eep!

Ahoy,

Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Clearance Turkey Dinner we hosted. This year sponsored by our friend J who so kindly took me seriously when I requested she pick me up a turkey on clearance from Target. The menu featured a spatchcocked turkey, truffled couscous, green beans, roasted brussels sprouts, potatoes hasselback, buttermilk biscuits, roasted veggies from under the turkey, and rice (obviously, even though I was the only one to eat rice).

My brother will fly in tomorrow. We will spend a lot of time watching things on a screen. I will make him play bananagrams with me because that's what little brothers are for. To play with me. We will continue our holiday season together up north to the Bay Area to see family, which I'm apprehensive about. But I'm just so happy to have my favorite boys together.

guiltily hiatus'd,
jt

far away places in a car

Ahoy,

Bishop was more than a month ago now. The occasion was a birthday, and we took the opportunity because it would be the last time the RRS could have fun until 2015. He leads a very indulgent life. It was super duper exciting this time for me because our friend J was going too and I would have someone to play with besides other peoples' dogs. We arrived late on a Friday, and prepared to be up bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the next morning. Temperatures were not predicted to be favorable.

Turns out we could only really be out there until the early afternoon because it got so devastatingly hot mid-day. Everybody flooded back into town for food. A few of us retreated to climate controlled hotel rooms. Everyone else around me napped while I watched tv. It was not a bad day. Nightfall came and we retreated back into the desert to climb in the dark.

That same weekend was also some sort of classic car show in Bishop. The whole place was filled with old people and their respective old cars. It was a major thing. Small towns are such contained bubbles of civilization. It is all at once really strange and fascinating to me. I could never live someplace so remote, but I can see how the quaintness may be attractive to others.

The next day was a repeat of the morning schedule of climbing. After lunch in town, everybody scattered back to their respective abodes. Things to live by: bubbles and snacks are essentials for every climbing trip.

explicably dried,
jt

simple things with an old friend

Ahoy,

"I regret not hanging out with him more when he was in LA." says the RRS about his bestie Jewish, Seattleite, computer guy. I always relish our time with O. He's the nicest guy in the whole wide world. There's not enough said of easy-going friends. It is rare to find the qualities of a guest that are patient, flexible, easily pleased, enthusiastic, and so much more. He hauled a whole monitor on an airplane down to us! The praises could go on never-ending, but perhaps I shouldn't embarrass him to such great lengths.

All in all, we as hosts had a fantastic weekend with O. And if you think about it, we really didn't do too much. The stand-bys of a great weekend remain food aplenty and nice views. Maybe that should also be the mantra of life. We picked up a feast of sorts from a Japanese market and took it out to eat dockside. One of my favorite places to hang out is the MAC. I actually prefer this over the beach. (And all the citizens of SoCal gasped as I proclaim my wariness of the beach.) After an early morning for all, we loafed around back at home base before going out to Muji, kbbq, and a housewarming. After I had a super social night of hanging out with just the people I came with, we made our way home.

Also, let me espouse the great and beautiful wonders of Muji, a Japanese home goods/everything store that I wish would be my home. Something about the lines, the textures, the colors - just makes me want to buy everything. You will be entranced as well.  

After a late start at the climbing gym, we went to Marukai to spoil our appetites for a dinner of ramen. At a dive bar, I got stuck in a game of shuffleboard with people I did not know and did not want to know. It was not the worst, but definitely not desirable. The evening ended with video games. Maybe I should not be so encouraging of video games. I can see my future.

The next day we started off for the Hollywood sign, but the trailhead was closed. Another touristy dream dashed in the city of angels. We took an alternate route to the Batcave! It was a super duper short walk, and opted to get into downtown earlier than scheduled for food. Eggslut captured O's heart, like it does to all of us. A quick walk around Grand Central and we came out with ice cream and caffeine. I wanted to see the Bradbury building and promptly dragged my cohorts along. They seemed to not have a terrible time. Back at home base, the RRS commenced what he does best, and I went with O to the kitchen store.

dastardly amiss,
jt

is this supposed to be romantic?

Ahoy,

"Sometimes I think about the impracticality, but then I get in it and I realize it's exactly where I'm supposed to be." The RRS about his car and our relationship. He just compared us to his car. This is the analogy to end all analogies.

fleetingly spun,
jt

fairly uneventful

Ahoy,

October was fairly uneventful because the RRS was back to school, thus putting him on a strict no-fun policy. We managed to get in a few stops despite the obstacles.

We got to the JPL open house this year. I had heard about it before, but he had never really asked me to go so I made the grand gesture of suggesting we feed his nerdy impulses with some other rocket scientists. He had a great time reading every informational placard. I browsed/skimmed through everything because I literally did not understand anything. Rocket science is on such a whole 'nother level of nerd-dom I had never comprehended. I did get away with a bunch of stickers. I'm a sucker for stickers.

I embarked on the red line ghost tour put on by GHOULA. It was super-duper fascinating. This guy just goes through life collecting ghost stories and they are so great. It was just enough spooky for me, and a lot of historical. History class would probably be a lot more tolerable if it had some of these stories. The tour was on a Sunday evening, which reminded fondly of riding the NYC subway on weekends when there were construction delays or track changes. It is so much less grand than it sounds.

