Got the book Saturday morning.
On page 201.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Rent, The Snobs, and the beautiful scenery
90% of people I met over the past week in California are transplants - meaning they were all born and raised elsewhere before coming to CA. I've always heard so many nice things about CA I wasn't surprised that people would naturally flock to the state for all it's sunny days and temperate climate.
However, I would NEVER live in Monterey/Salinas. If you're young, single and have no kids, you can afford to pay $2000 in rent every month and hang at the local bar (daily since there is nothing else to do there but drink). If you are retired and have a handsome retirement fund you can live there and sail, or open a local bar where all the single, young professionals can hang out all week night long.
The area we were in is all agriculture - lettuce, strawberries and the likes. California also breeds wine snobs! "Is there a note of chocolate in this bouquet?" one would hear at least once during dinner. Don't get me wrong, I like wine, but I don't presume to make a study of why I like the damn thing. I like what tastes good and if I like it enough, I might buy a bottle. I do not have the money nor the inclination to search out and join a wine tasting or wine tour purely for the sake of educating my nose to which fermented/rotten barrel of grapes could possibly house a 'note of chocolate'.
By golly if I wanted chocolate, I would have driven my butt to the nearest chocolatier, or the nearest supermarket!
Despite all sorts of issues related to travel and the wine snobs here and there, the view in Monterey is something to see. It was nice having the mountains as a back drop to your morning commute. It was interesting to see homes carved into the hillside. The last night I was there, we ate at a place called the FishHopper. The place literally stretched all the way out to the edge of the pier, and we sat surrounded by floor to celing window on three sides of us and watched an otter play in the evening fog that rolled onto the shore. We saw the sunset from Carmel beach. BEAUTIFUL.
I thought about my boys back home and wished they could have seen it with me.
However, I would NEVER live in Monterey/Salinas. If you're young, single and have no kids, you can afford to pay $2000 in rent every month and hang at the local bar (daily since there is nothing else to do there but drink). If you are retired and have a handsome retirement fund you can live there and sail, or open a local bar where all the single, young professionals can hang out all week night long.
The area we were in is all agriculture - lettuce, strawberries and the likes. California also breeds wine snobs! "Is there a note of chocolate in this bouquet?" one would hear at least once during dinner. Don't get me wrong, I like wine, but I don't presume to make a study of why I like the damn thing. I like what tastes good and if I like it enough, I might buy a bottle. I do not have the money nor the inclination to search out and join a wine tasting or wine tour purely for the sake of educating my nose to which fermented/rotten barrel of grapes could possibly house a 'note of chocolate'.
By golly if I wanted chocolate, I would have driven my butt to the nearest chocolatier, or the nearest supermarket!
Despite all sorts of issues related to travel and the wine snobs here and there, the view in Monterey is something to see. It was nice having the mountains as a back drop to your morning commute. It was interesting to see homes carved into the hillside. The last night I was there, we ate at a place called the FishHopper. The place literally stretched all the way out to the edge of the pier, and we sat surrounded by floor to celing window on three sides of us and watched an otter play in the evening fog that rolled onto the shore. We saw the sunset from Carmel beach. BEAUTIFUL.
I thought about my boys back home and wished they could have seen it with me.
Monterey Airport is a Joke!
I wish businesses had a way to pay you back for time lost with one's family. I wish businesses would not make a practice of making their employees fly about during the weekend. Weekends are for family and personal life after having been enslaved by work all week long.
I was supposed to return Saturday afternoon (2:30pm) but instead returned home at 3:30am Sunday. I will NEVER again fly US Airways, or fly out of regional airports such as Monterey, CA. Our ticket agent was also the baggage claim/tag person, and gate personnel. I would not have been surprised if she was also the pilot and mechanic on a regular basis. Regional airports suck. Because they are regional airports, they do NOT have direct flights ANYWHERE! They either fly out to Phoenix or Las Vegas in order for you to catch your connecting flight elsewhere. Gads.
I will not go into the details of my horrific flight back to Chicago that started out at 5am Pacific Standard Time, but I will say that my co-workers and I ended up driving 1.75 hours from Monterey, CA to San Fransisco, CA to catch a direct flight back to Chicago.
