A Few Musings

• San Diego has two alternative radio stations. They both play a lot of Nine Inch Nails. Happy, happy...
• The NPR station, however, sucks.
• I've heard criticism of San Diego's food scene, but we're dining quite well.
• I miss Four Peaks, though - at the end of my first week of work, I really wanted to celebrate there.
• I should have done more work the past few days, but I'm a member of a union... working on Labor Day would have violated its spirit, right? Sigh.
• This weekend makes me glad we picked an apartment with an A/C.
• I just finished reading The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, andThe King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. Read them. They were excellent.
• It's bizarre living in such a touristy area. We peeked out at the beach this morning after breakfast (yummy Belgian waffles) and decided to not brave the hordes, but rather return later. We have the option to return later! Every day is a day at the beach. ;)
• As a corollary, despite judicious usage of suncreen, I have the worst farmer tan ever.

First Month

We've now spent a full month in our new home. I've started my new job. I still feel somewhat out of place - not quite settled in the apartment, not quite settled in the office. The new students are good, though - eager, respectful, hard-working, responsive... I like them quite a bit so far. I don't know that they'll see the best of me this semester, as I figure out all the ins and outs of the new workplace. I'll try my best, though.

I continue to enjoy the beachy vibe. We've spent part of every day by the water. I guess that's what happens when you spend over a decade in the desert - you learn to treasure water. I especially like wading in the ocean. During my time at UCLA I was too busy to spend much time at the beach; I can only recall a handful of visits. I think I'm making up for it now. Not that I'm not busy, but I am scheduling in beach time. Very important.

I hope y'all are having a great holiday weekend!

My Day

Morning

Noon

From San Diego - A...

Night

From San Diego - A...

Tidbits

• I have lived in San Diego for two weeks now and have spent part of every day near the water.
• Classes don't start for another week and a half, but I have officially started the new job. The people are all very nice.
• I can hear the fireworks at SeaWorld every night. We watched them once.
• Upon leaving work yesterday, I realized that I had never driven home from the new workplace before. Still managed to find my way home.
• Hot cocoa has medicinal properties, truly.
• I miss how unabashedly spicy the food was at our favorite Phoenix restaurants.
• I have not found It's-Its in San Diego, but I'm heading to L.A. this weekend. Hear me, Kirsten? A quest?
• I think our apartment looks cleaner with all our belongings still in boxes. Perhaps this should be our new strategy.
• My entire wardrobe consists of jeans, linen skirts, and t-shirts. I might need to upgrade for the new locale.
• I should probably wipe the sand off my feet before I go to bed, eh?

Keeping me honest

Today marks my three-year anniversary of being on Weight Watchers. Unfortunately, this year being a Weight Watcher meant watching my weight go up - all my fault, not the program's. I have all sorts of excuses: traveling a lot, stress related to moving and looking for a job, eating out whilst the movers had our stuff, etc... The reality is I just haven't been as healthy as I should. But instead of berating myself too much, I'll just vow to get back on track and celebrate the weight I've managed to keep off.

August 2004

August 2007

From San Diego - A...

Click on the above image for some pix of our new locale! To a good year ahead!

Stuff!

We have stuff! The movers finally came today, and I just spent the last hour or so unpacking clothes and linens and such. I've sat on our couch. I've made the bed. Yay for stuff! Although the last week and a half demonstrated that we can do without a lot of our stuff. Of course, we had the internet. I'm sooooooo glad that we had the cable company set up our box even though we didn't have the TV, because we would have gone crazy without the internets. It's good that the movers came today, though, because last night I found myself watching Snape fanvids on YouTube for entertainment.

Dinner Relaxation

I cooked dinner. Armed with one stockpot and our new microwave and toaster oven and parsley from our wee herb garden, I made us a meal. Our first home-cooked meal in a very long time. We, um, ate a lot tonight. And there are leftovers!

Still no delivery of our stuff from the movers. Although highly aggravating, this has also allowed us to spend more time relaxing and getting to know some of the different areas in San Diego. I mean, sure, I could have been unpacking today, but then would I have taken two walks along the beach? Had breakfast at a funky cafe? Explored a new coffee house? Hmm? So, in silver lining mode, I will enjoy the free time before life gets busy with unpacking and starting the new job. Hope they don't mind me looking casual, because all I have are jeans with me now!

