Southern California Roadtrip (April 17-21)

April 17th: San Diego was beautiful. I explored Mission Beach, toured San Diego Zoo, and met up with friend Adrienne (see posts regarding crossing the United States!!!) for an exciting night of Indian food and partying at the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel. The outfits at the Hard Rock Cafe were amazing--I was vastly underdressed in my very best travel "nice" outfit.



The Meerkats were just as cute as they appear on TV.

April 18th: After dropping Adrienne off at the airport, I drove up the highway 1 to Santa Monica Pier where I had that free night in the Holiday Inn Express. I love Holiday Inn- they gave me a great ocean view that also had a view of the pier at night- I watched the ferris wheel change colors for awhile the night I arrived. I explored the pier, rode the roller coaster and the ferris wheel, wandered and took pictures, then headed up to the promenade to enjoy the street shows. There were some people set up to salsa in the street, magic shows, solo musicians, acts... it was great. I landed in a tiny restaurant (my favorite type) called Manchego which turned out to be everything I hope dining alone will be. And in dining alone, I mean sitting at a bar having a fascinating conversation with a German girl who is working for a studio as a casting agent assistant and a fellow who was an out of work actor. The food was great- I don't remember everything but there were goat cheese stuffed figs and bacon wrapped scallops and that was enough! I wandered home after dark, slightly fuzzy and excited about finally seeing Hollywood the next day.





April 19th: I drove into LA and rushed to Warner Brother Studio for the VIP tour. I had read on the website that you should buy your tickets ahead of time or risk not getting one. I had not planned ahead but was able to jump on the next tour. I highly recommend it-- we toured the back studio on a small golf cart with about 10 other tourists, wandered the set of the Mentalist, touched the walls of the set used for the musical ANNIE, which was also used for the main street scene for FRIENDS and a whole bunch of other shows. We also stopped by a small museum which housed a whole floor dedicated to Harry Potter (I was sorted into Slytherin) and another floor with costumes ranging from the Matrix to Edward Scissorhands. We saw the golf cart belonging to Mr. Lopez (it had sparkles) and the set for Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a wonderful tour--one of the best and most informative I've ever been on. I was sad to inform my parents that they were truly disassembling the set for Two and a Half Men (it had not been officially cancelled yet, but the set was being torn down).





After the studio tour, I became star struck and headed down to Hollywood to walk the star path and place my hands in the handprints at the Chinese Theater. My favorite handprints included the Harry Potter cast (of course), Shirley Temple, John Wayne, Douglas Fairbanks...and R2D2. I finished my star gazing with a massage at a nearby hotel- the spa entrance fee allowed me access to the roof for views of the area and it felt right to get a massage in Hollywood. :-)





April 20th: I went to Disneyland and California Adventures. Yes it was smaller than Disney World (which I grew up going to); yes I liked it anyway. If you were planning a trip to Calfornia I'd recommend the Warner Brother Studios and a drive up the PCH-- but if you have excess time then a trip to California Adventures would certainly be fun. I had fun. Holiday Inn Express wow'd me again with a free upgrade to the whirlpool suite and a cheaper price than I was expecting for a hotel within a 15 minute walk to Disney. The night ended in Fireworks and a churro (as all nights should).

April 21: I drove back to reality, through the rain, up Hwy 5. It was dreary. It was done.

Driving South

My frantic tour of the south has begun.

Today, left San Jose at 6:30am (dragged myself from the bed).

Drove down 101 for a very long time.

Arrived in Santa Barbara at 11:30am and toured around the courthouse, which was absolutely beautiful. Old wood, murals, and tile- I'd show up to traffic court just to look! Ate at a place called Jeannie's just around from the courthouse- loved the turkey and cranberry wrap. Shopped at some spiritual store and bought some CDs on a whim- didn't need them, and not sure why I bought them, but I shall endeavor to listen to them. Drove around the lovely little town and then headed south on hwy 1 to Santa Monica.

Halfway there I finally got ahold of my Holiday Inn rewards program and realized I could get a free night at a Santa Monica hotel on the pier-- but only for SUNDAY night. Reshuffled the schedule and continued to head south past Santa Monica.

