 9 1/2 days to spend on the road trip; so, some places just didn't get as much time as others.
Driving into Sequoia National Forest through Three Rivers (where we stayed that evening)
Hiking down the trail to the General Sherman Tree
Looking up at the Sequoia Trees
The General Sherman Tree, quite possibly the most famous tree in the world. It's over 2000 years old.
How appropriate, no? O=)
BACK TO SAN DIEGO
Central Oregon and Northeastern California (AKA: A place so barren and loathsome that it made me actually glad to see Reno)
Yes, it took me a while to get to this blog. I could say it was because the trauma of having to recall the hell that is Central Oregon and Northeastern California, but it really wasn't THAT bad. I mean, it definitely sucked, and I would not look forward to going back. But, all things considered, I'd rather kick it there than in Chinese prison, so it's all relative.
The real reason I put off writing this part of the blog is there is pretty much nothing to write about for the bulk of our journey in Central Oregon and Northeastern California. With the exceptions of Tahoe and Sequoia, it was a big pile of nothingness.
Central Oregon and Northeastern California (which from here on out I shall refer to as "The Pacific Wasteland") pretty much make Idaho look like rush hour in Tokyo. True, there are lots of beautiful lakes and wilderness areas that are beautiful, enjoyable places to stay. But, if you're looking for an actual city, or even a town, to stay in, just stop. You're better off buying a ton of supplies in Portland, and camping out in the State and National Parks for the remainder of the trip until you get to *shudder* Reno.
Yes, it took me a while to get to this blog. I could say it was because the trauma of having to recall the hell that is Central Oregon and Northeastern California, but it really wasn't THAT bad. I mean, it definitely sucked, and I would not look forward to going back. But, all things considered, I'd rather kick it there than in Chinese prison, so it's all relative.
The real reason I put off writing this part of the blog is there is pretty much nothing to write about for the bulk of our journey in Central Oregon and Northeastern California. With the exceptions of Tahoe and Sequoia, it was a big pile of nothingness.
Central Oregon and Northeastern California (which from here on out I shall refer to as "The Pacific Wasteland") pretty much make Idaho look like rush hour in Tokyo. True, there are lots of beautiful lakes and wilderness areas that are beautiful, enjoyable places to stay. But, if you're looking for an actual city, or even a town, to stay in, just stop. You're better off buying a ton of supplies in Portland, and camping out in the State and National Parks for the remainder of the trip until you get to *shudder* Reno.
Alas, no one gave us that advice, so we had to suffer through approximately 36 hours of non-stop boredom.
CENTRAL OREGON
Ahhhh, Central Oregon, home of...
...yeah, exactly.
So, basically Central Oregon is filled with farms. These farms are very quaint and pretty for about an hour. After than, the cup of coffee you drank back in Portland is about to leak down your pants leg, and all you want is to find a place that doesn't cue the music from the movie "Deliverance" in your mind when you pull up to the gas station.
On our first day through Central Oregon is pretty much a blur to me, because I was reading The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book). (Great book, by the way.) It was just as well because, as I mentioned earlier, there was nothing going on outside the car windows.
The only stop of note was at Gold Lake, which we only stopped at because Sachin had to pee and we hadn't seen a town in about 75 miles, and didn't know if we'd see one before Klamath Falls. Gold Lake is a perfect example of how beautiful the landscape is, but how annoying it gets if you need some semblance of civilization (AKA: gasoline, running water, and/or food and potable water).
Driving through Central Oregon. Lots of Forests, not that many places to stop.
Gold Lake, Oregon
How the heck do we get out of here?!
KLAMATH FALLS
Oh Klamath Falls... your Chamber of Commerce makes you look so lovely on the town website.
So, according to said website, Klamath Falls SUPPOSEDLY has 42,000 citizens living in it. If those citizens are anything like the 100+ individuals working at and passing through the local Taco Bell that we had the misfortune of eating at, I'm truly frightened. That is a kick-ass "Jerry Springer Show" waiting to happen.
Speaking of the town Taco Bell, my gosh -- I don't think I've been to a worse Taco Bell in my life. (And, if you've ever eaten at Taco Bell, you know just how terrible it must be to garner such an achievement.) Now, granted, Taco Bell isn't exactly the crème de la crème of Mexican restaurants. In fact, Taco Bell is to "Mexican" food as Panda Express is to "Chinese" food. But, this place was truly awful.
Alas, being in the middle of the only town with any sort of facilities at 9PM for approximately 300 square miles, we were left with no other choice.I will say our hotel was surprisingly nice for Klamath Falls. So, shout outs to the Red Lion Inn Klamath Falls and their excellent staff. They had a fabulous selection of teas in their continental breakfast, so I can't hate on that.
The boys splash around in the hot tub at the hotel. (They added WAY too much chlorine out there. I'm glad they only stayed a half hour, because I was getting massively nauseous having to smell it.)
One thing that Klamath Falls did have was beautiful Azaleas. These were in the parking lot of our hotel.
NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA
It's like everyone even forgot it was there.
Basically, Northeastern California looks like this:
Pretty, no? Yes, but try driving through 200 MILES of this seeing ONLY this, and the only signs of life being towns with the names of "Likely" and "Canby" with the populations between 20-70 people per town.