Pizza, Beach, Donuts

Tonight featured pizza and a sunset stroll in Solana Beach, a very pleasant way to spend the evening. On the way back, we spotted a donut shop and stopped by to pick up dessert. There was a little boy there, speaking for his mother, and he wanted a dozen donuts. But he only had five dollars - that was enough for half a dozen, but the whole dozen was seven dollars. He looked forlorn and told us we could make our selections ahead of him. He was so sweet and polite and was obviously trying to determine his best options, so we offered him two dollars on our way out so he could buy the dozen. At first he refused, but I told him that I also really like donuts, so he thanked us. On the way out the door, I looked back and the shopkeeper was smiling at us while filling up a box with a dozen donuts. I hope the boy and his family enjoyed them.

Adjusting

I'm slowly getting used to the idea that I don't live in Arizona anymore. We'd lived there so long and spent so much time away the past few months that I still kinda feel like I'm "out of town" for a little while. But it's sinking in.

Today we found a nifty coffee house in Point Loma. We also went to the new Trader Joes in Point Loma, which is lovely and BIG! We also ate fish tacos for lunch, went for a stroll on the beach, and put away some of the belongings that we brought with us. (Still waiting for the darned movers.) The day closed eating yummy Vietnamese food with Greg's Cousin Ellen (hi!) and her husband. All-in-all, a pleasant day here in the new home town.

Californian

Well, we're here. We have officially moved to San Diego, after fourteen years in Arizona. I had some very good experiences in Arizona - earned my Ph.D., met good people, ate great food, had a wonderful job, reveled in Flagstaff. But in all that time, I never considered myself to be an Arizonan. Born and raised in California, I've always considered myself a Californian. My time in Arizona had a "Californian living abroad" sort of vibe. But now I'm back, even though it's only Southern California (says the Northern California girl). Now I'll be able to argue both national and state politics with the family. Speaking of which, I leave the state for awhile, and people voted in Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor. I'll never forgive them!

West Coast Offense

The battle to move to the West Coast is ongoing. The move isn't going as smoothly as we'd hoped, but it's going. I guess most moves go this way... it's just been a long time since I'd made the attempt, and the game-plan has been disrupted.

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I can think of few people who brought more high points to my youth than Bill Walsh. I remember "The Catch" and beating the Cowboys in the playoffs. I remember the defeat of the Dolphins (ha ha ha!) in the Super Bowl. I remember almost missing dinner in the dorms while watching the last of his Super Bowl victories in 1989. His influence on the NFL was immense, from the West Coast Offense to the advocation of the recruitment of minority coaches. He'll be missed.

Things I WILL miss about Phoenix - #4 & #5

Greg and I, as well as friends Bob and Laura, went to see Rush in concert last night. Rush is always a wonderful band to see live - incredibly tight, fun performance. Before the concert, we all met up at Four Peaks. Even though I'm not a beer drinker, this brew pub is one of the best places on the planet, in my opinion. Great food, great atmosphere, friendly folks - the vibe is always so comfortable and festive. I've been to many brew pubs in many places, and apparently there are many to explore in San Diego, but Four Peaks will be difficult to replace.

Another haunt that I will miss and will find hard to replace is Carlsbad Tavern. It was where we celebrated my Ph.D. with family, the first restaurant we went to after 9/11, the place where I get to watch Aaron eat habanero burgers. We went there last week, and I ordered a plate of blue corn enchiladas with black beans and rice... a plate of Southwestern love.

I think you can guess my dining choices on any return trips to the Phoenix area. ;)

Things I WILL miss about Phoenix - #3

Today we crossed the desert without incident and ended up in San Diego, where tomorrow we'll pick up the keys to our new apartment in preparation for the big move this weekend. I still can't believe the move is upon us. The summer is going by so fast!

As much as I look forward to living near the sea, I will miss our Tempe neighborhood. We have a great apartment (at least when it's clean). I can walk (but not during June-August) to the bank, gym, Starbucks, my massage therapist, and Whole Foods. We're in a little blue island in a sea of red. I have a seven minute commute to work. However, it does seem like we're leaving at the right time. The Whole Foods will be moving a few miles away. A Super WalMart will be moving in about a mile away (over the dead bodies of many of the residents, I'm sure). And many of our baristas have left in the past few months - Katie, to do humanitarian work in Africa, and Ricky, of the perfect hot chocolate, to devote more time to school. Things are changing, and our departure will be part of that change.

