Well, after one blown tire on the moving truck, one missed flight to Cali, a bunch of (possibly) valuable boxes, shelves, lamps, etc., left behind at our rental because our truck was too small, and various other minor emergencies, including many hours of listening to crying kitties, we are in California. Thanks for all your good wishes and thoughts.
I was feeling a little stressed and weepy yesterday after our walk-through seeing how very small our little one-bed-one-bath apartment that we’ve committed a year to was, although I still love San Diego and love the neighborhood we’ll be living in. I wondered if I was going to die of claustrophobia. Then I went to dinner and had “tiny plate” food and they played that OC theme song about California. It made me laugh.
On the plane I sat next to a woman who works for the Navy and on the side volunteers with homeless and troubled teens. She works with hovercrafts, which I thought sounded very futuristic. My father was stationed at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside when he was a young marine, and he took his very first college class (he ended up getting a Phd in Engineering) a couple of miles from our new apartment. It’s like I have nostalgia for my Dad’s early adulthood out here. I think I know what he loved out here – the people walking around in bathing suits at the end of September, the flowers everywhere (even had a little hummingbird come up to my window yesterday) and the interesting landscapes. On the downside, my hair looks terrible in the high, high humidity. Hope the high humidity goes away soon or I’ll need a pixie cut or a lot of hats.
Tomorrow is the first day of my new class at National University. I’m still a little apprehensive since this is my first time teaching an online graduate poetry class. My brain is absolute mush from the stress of the move. Hope I’ll be able to string a couple of coherent sentences together!
Collin
Glad you’ve made it and are settling in. Make the most of the small space and enjoy the gorgeous weather.
Karen J. Weyant
Good Luck! Thinking of you….
cornshake
whew! glad to hear you made it safe and (mostly) sound. I know you will do some awesome things out there on the west coast. say hi to Ilya for me!
Rachel Dacus
Happy new house and new teaching job! I have a friend who teaches online at U. of Phoenix, and she can work anywhere, though I did notice a small gold chain connecting her wrist to her laptop. Glad to know we’re in the same beautiful state, near the same beautiful ocean!
jeannine
Thanks Collin and Karen!
Cornshake – I will 🙂 Ironically, he’ll be in Port Townsend for the beginning of October…
Thanks Rachel! Yes, chained to the laptop already – now if I could only find my printer…let me know if you ever come out my way for a reading!
Oliver de la Paz
Ah, poor thing. Glad you’re in Cali now and making the most of it. We miss you up here . . . in the cold . . . and the rain.
Rachel Dacus
Will do, Jeannine! I sometimes find myself in L.A. to visit my father and San Diego isn’t too much farther — plus it’s so much prettier.