And hit L.A. traffic. 2 hours later, (for what should have taken 40 minutes), I arrived in San Luis de Capistrano. Parked, called around, and reserved at Best Western Inn by the Sea in Dana Point. Cute hotel, nice desk person, but very tricky. They promised me a view of the ocean and I have one-- about a 12 inch view from behind the elevator. Tricky tricky. If he hadn't of said it was a ocean view room I'd be perfectly happy- it's a very nice little inn with a courtyard, a sun deck that DOES have an unobstructed view of the ocean, and a jacuzzi. It's a one block walk from several restaurants and a bar. You can hear the ocean from the rooms (even from behind the elevator!). It's clean and well kept. I just feel a little scammed for my "ocean view". Ate eggplant parmesan at a local Italian restaurant and am now typing and eating some skittles (taste the rainbow).

Tomorrow-on to San Diego to meet up with friend Adrienne who may want to explore the San Diego Zoo with me. We shall see. Today was a whole bunch of driving and a few nice views. Tomorrow it's time to explore.

Kidnapped by Stress and Fun

I did not get kidnapped in Jamaica. I'd have liked about 2 more days there (the sun actually was OUT our last day- making me desire just a little nap in a warm sun instead of the chilly windy beach trip I experienced instead). It was a grand time though. Old roomie from college was an awesome partner in crime in everything but karaoke (who can blame her need to sit back on THAT one) and really made the trip worth it. We walked up a waterfall, we laid on a beach (slightly chilly due to a cold front) we played checkers with the security guard, we tried lots of sweet drinks, we wandered and swam and ate lots of desserts. It was a nice getaway. Jamaica mainland was scary- and we stayed on the resort to avoid it.

California is still fun, but I find myself slowly disengaging from the traveling life as I contemplate settling down and finding a permanent job. I've been at this 4 years- was only planning for 2 year. The economy and job market scare me a bit and I worry about whether I'll find a permanent job or will I be forced to continue traveling out of necessity?

I've slowly looked at my disposable income and expenses and am ruthlessly chopping back and coupon cutting. I'm examining my retirement portfolio (nowhere close to retiring, but by early 30's I should at least have a better managed plan instead of a target retirement date plan). I'm looking around at my belongings and trying to gauge what is important to me. I'm making lists of things I want to accomplish by 40. I'm slowly getting ready to become boring and I'm slightly scared.

On the upside, a guy at work asked me on a date. I blew him off (politely) but there's hope in that department. I really can't get involved with anyone 2000 miles away from where I plan to be in 2 months. It's not fair to the guy- he's nice though and it was nice to be hit on.

Other fun stuff- went kayaking for the first time in 10 years or so and had a blast. I planned to go again this morning but it rained and I just didn't think cold, wet and worn out was something I wanted to face this week with. Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, CA is just brilliant to kayak in- calm waters, otters playing around your boat, seals, birds of all varieties, and enough people in the water to feel safe but not crowded. The farmer's markets continue to amaze and thrill me with all the varieties of fresh fruits and veggies- though in the back of my mind I'm telling myself that SC does not have farmer's markets like this. The churches have been nice, but instead of picking one I seem to be slowly rotating through all the Catholic churches in the area. There's a limbo feeling within me as I move through the daily routine. What's next. What comes next?

The only reason I extended my contract is that they gave me 6 days off between my original enddate and my extension start date. I plan to use those 6 days to visit southern CA so that I've seen it. So far, the only firm plan in to stay in Pismo Beach the first night. After that- wandering I will go!

And the weekend after that I head to Seattle for a conference. Those plans are already set- hotel/air/conference fees already paid. Ride to and from airport being provided by co-worker's husband. It's all good.

Of course, signing an extension threw a new stress into life. They unfortunately had rented my apartment by the time the extension was signed. So I have to move apartments. The apartment is on the other side of the complex so for the next few nights I'll be carrying over belongings. Tuesday they move my furniture. Thursday I head South for 6 days. Today I finally got my taxes done, though not printed and in the mail yet. Tomorrow I am working. Just a little stress to make it all fun.

So after my taxes get in, and after I move, and after I frantically tour southern CA, and after I go to class in Seattle, I'll work on my resume and see if there's luck in the air in SC for me. What's next? What comes after all the traveling and moving and adventure? I have a better handle on what's important to me in life, and a great competency in all areas of Speech Language Pathology, but will the ducks line up appropriately or will they continue to wander despite my attempts to organize them? I guess that, in itself, is the next adventure.