Catching up

Hey everybody (or nobody, depending on whether or not anyone is still following this blog). Other than my little notice about the rain, I haven't written in a while. Work seems to be occupying the vast majority of my time these days. I'm realizing I don't have a firm boundary between working from home and just being at home. The accessibility of my laptop combined with some recent big deadlines is making for extra hours in the virtual office. We also joined a gym recently, and that's been soaking up some additional time, but I'm not complaining because a daily workout is the only reason I'm able to sit at my desk for the rest of the waking hours in a day. I can't attribute all that time to my job though. My masochistic tendencies have me sitting here even after the work is done, surfing the web, snooping around on Facebook, curiously not blogging--nor editing--more. If R is working late one night, it's not unusual for me to eat all three meals of my day in front of the computer. Somehow I feel like it's not even enough time.

Last weekend was relatively uneventful. The notable bits were dinner at a restaurant with a scenic location on the beach on Saturday and a wine appreciation gathering with the Newcomers on Sunday. The latter event took place at a home in the hills with an impressive view of the sun setting over the town. It was another chance to mingle with the rich and sample some offerings from a local winery. That's life in Santa Barbara for you.

This weekend was laid back too. We've been sleeping in, eating dinners out, and of course we attended the avocado festival in Carpenteria yesterday. My appreciation for that wondrous fruit has deepened upon our arrival here. Lately I've been slicing them up and putting them between toast with some humus and calling it a sandwich. At the festival we tried avocado ice cream. I wouldn't say it was the best ice cream I've ever had, but is there really such a thing as bad ice cream?

After exhausting what the festival had to offer we walked along a pleasant beach in Carp. The sand was soft and waves rolled smoothly in. We found a spot to sit and watch the surfers do their thing. The pull to try surfing ourselves is growing in intensity, although it will probably have to wait until next spring, unless we want to rent wet suits along with the boards. Until then, I have my skateboard. I'm considering buying some bigger, softer wheels for it, which will limit my ability to do tricks (which, believe me, is quite limited by my skill level already) but will make transporting myself over cracked sidewalks quite a bit easier.

A guy who lived on my floor during our freshmen year at college found me on Facebook recently. It turns out he lives roughly a mile, maybe two, away. We met downtown for some beers and food last Thursday night. R joined us after she got out of work. It was an odd experience to catch up with somebody after 9 years. He is a guy I never knew that well, just from a few residence hall functions and maybe an occasional dinner in the caf, but the simple fact that he is/was a Minnesotan--and especially a St. Thomas alum--made him a welcomed find after the last 4 years of associating with people who at least started out as strangers.

I have been liking Santa Barbara a lot lately. R and I have a good situation going right now. Each of the places in which we've lived has had its redeeming qualities and provided an experience I'll never forget, but so far California is the only place, other than Minnesota, I can see us staying long term. The high cost of living and the distance away from family may be the only factors that could stop that from happening because otherwise I can't find anything wrong with this place.

We've been walking downtown the last couple of nights for dinner and soaking up the spirit of vacation all around us. Music pours out of almost every restaurant. People bike by with surf boards in their arms. Limos full of bachelorette partying women drive up and down the street. David Byrne holds a concert at one of the local theaters. There's inspiration and adventure waiting out there every night. Sure, I'm sitting at my computer or in front of the TV for most of those nights, but I like knowing what's out there and the idea that we're just getting started in this town.

(Editor's note: From now on all photos taken with my phone will appear in the smaller size seen above. Photos taken with the DSLR will be shown in the usual, larger size.)