the conclusion

So yesterday, after much beach deprivation, Sophia and I decided to pack the car and head to the water..... only to be hit with obstacles such as traffic, blocked roads, getting lost, and lack of parking. Sophia got a headache, and we pulled into a McDonald's for much needed food, restroom, and freedom from the car. Seriously, it took us four hours between the start of our journey and that dang Venice Beach McDonald's. As we finished our food, she said she wanted to just go home. My little beach-deprived heart sank.

We got in the car and Sophia gave me the keys. She said, "Drive where you want" as she fell into headache-induced sleep in the passenger seat. So I faced a minor dilemma..... do I drive my friend to home to rest comfortably in her bed? Or do I go where I want to go and continue the quest for sand and waves?

Did you really think I was going to spend four hours in a car in ninety-degree heat and spend that kind of money on gasoline just to go home without my ocean?? Please.

I drove back down the streets I just learned (hey, getting lost isn't in vain when you learn new routes!) and back to the trusty cheap parking lot at our usual beach. We made it in time to see the sunset. Sophia dozed on a blanket and i waded a bit... and the usually-icy water felt quite nice. I was tempted to wade deeper than my knees and actually swim.... but the waves were rough and I knew it'd get pretty chilly once the sun dipped below the horizon. I could've stayed on the beach for hours and hours...... but it didn't take long before Sophia insisted we go back home.

At least traffic was light by then.

So the beach trip wasn't all I anticipated.... what do you do? I tried to keep a positive attitude...

Today wasn't too bad, either. A baby cousin was dedicated at church this morning. Martin from Kenya was impressed at my Swahili (ok, so I know less than ten words, but i think he was surprised that the white girl go that far), and promised me more vocabulary soon. His daughter ran up to me after church. :) Lunch was at a Mexican restuarant/buffet with a live mariachi show. I expected the usual low-key musicians, but this was an out-and out show with dancers and very talented musicians. It was a pretty nifty restuarant.... expensive, but i'd recommend it to anyone at least once.

The Desperate Housewives season finale was on tonight. Anyone have any thoughts on them fast-forwarding five years? And while we're at it.... did you not love The Office finale?? Best gag- the new HR lady thinking Kevin was mentally handicapped. Television discussion welcome.

Of course, i'm writing this to put off writing a spot... under the guise of thinking it serves as a writing exercise to stir the creative juices. Truth be told, i'm intimidated by this one. It's promoting the newest ride at Disneyland and has to be approved by the Disney people... and i feel less than confident in my copywriting skill. But it's already midnight and it's due first thing in the morning, so i better buckle down and hop to it.

Gee, how many colloquialisms can i fit into a paragraph??