Should
I have so much good stuff to record!
First let me say that I am again writing from the picnic table at a KOA. Aaah!
A little back story: The 2 cats I am babysitting are none other than the evil Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp! The woman whose apartment I am staying in gave me a lengthy run down of there needs and quirks including the fact that one sometimes poops on the rug for no apparent reason (she was sure it wasn't defiance) and the other, the one who prefers not to be in the same room with me, like lots of petting. Hmmm.
There was some vagary about whether or not the bedroom door should be closed to the cats. I thought she said yes, and was glad of it; they say no. Last night they were howling outside the door in the middle of the night and I refused to give in to their demands. In the morning they had crapped in several strategic spots including my guitar case. Manipulative mongrels!
Yesterday, when I was just hating Sacramento, not the cats, I decided I needed to know if San Diego was really my final destination. What if I got there and hated it? What then? Would I proceed to drive home and live out my days mortified in my parents basement?
Internet research said that it was about a 7 hour drive. Down in a day, stay a day, back in a day!
So I set out this morning, really glad to be going but kind of disgruntled; I'm sure the poop-fest didn't help. About an hour outside Sacramento, I found there was a screw stuck in my tire. Given my mood at the time, I had to sit in my car in moody paralysis until my dad told me what to do. The gas station attendant pointed me across the way to a very ramshackle fix-it shop where a sweet and friendly ranshackle man plugged the hole. I got to watch and it is a fascinating process!
I was feeling much lighter when I set out again. There were hours of burnt, flat country to cross. Finally mountains began to break through their hazy shroud and we started to climb. The roads were so bad that I had to pull over and check that all four of my tires hadn't suddenly gone flat! This prompted more worry and a leaden guilt hung an the whole journey because it felt impulsive and it was using up the tiny monetary reserves. Then dear Gwyneth called! She cheered me up with her encouragement, and then Mom called to top me off. Once I hit LA, I wasn't even annoyed by the mysterious stop and go traffic. My one day observation is that southern California traffic seems to go in waves. One minute you are stopped to crawling and the next you are flying along. The stopping never lasted long!
When the Pacific came into view I shouted a greeting to her. This side of the mountains things had color and the sea air complemented the hot sun perfectly! As I entered San Diego county I realized that I had finally gotten to the part of this trip that was really mine. There had been so many shoulds along the way, not the least of which is this damn housesitting gig! It's been hard to stand confidently and tell any number of inquisitors over the past several months that I'm drawn to San Diego by something I can't name and I'm going there without job or contacts or anything, but I knew I hadn't been wrong when the tears just welled up as I gazed from green hills to ocean horizon to mop-headed palms.
I sliced through the city on the freeway (tomorrow I will do some more in depth research) on my way to the beloved KOA. Let me sing it's praises just a little longer! It's like going on vacation to the '50's! Everything is clean and manicured and the staff genuinely perky. My dream is to one day stay in a Kamping Kabin! They are life-sized yet cozy Lincoln Log homes, complete with porches and arranged around little green courtyards!
I nearly forgot! I have been longing for sea you can swim in since the chilly tease of Puget Sound. On my way into SD I stopped in Encinitas at the state beach to see if they had any campsites. They did not but I took the opportunity to hop down to the beach. Bliss! The water was definitely warmer than the Jersey shore in June when Bobby and I did our mad body surfing! I think it will make for very pleasant swimming! The sand was silky and cool.
Well folks, now we just need to find me a job!
First let me say that I am again writing from the picnic table at a KOA. Aaah!
A little back story: The 2 cats I am babysitting are none other than the evil Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp! The woman whose apartment I am staying in gave me a lengthy run down of there needs and quirks including the fact that one sometimes poops on the rug for no apparent reason (she was sure it wasn't defiance) and the other, the one who prefers not to be in the same room with me, like lots of petting. Hmmm.
There was some vagary about whether or not the bedroom door should be closed to the cats. I thought she said yes, and was glad of it; they say no. Last night they were howling outside the door in the middle of the night and I refused to give in to their demands. In the morning they had crapped in several strategic spots including my guitar case. Manipulative mongrels!
Yesterday, when I was just hating Sacramento, not the cats, I decided I needed to know if San Diego was really my final destination. What if I got there and hated it? What then? Would I proceed to drive home and live out my days mortified in my parents basement?
Internet research said that it was about a 7 hour drive. Down in a day, stay a day, back in a day!
So I set out this morning, really glad to be going but kind of disgruntled; I'm sure the poop-fest didn't help. About an hour outside Sacramento, I found there was a screw stuck in my tire. Given my mood at the time, I had to sit in my car in moody paralysis until my dad told me what to do. The gas station attendant pointed me across the way to a very ramshackle fix-it shop where a sweet and friendly ranshackle man plugged the hole. I got to watch and it is a fascinating process!
I was feeling much lighter when I set out again. There were hours of burnt, flat country to cross. Finally mountains began to break through their hazy shroud and we started to climb. The roads were so bad that I had to pull over and check that all four of my tires hadn't suddenly gone flat! This prompted more worry and a leaden guilt hung an the whole journey because it felt impulsive and it was using up the tiny monetary reserves. Then dear Gwyneth called! She cheered me up with her encouragement, and then Mom called to top me off. Once I hit LA, I wasn't even annoyed by the mysterious stop and go traffic. My one day observation is that southern California traffic seems to go in waves. One minute you are stopped to crawling and the next you are flying along. The stopping never lasted long!
When the Pacific came into view I shouted a greeting to her. This side of the mountains things had color and the sea air complemented the hot sun perfectly! As I entered San Diego county I realized that I had finally gotten to the part of this trip that was really mine. There had been so many shoulds along the way, not the least of which is this damn housesitting gig! It's been hard to stand confidently and tell any number of inquisitors over the past several months that I'm drawn to San Diego by something I can't name and I'm going there without job or contacts or anything, but I knew I hadn't been wrong when the tears just welled up as I gazed from green hills to ocean horizon to mop-headed palms.
I sliced through the city on the freeway (tomorrow I will do some more in depth research) on my way to the beloved KOA. Let me sing it's praises just a little longer! It's like going on vacation to the '50's! Everything is clean and manicured and the staff genuinely perky. My dream is to one day stay in a Kamping Kabin! They are life-sized yet cozy Lincoln Log homes, complete with porches and arranged around little green courtyards!
I nearly forgot! I have been longing for sea you can swim in since the chilly tease of Puget Sound. On my way into SD I stopped in Encinitas at the state beach to see if they had any campsites. They did not but I took the opportunity to hop down to the beach. Bliss! The water was definitely warmer than the Jersey shore in June when Bobby and I did our mad body surfing! I think it will make for very pleasant swimming! The sand was silky and cool.
Well folks, now we just need to find me a job!
posted by Eiren at 7:33 PM
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