Don't Bother Me, I'm Reading.

We went to get ice cream tonight and enjoyed it while walking around a strip mall with a good independent bookstore. We decided to peek in at the Harry Potter festivities. With over three hours to go and before the official start of the party, the place was already a zoo. Muggles, witches, and wizards will wandering about. As many, if not more, adults than kids were in costume, including a brilliant Mad Eye Moody.

Finally ended up in line with over 500 other people at a different bookstore. Mostly adults, with a significant number being women with their long-suffering men in tow. (Thanks, dude!) Many were making purchases in addition to HP, including one man ahead of me buying an anthology that Greg is in. Yay! And now, after a two-hour odyssey in which I met former students and colleagues, I am home with my book. Time to read! Sleep is for the weak!

A Solemn Vow

I will clean my new office more often than my old office. I will not let several semesters' worth of recycling pile up. I will be better about tidying up and organizing my paperwork. I will shred old student papers in a timely fashion. This, I vow.

Things I WILL miss about Phoenix - #2

I've been having problems with my neck since Spring 2003. It's much better than it used to be, in large part because I've been seeing a wonderful massage therapist once every few months. Oh, how I shall miss her! For example, last night she was so worried about the state of my neck that the hour-long massage turned into two hours, and I'm SO much better. Just a sweet, kind woman, incredibly attuned... I wish I could pack her up and take her to San Diego with me. If any of you are ever in the Phoenix area and want a great therapeutic massage, let me know and I'll give you her contact information. I know that I have one more scheduled before I leave, and I'll keep her number for the next time I'm in town.

Keeper

I'm at one of my offices, sorting through old student papers. I can recycle everything but pages marked with names & grades...those I have to set aside to shred. Thus, this process takes awhile, but it's fun to come across old students. I remember most of them fondly, can even see where they sat in class, hear their voices... I found this comment on an end-of-semester exercise:

Have you always been this entertaining of a teacher or has the witty sarcasm and amazing energy come to you with time?

Oh, that's a keeper. :)

Disconnected

I'm not sure what day it is anymore. Between the epic road-trip and the quick trips to San Diego and not having to be at work, I feel disconnected from time. Perhaps that explains how I ended up with two, if not three, meetings tomorrow...at three different locations! At least they're all in Arizona... I'm not that confused yet. Trust me, the heat reminds me where I am. :)

The dotted lines have been signed on all the new job-related paperwork and on the new lease, so this move will be happening in two weeks. Wow. I can't let that date slip away like all the other days. Well, I also have to keep July 21 in mind, too - Harry Potter! Better get packing, so I have that day to read!

Things I WILL Miss About Phoenix - #1

When it's almost 110 degrees again, it's easy to come up with things I won't miss about Phoenix - the relentless heat, the feeling of being trapped inside one's domicile for about 3 months out of the year, the increasing urban sprawl... However, as the move to San Diego grows ever closer, I can also think of many things I will miss about this area. For example, I will miss Harkins Theatres, a family-owned movie house chain that's been in operation since 1933. From seeing the Fugitive during our first week in town to camping out for Episode I to seeing Transformers just today on a truly large screen with a great sound system (to perfectly complement such a fun summer movie), Harkins has been an important part of our lives here. Dan Harkins, a true movie geek who makes sure all the important indie films and documentaries get into his theaters, has expanded the chain to outside of Arizona recently, with a few in the Riverside area of California and I wish him well. If he ever decides to move into the San Diego area, we'll spend our movie dollars there gladly.

Definitely Summer

The beginning of the week was quite productive, with finding an apartment in San Diego and dealing with some of the paperwork for the new job. Hopefully the rest of the week will see packing and cleaning and more progress towards the move. But before dealing with that, we had a lovely Fourth of July - banana walnut pancakes, Live Free or Die Hard, buffalo burgers courtesy of Greg, and a hot fudge sundae. Just a glorious summer day. That is, after Greg made me drink water and supplied me with cold compresses because it was 116 degrees today! In all our years here, I never acclimated to the summers, and don't dare say "at least it's a dry heat" to me. San Diego is sounding better and better. ;)