I poured into bed when I got home. Then around 6am, just like clock work, Jack woke up. Alex brought him into see me. Even in my sleep deprived world I managed to hug and kiss my Fudgy. But he did not recognize me.
He sat there, on my side of the bed and just stared at me the way he stares at someone in the grocery store. I went back to bed for another hour or so before getting up for the rest of the day. Thankfully, this time, Jack recognized me and gave me one of his 'super' smiles.
The house was still in one piece, no one had to take a trip to the ER, and the cat was still alive, so all was well. Alex did a great job but hopefully, I will NEVER have to be out of town for that long ever again OR fly out of Monterey.
I was supposed to return Saturday afternoon (2:30pm) but instead returned home at 3:30am Sunday. I will NEVER again fly US Airways, or fly out of regional airports such as Monterey, CA. Our ticket agent was also the baggage claim/tag person, and gate personnel. I would not have been surprised if she was also the pilot and mechanic on a regular basis. Regional airports suck. Because they are regional airports, they do NOT have direct flights ANYWHERE! They either fly out to Phoenix or Las Vegas in order for you to catch your connecting flight elsewhere. Gads.
I will not go into the details of my horrific flight back to Chicago that started out at 5am Pacific Standard Time, but I will say that my co-workers and I ended up driving 1.75 hours from Monterey, CA to San Fransisco, CA to catch a direct flight back to Chicago.
I poured into bed when I got home. Then around 6am, just like clock work, Jack woke up. Alex brought him into see me. Even in my sleep deprived world I managed to hug and kiss my Fudgy. But he did not recognize me.
He sat there, on my side of the bed and just stared at me the way he stares at someone in the grocery store. I went back to bed for another hour or so before getting up for the rest of the day. Thankfully, this time, Jack recognized me and gave me one of his 'super' smiles.
The house was still in one piece, no one had to take a trip to the ER, and the cat was still alive, so all was well. Alex did a great job but hopefully, I will NEVER have to be out of town for that long ever again OR fly out of Monterey.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Going West
I am leaving for Salinas CA today. I will not be returning home till Saturday. This means I will be without the Fudge for 5.5 days. I miss him already.
I took Jack to daycare this morning around 8am. Talked to the teachers in the infant room and let them know I would be out all week. My last image of him today - he was sitting on the floor with a ring toy of some sort watching his classmates. He did not even look my way when I said good-by to him. In a way, this is a good thing - Jack is a social child, but on the other hand, I was saddened a bit that he didn't respond to me. But then again, Jack doesn't mind me leaving as much as he minds Alex leaving.
Jack is a daddy's boy. Sigh. The two of them are thick as thieves. :-)
I don't think Jack will notice I'm not around till about day 3...."Hey, where's the other big kid around here?"
I wonder how long it will be before I break down in tears. I've been on a business trip before, but that was a one nighter - left on Wednesday, came back Thursday.
Wish me luck.
I took Jack to daycare this morning around 8am. Talked to the teachers in the infant room and let them know I would be out all week. My last image of him today - he was sitting on the floor with a ring toy of some sort watching his classmates. He did not even look my way when I said good-by to him. In a way, this is a good thing - Jack is a social child, but on the other hand, I was saddened a bit that he didn't respond to me. But then again, Jack doesn't mind me leaving as much as he minds Alex leaving.
Jack is a daddy's boy. Sigh. The two of them are thick as thieves. :-)
I don't think Jack will notice I'm not around till about day 3...."Hey, where's the other big kid around here?"
I wonder how long it will be before I break down in tears. I've been on a business trip before, but that was a one nighter - left on Wednesday, came back Thursday.
Wish me luck.
Monday, July 02, 2007
7-2-07
I have not posted since 6/18. Dang...that's a long time.
Hair status - hair has grown, but not long enough to undue the nasty mom 'do' just yet. I figure by Jack's 1st birthday, things should be right with the world again. Sigh.
Job - got a new one. Just got system access today. I'm not complaining though....I kind of like having a few slower days before things get really busy at work.
4th of July - first one I'll be spending without taking any other day off. It's weird this year...on a Wednesday. Will not be attending any fire works as they will take place after Jack's bedtime. We are in the process of maybe attending a parade during the day time hours.
Sun burned my arms during the drive home from work today. Good grief.
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