Oh ho ho! I was just googling for a map of Northeastern California, and I just came across this gem (AKA: BOLD FACED LIE) describing Modoc County, the most horrible of the Northeastern CA counties: "Modoc County, the land of Indian Lore, unparalleled scenic beauty and abundant natural resources, encompasses the extreme northeast corner of the Shasta Cascade region. For those Twentieth Century Americans who long for a quiet, calm lifestyle surrounded by the beauty of nature, Modoc County, is a tempting Garden of Eden."
Allow me to translate this for you in actual English:"Modoc County, a place so barren and horrible that the Indians referred to it as "Bloody Ground of the Pacific" due to all of the fierce Indian wars fought there between 1848 and 1911. Unparalleled in its complete and utter void of signs of civilization, its main export is seething dissatisfaction and failure. For those Twenty FIRST Century Americans who want to bury bodies that will never be found, or who want to marry their sister, this middle of bum-fuck nowhere affords you the total and utter seclusion that you desire to guarantee you an earthly passage directly into the ninth circle of Dante's hell."
After passing about 10 of these reject towns, I actually (and I'm ashamed to admit this after the fact) was *gulp* relieved to see Reno. I know! It's crazy! But, after you've been through "The Pacific Wasteland", you'll understand.
IMPORTANT POINT: Seriously, we encountered NO LESS than 10 highway closures for road repair. The construction crews would close off all but one lane, and would switch directions every fifteen minutes. So, we were CONSTANTLY having to stop along the trip and just wait in our hot, shitty Dodge Magnum with no air conditioning in 95º+ weather.
What I don't get is how there could be so much road work in those areas WHEN NO ONE LIVES THERE!!! Has anyone taken a look at the roads in the three main CA cities lately (L.A., San Fran, and S.D.)?! Dude, spend some of the tax payers money HERE!
Then again, there is no possible way the Cal Trans workers would get away with that "closing down roads" shit in any of those cities. It was absolutely RIDICULOUS how much time we wasted at these stop points.
Here we are at one of TEN stop points. At least these Cal Trans workers were nice enough to let us use their porta-potty since there were no towns for the next 70+ miles.
The big rigs start piling up on the road.
It is lovely scenery. Too bad it's in the middle of nowhere.
They make it look so nice on the map! Too bad I didn't take pictures of the town so you could see just how "charming" the area was.
LAKE TAHOE
Despite the challenges and mind searing boredom we had to go through to get there, Tahoe was beautiful. We picked a really good time of year to go there. Because all of the winter sports were over, but the summer sports hadn't really begun yet, the area was nice and not at all crowded. Plus, it was still nice weather (although there were some storm clouds over the Reno area -- go figure).
Unfortunately, we were only able to spend one night there, but it was still rather nice. We walked a REALLY long time down the main street through Downtown Tahoe (thanks to some crackheaded advice from the hotel concierge chick regarding a good vegetarian restaurant), but other than that there was really not much time to do anything.
Oh well, we'll just have to go back -- when the place is not on fire. =(
View of Lake Tahoe. Even on the 1st of June, there is still snow in those Sierras.
View of the surrounding forest area at the Logan Shoals View Point
Scootz and Me with Lake Tahoe in the background.
SEQUOIA: THE LAST HURRAH
Our last day of the trip was spent getting to and driving around Sequoia National Park. I really love both Sequoia and Kings National Park. Again, I really wish we had gotten more time to spend there, but we only had 9 1/2 days to spend on the road trip; so, some places just didn't get as much time as others.
Driving through Sequoia is a beautiful experience. Alas, AGAIN there were road closures on the way up there! It looks like they are expanding the roads -- probably so that the stupid, gianormous SUVs can go up there. Because if there's one thing we need in our National Parks, it's SUVs. *rolls eyes*
ANYWHO, because we were so short on time, we decided to just go on a drive into Sequoia, and to take the relatively short trail to the General Sherman Tree. The General Sherman Tree is the largest tree in overall volume in the world. It was pretty cool, but more than anything I just liked being in the forest with all of those gorgeous trees. =) I know, ME liking to be around trees? Go figure!
Driving into Sequoia National Forest through Three Rivers (where we stayed that evening)
Hiking down the trail to the General Sherman Tree
Looking up at the Sequoia Trees
The General Sherman Tree, quite possibly the most famous tree in the world. It's over 2000 years old.
How appropriate, no? O=)
BACK TO SAN DIEGO
We've now been back in San Diego for a little over three weeks. Thinking back on the road trip and going through the pictures has been great for me to process everything. I did a lot of thinking on that trip. (Goodness knows there's not much else to do when going through "The Pacific Wasteland".) I won't go into everything that I thought about, but it mainly had to do with where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going.
I wish I could leave you with some profound thoughts regarding the road trip. But, maybe it's for the best that I don't really have any... at least that I want to share with everyone. All I can really say is that it was great going on the road trip, seeing more of the country, and getting to spend so much time with Scott. =)
Finally, I know I posted it earlier, but here is the link to all of my Road Trip 2007 pictures:
Please forgive this lame ending to my three-part series. I'm just done writing about it. On to new and more relevant subjects! =D
Cheers,
E
*Originally published 06/24/07
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
