November 11, 2008

a lot of catchin' up to do

So my plans of updating from San Diego didn't quite happen. We were too cheap to keep paying for internet access in our room, and I was too lazy to try to update from my phone. So now you get a recap.

Luckily for me, the recap comes courtesy of my brand new laptop!! Woohoo!! While the tragic and devastating crash of my hard drive still stings (farewell, lost files. I will miss you), there is some comfort from my new Dell Studio 15. I can log in with my fingerprint, take photos straight from the memory card from my digital camera, and utilize up to three USB ports. It's designed for media... movies, music, photos, editing... and the top has a durable rubberized cover in plum. :) Once i finish adjusting the settings to my like and exploring the options- like sidebar gadgets and a blog manager that sadly doesn't work with myspace, i shall try editing projects and maybe reviving my youtube account. Oh, and if i get bored with all THAT fun? There are games. Not only solitaire and minesweeper, but fun other games. And a built in microphone that I haven't had a chance to try. So it's safe to say i love my new computer. But enough fawning, vacation recap time.

You might have seen the pictures I posted (if not, check 'em out :) ). Let me sort it out into something manageable....

I left our last entry on that low-key Monday with little to tell. Really, we just got settled in. So how about a day-by-day summary? Imagine all events laced with sleeping in, time to read, and visits to the jacuzzi.

Tuesday: Originally planned on kayaking, but waking up to rain dampened our plans (lame pun, i know). Instead, we went to the grocery and explored Oceanside a bit. It was a day to relax and unwind. We went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner (since it was right next to the hotel and all), and Dairy Queen for dessert! I miss Dairy Queen now that it's not so conveniently located.... It was in a convenience/bait and tackle store buying a postcard for Claudia and ranch dressing that we heard McCain's speech and realized Obama won the election. I can't say I was all that dazzled by Obama's acceptance speech, but we'll see if he can come through on any of the change he promises. I do hope to see Sarah Palin in national leadership soon. Maybe she'll be a senator?

Wednesday: Kayaking!! I waited so long.... sigh. I love kayaking. It's hard to believe i've really only gone a couple times. Like the proverbial bike-riding, it was so easy to get back in the groove once we were out on the water with paddle in hand. We saw leopard sharks and sea lions up-close-and-personal, and ventured into the sea caves for a brief-but-way-cool look around. As we made our way to the shore, we flipped the kayak. No biggie, the water wasn't that deep at that point. I love when the waves over take you and turn you in somersaults... crazy, i know. But being in the ocean and just letting it spin you around... it's happy. We also checked out La Jolla cove and the sandstone cliffs. There's nothing like a sunset as waves dance over rocks....

Thursday: A tip from our kayak guide led us to a mountaintop veterans memorial with a fantastic view. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Balboa Park in downtown San Diego. I read online a few weeks ago that it's the "Central Park of San Diego" if that helps you get a mental picture. Lots of gardens, museums, and the zoo (which we visited another day). Highlights included amazing architecture, sushi and miso soup outside the Japanese friendship garden (which was itself was surprisingly tiny), the butterfly garden, the palm tree jungle trail, and the fact that there was more than we could see in a day. At night, we checked out the way groovy weekly Oceanside street fair and went to the water's edge to collect seashells in the dark.

Friday: We went back to the beach in the morning, and just hung out and waded in the water. I could get all poetic about the water baptizing my feet and washing away whatever it is that needs washing away, or describe the smooth rocks in the sand that literally glitters with specks of gold (yeah yeah, mica), but really, unless you were breathing in the salty-air moment it sounds like a cheesy piece of whimsy. You truly did have to be there. Soph's mom and stepdad joined us for the weekend.

Saturday: San Diego Zoo! A place i've wanted to visit since childhood... And it was pretty nifty. I missed feeding the giraffes, sadly. But my day will come.... Some of the animals are immortalized in my pics. Randomly, i kept thinking of my childhood dreams of marine biology and zookeeping this week. Nighttime found us in Old Town San Diego, and at the Whaley House. The landmark is reported to be the most haunted place in America by tons of experts... now I don't particularly believe in wandering souls, but i DO believe in demons and spirits. So you better believe i prayed my heart out before we walked in! Soph's stepdad is into the whole ghost thing, and was snapping photo after photo in hopes of catching something supernatural. He actually got a couple of creepy shots, including what looks like a wispy face by a lamp. The lamp is in one of the children's room, and the employees (who report all sorts of creepy happenings they've witnessed first-hand) say that if they turn off that lamp at night, they return to a mess in the room the next morning. And my pictures? Though i took a lot of pictures in the same place/time, I got nothing. The house itself was interesting though. History bores me, unless it's really getting down to what it was like to live day-to-day in another time. Stepping into a preserved home was pretting interesting, even if it WAS crawling with ghost-hunters. Oh, and if you're interested, I have Soph's stepdad on my friends list (Drums of Mordor), and he posted the pics online.

Sunday: We visited the aircraft carrier USS Midway. It was gigantic, like a city in itself. Again, imagining day-to-day living on a massive boat was crazy....

And now it's back to "real life" and work again. I'm training for the new position, so it's challenging in a good way. So far, I like it. But it keeps me hopping all day! (which, hopefully, will burn more calories. Because since the layoffs in August, the stress at work has reduced me to stress-eating. And checking out some of the vacation photos i DIDN'T post, you can totally see the effects of my comfort cookies, pizza, or margaritas. Though a new challenge has emerged... tonight, thanks to the free drink promotion, I was introduced to the peppermint mocha latte from Coffee Bean. Oh, happy holidays....).

When i was a freshman in Mr. Rettig's English class, I had a planner with a map of the U.S. One day, i circled a dot labled Oceanside, California. I declared this would be my future home (with summer headquarters in Hawaii, of course). Sure, my decision was based on three simple facts- 1. It was halfway between L.A. and San Diego, 2. It was right on the coast, and 3. The word "ocean" was in the name. After spending time in the town for real, I realize my 14-year-old self was brilliantly right on the money.

1 thoughts:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you've been quite busy! Hope you enjoy the new laptop. If Ted Stevens wins and then has to leave (due to the fact that he's a crook), Palin may well appoint herself as senator. I hope to see Palin in national leadership too-as President! Obviously, I ♥ Palin! Take care and have a wonderful weekend, yo! :-D