A return to sun and friends

I arrived in LA to blue skies and sun on Tuesday. It took me almost 14 hours to get here but it was worth it. Once I started to bask in the rays, drink in the smog and revel in the warmth all the pain of missing flights due to de-icing, being re-routed through Phoenix and getting a special security probe and fondling at the airport was forgotten.

I spent the rest of Tuesday with one of my favorite people, Erika. We decided to do a cupcake tour of LA. She researched all the top-rated cupcakeries in the area and we went to three of them. We didn’t get to hit all on the list because I arrived so late in the day but by number three I was sugared out. We were both craving protein so we went to my favorite restaurant, Versailles. I was so sick by the end of the day. But it was a good sick

Wednesday it was back to the grind at work. It was odd to be there. I forgot about all of the chaos, flurry of activity, the massive amounts of meeting and never-ending pressure and ridiculousness. By the end of the day I was exhausted. It was also a giant reminder that I don’t really work there any more. My life has started to move on. I am so disconnected from what they are doing. It was a strange feeling. I was kind of sad and kind of relieved.

But all was saved because Lisa, Tina and I went to Disneyland Wednesday night. It really is the happiest place on earth. Just being there made me smile. We got to ride Pirates, Indiana Jones and saw the fireworks show. It was all phenomenal.

Thursday night it was dinner with Debbie. Tonight Lisa and I are off to a dance show at the Orange County Performing Arts Center by Alvin Ailey. It should be fun.

Today my boss treated to a fabulous lunch down by the beach. It was just amazing and wonderful to sit out in the sun, eat great food and be with friends. We laughed. We ate high-priced mediocre food and I got to stare at the vastness of the ocean. It was phenomenal.

I have just been so busy since I got here, which is in stark contrast to my life in Ohio where I do pretty much nothing. I have so many people I want to see and so little time. All of my lunches and dinners are taken. I need more time. I think the best thing is just that I get to have real conversations. In Ohio all I ever seem to talk about is the weather, how I’m adjusting and how I must miss the sun. It’s crazy. I’m sick of having the same conversation over and over. Here I get to be me with people who’ve known me for a while. We get to have deeper conversation. It’s just a refreshing change.

My mom is worried that I’m here looking for a job and/or a place to live. My dad has called twice and my brother called once just wondering where I was and why I haven’t called. It’s nice to be missed.

On Saturday I’m off to Temecula to go wine-tasting and on Sunday we might be crazy and drive to Santa Barbara, we’ll see. It’ll be good!

Filed under: Living in LA LA Land , Alvin Ailey, Disneyland, family, freelancing, orange county, work

Dealing with the Smoke

Now that we are out of imminent fire danger the biggest threat is smoke inhalation.

The sky is still filled with plumes of white and black smoke and the ground is beginning to be covered with ash. I can’t imagine what’s in our lungs.

Today at work they were handing out masks to help reduce the congestion and sneezing but the watery eyes and burning throat are hard to fight. Tina has some great pictures of the efforts.

Since we lived so close our house was filled with the now familiar fire smell. We’ve been running the air conditioning so there is at least one filter to what is passing into our lungs.

All I can say is praise God for allergy drugs. I’m doing all right.

Filed under: Health, Living in LA LA Land , allergies, fire, orange county, smoke

Best Place to Get News on OC Fires

The Orange County Santiago fires continue to head east along the edge of the canyon towards Silverado. The state fire authorities are reporting that we are 30% contained with 27,000 acres burned so far.

The frustrating thing is that its hard to get information about the Orange County fire specifically. The tv news focused on Malibu for the longest time and seemed more concerned that the filming of 24 was delayed because of the fire than the fact that ours was raging. My parents, who live in Ohio, didn’t even know that the fire was anywhere near us because national news focused on Malibu and San Diego.

The best place to get updates has been the Orange County Register. They have blogs, photos, video, and maps to make sure we know what’s going on. When in doubt go with the paper, tv is just too sensational and focuses on really trivial details and information. You can also submit your personal fire photos and video.

Maybe my bias against tv news is showing just a bit.

Filed under: Living in LA LA Land , fire, news, oc register, orange county