she's alive!

Yep its been a while. I just don’t have the writing spirit I once did. A lot of things going on, some noteworthy, others just taking up time. I rode the high from worlds for a day or two then took my snarky little self out to LA for a few days of work. We did manage a night out on sunset, starting at a dive fish taco stand, which served up the best $1.50 tacos ever. And ended with a stop at the famed IN and OUT burger, at which I ordered a shake and fries. The same one frequented by paris Hilton. Guess she was not in the mood for grease that night. Trips out west totally screw me up. That little three hour time difference is a pain to dive into. I never really get adjusted, well that is until its time to come home. Convenient.

So Friday afternoon I took the Amtrak down to san diego. I had a few cringe moments when I booked my ticket. Anyone on the east coast would probably rather walk or not go, if Amtrak or greyhound was the alternative. I’ve had my share of scary experiences here, when during college I was car-less and in desperate need to get somewhere. But in CA when mentioning the train, I didn’t get any scary gasps or stern warnings so I figured I would give it a go. Turned out to be OK. Granted it was a mad house trying to find a seat, and with a rather large suitcase not the easiest place to negotiate. I ended up sitting next to a teenager and her gaggle of friends. They were having a sleep over that night and hoping to stay up until 8 am. WOW. Goals. Gotta love that.

My friend mark picked me up at the station and we headed out to his place in Pacific Beach. He and Maureen live literally 8 steps from the beach. Not kidding. Saturday we got up and walked 15 steps to a beach side bar and I had an egg and cheese sunrise sandwich. So good. Next stop- the beach. Wow. The weather was perfect. The surfers were out. Does it get any better? We took a long LEISURELY bike ride that afternoon around the bay and down to mission beach. There is a bar there with a huge wave pool that you can ride boogie boards or surf. Super cool. All while having a beverage. Again – this place is heaven. I did have a bit of an adjustment riding the beach cruiser. Remembering to push the pedal backwards to break and using one gear to get up over the causeway was interesting. Also for some reason I could not start. And I ran into a fire hydrant. Ha. But how great is it to be able to bike or walk everywhere. And wear flip flops ALL the time. This is my kind of place. Sat night we headed out to one of the plethea of bars- called the DOG where I met some more of their friends – we left and went to see a great local band- when the first song I heard was “send me on my way” I knew I needed to change my zip code. Sunday morning came quickly as we joined a few hundred local bears fans to drink down a bloody mary and begin a non stop day of football. PS I didn’t know the bears had a song. Yes a song. They sing after every touch down. I was hoping for a cue card or a bouncing ball on the screen but no such luck… later that night we went to the steelers bar (HOME!) and granted we don’t have a song but we sure can be loud. Especially when you are creaming the local team. Good times. more fish tacos to end the night.

Great trip and great reminder of the important things in life. Friends and fun. It was a much needed break and reassurance of the things that really matter. Its all about what you can control and letting go of what you can’t. staying true to yourself and getting rid of the negatives that can only lead to disaster. It’s a process. But you don’t get a do over.