The Burbs

We've been at the burbs now for almost a month. Contrary to popular belief, there IS stuff to do; you just have to try harder and get off your high horse. It's different from city life. Things that are different:

1. There are no local coffee shops within walking distance.
2. The malls do not have bookshops (though I suspect this is everywhere).
3. No one walks here. That's an exaggeration but when people walk here, they walk for exercise. When I walked in Seattle, it was to get to my next destination.
4. People don't stick around for movie theater end credits.
5. Everyone says hi to each other or acknowledges each other with a smile.
6. There isn't really a subculture, at least I haven't seen evidence of one.
7. There really is a California casual dress code.
8. Everyone is white.
9. The dogs are not as friendly. I think it's because they mainly associate with their owners whereas city dogs have to deal with dog-less people like me who try to pet them on sight.
10. More chains, less local everything.

At least once a week, we try to go for a walk to this nearby waterfall. It's kind of amazing that it's right there in their backyard:












I know. Super pretty. It's almost enough to make me give up city life. Almost.

Chips

Two Windmills

I'm a late blogger.

Here it is Monday and I'm doing Sunday's blog. Oh well.









I'm trying to become a better photographer to prepare for our trip. I've never tried to become a photographer before. I think I found carrying a camera around to be a bit intrusive. I'm liking it now. I find myself looking more carefully at things. Above are two photos I took of the same thing about a week apart. I like the one on the right better. At first I wasn't sure why, but two quotes I got from the internet might help.

The recipe for a good photograph is:
"A foreground, a background, and nothing else."

and

The recipe for a great photograph is:
"Consider how the parts interrelate with the whole".


-ships

Santa Cruz Reunion in Long Beach

We spent Valentine's Day weekend with our beautiful friends Obizuth, her hubby, and my lovely friend, Sonny. It was a lovely reunion of old college friends and we hadn't seen Obizuth in 8 years. Whoah. She treated us to whale watching, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Wii, and foodie-fun.


Whale watching is akin to falling in love: You go out there in the open waters, hoping to find something awesome and inspiring, something that reminds you what an amazing world it is you live in. You brave the cold, stinging air whipping at your face until you can't see straight. It's a bumpy ride and it can make you sick or make you fall over. You wait and look and think it's never going to happen. Then you're suddenly surprised to see, across the glimmering ocean, a mist of water in the shape of a heart (seriously, heart-shaped blows created by gray whales). You chase and chase, and sometimes you can't reach them. But when you finally get near one and see its back rise up to the surface, you kind of just feel lucky and special. And then it's gone. And then you head back for land, all smooshy feeling. You're looking at the beautiful red sun sinking into the waters and you look toward the city lights. You're tired and exhilarated. You're glad you've experienced it at least once.


The Aquarium of the Pacific. I cannot say enough good things about this place. We pet sharks and rays. Saw alien creatures in bright colors. I was glad there was a thick piece of glass between me and some of those things. Some of them look like they came straight from some Ridley Scott alien/sci-fi movie. I saw these shark eggs that looked like mermaid's purses. The aquarium did this thing where they peeled off the outer shell/skin so you can see the development of the shark inside. Totally creepy. Totally gross. Totally awesome:


It was a good trip. It did not feel like 8 years had gone by. They were still the people I met in Santa Cruz, where I found joy and discovered who I wanted to be in life. They are a great reminder of hope in myself and in what I want for the future. I had a nice weekend full of love.



- Chips

PS: Thanks to Obizuth for a few of these pretty photos!

Mission Mundane

Today I was on a mission: To find a cheap pair of athletic pants without a stripe going down the leg.


I found it.

I also had a job interview. I hope it will turn out as successful as the first mission.

The Getty

I have never been to The Getty. It may be my new favorite museum.

Top 3 Reasons Why The Getty Blew My Mind
1. It's free ($15 for parking but get a car full of folks and it's the price of a Big Mac).
2. The structure of The Getty is so beautiful that if you get bored with the exhibitions, just step outside and you're good to go.
3. Culture in LA? Beyond Hollywood? Holla.

We parked. And to my surprise, we took a tram up into the mountains. We slowly teetered over the LA freeway. It was like floating up into the sky where we finally arrived to a white stone castle that was just moments from reaching the sun. We stepped out and the stone blocks on the exterior of the building are actually made of not-stone. And if you knock on each block, it produces a musical note, each one different from the other. Each time we passed a building, we played a song. Many of the surrounding trees were bare, with the exception of a few fragrant peppercorn trees. Every corner reveals a little pocket of beauty: dancing lights from the ripples of a fountain, iron sculptures, a lone window that spies above LA.

We saw works by Rembrandt and his students and an exhibit on urban landscaping among other things. All works were beautiful but I was already too moved by the actual building itself to pay any attention to the work inside. Here is the only low point of the trip for me: we sat down for a little refresher at The Cafe (which is actually a cafeteria). I was totally craving a chocolate chip cookie and perhaps a latte or mocha. I was expecting at least a Starbucks. But I ordered my latte from a machine. I pressed a button, and this machine spurted out lukewarm milk and weak coffee and it would not stop until my cup overflowed for about 20 seconds more. Then I bought a cookie sealed in a little plastic pouch. It was so hard, I could have used it to file my finger nails. It had been quite sometime since I went out for coffee and conversation and this was supposed to be the highlight of my Getty visit. And it didn't happen. I missed Seattle.

The gardens were a manicured arrangement of succulents with bursts of red-purples and oranges, surrounded by a man-made stream. At sunset, just when the last of the light delved beneath the mountain, we made our way through the labrynth and the museum lights lit up the garden. We boarded the tram once again. How could I go back to the reality when I had just experienced heaven? We slowly descended over the city lights. Got back into the car and enjoyed the rest of the night: short exploration of Hollywood before dinner at Vinolio (both experiences that deserve more of a mention but I fear this post is already too long).

Good night.

Chips

Out with the old

Back in California visiting before our big trip. So far: Scrabble, Mom's cooking, cable TV, hikes. It's very relaxing and nice to be home. I'm a bit restless at times. We've started to try to help organize the attic. We're going through all my toys which I may have difficulty letting go of. I've started to rebuild my lego castles just to see if all the pieces are still there. We found some old report cards and other things from school. I got pretty good grades. Here is an essay I wrote in 1986:



Here's to dwelling in the past! That's all for now!

- Ships