It's been a month of floundering as we try to adjust to a schedule  that now includes class for A at inconvenient times twice a week. I'm also dying for fall. What I wouldn't give for colorful, fiery leaves to fall at my doorstep. I dream wistfully of days long ago when seasons were part of my life. What have I done to be relegated to endless sunny days of temperate mercurial digits? I will go out of my way to step on crunchy things on the ground, even if they aren't leaves.

climatically pleading,
jt

getting back to town

Ahoy,

At the entrance to the Botanic Garden where we were basking in the unrewarding glory of an 11 mile hike, we saw another couple waiting.

Guy: I have no phone reception so we can't contact [other party they are apparently waiting for].
Girl: Should we just start walking then?
Guy: (angrily) No, No, we are not walking anywhere.

We scoff as we begin our 2 mile trek into town after already walking for 11 miles. Luckily for us, the rest of the way is a slow downhill. We don't see many other folks walking, we see a lot of tubby people in golf carts and this reminds us of Wall-E. Granted, it is pretty much vacation on this island, but we still find it funny as we count the tubby people driving by. We witness another young couple struggle up the hill on bikes. They ask us how much farther to the garden and if it's worth it. I don't know what to say because to me, I don't think my 11 mile hike was worth it, but cheers to them for trying anyway. I see them going back downhill 5 minutes later. They did not make it. We stop for a giant cup of horchata, and to gawk at a deer startlingly close to some golfers. Does he not know it is hunting season?

Finally back to civilization, we sit down at a restaurant that practically hangs over the water. We order too much pizza, but the view is marvelous and the water looks so magically crisp, clear, and cool I could jump right in from our table. Our next order of business is to get in the water. I had thought all along we were coming for the water activities. Little did I know we would be embarking on a serious hike of a greater magnitude. Here I thought we were trying to get away from the heat back on the mainland, just to be entrenched in it at the top of a mountain. But alas, I would finally get in the water. My time had come!

We rented a double kayak for I think 2 hours? It was terribly sunny on the water as the sun was settling just over the mountainline. The water was so refreshing, crisp and absolutely perfect. I kept insisting we stop just so I could dip my toes. We docked our kayak on a beach and lounged around for a bit before awkwardly trying to get back out on the water past the waves crashing on the shore. Grace is a quality that is totally out the porthole when you are dealing with the ocean.

Back on land, we did not make it very far before setting up shop on the lawn to dry off and doze. We had done a lot and decided to get some ice cream before heading back home. Catalina is such a strange place. The island/tropical life is so close to the city, and yet so far removed from daily comings and goings of a city.

dreamily islandic.
jt

Beethoven & his piano

Ahoy,

Halloween was fairly uneventful aside from the rain. We had a dress rehearsal of sorts in our costumes and walked around the neighborhood. You know your neighborhood is up and coming when it becomes the destination for trick-or-treaters. I had also stumbled across the set of Fresh Off the Boat that was filming just down the street from us so we graced them with our presence.  

I made my dress, and compiled the pieces for A's costume. The pants just needed modifications, and I made extra ruffles. He has a conductor's wand (AKA chopstick). We went to a birthday party the following night. We would have won the costume contest had there been one.

musically inclined,
jt

sunny daze

Ahoy,

In an effort to do things before he has to start school (his last quarter!), we made a quick and last minute decision to make it out to Catalina. I had been wanting to go, and he had been wanting to take me.

We booked an early ticket, I think the 7:15am, but we arrived so early that they just let us onto the 6:15am. I had originally considered the 6:15am, but then the ticket lady told me we have to arrive an hour prior to departure (5:15am). I ate my words and went with the 7:15, but it turned out well for us because we got on with an hour more sleep (not like we slept that much the evening before). First stop when we arrived was pancakes at the first place we spotted. I figure it had business because it's one of the only breakfast restaurants. Service was absurdly slow.

We headed off to the Conservancy to get a hiking permit. The lady gave us a few options for hikes ranging from 1-6 miles. After this list, I believe our mistake was pausing too long, because then she told us about the 11 mile hike, and our next mistake was accepting the challenge. I will not let him make decisions so early in the morning from now on. The trail we picked was Renton's Mine to Avalon for those of you who dare. It begins on an uphill for about 2 miles to get to the trailhead. The trail continues going uphill for most of it. Just when you think you're at the top, you round the corner and your heart drops because you realize it is not the top. You will never be at the top. It is excessively sunny for all of the parts that are dreadful (most of it). There is no shade, not much of a breeze. We ran out of water just at the point when you need water the most (we'll never learn). The RRS and I both contemplated our demise on this trail. We saw no people, no signs, no maps, no wildlife on this trail. After the constant uphill came a series of gradual up and downs which were both heartbreaking and torturous.

Just when we saw the first clear view of Avalon, a large safari-esque truck came rumbling down behind us. We were both flabbergasted that the Conservancy lady suggested this hike for us, and quickly concluded that she had never completed it herself. A much steeper and short lived downhill stretch dropped us into the back of the Botanic Gardens where we made quick time in drinking all the water on the island before commencing the 2 mile walk back into town.

...to be continued,
jt

some things new

Ahoy,

The weekend I'm about to detail was a pretty chill weekend as far as our weekends go. After a bit of traveling, this was the perfect weekend mix of fun and stocking our provisions. We began with a yoga class early Saturday morning and we both ended up really liking the instructor. He is probably our favorite of the varieties we've experienced at this studio. We went home so the RRS could do car stuff and I could make our place look less like a disaster zone.

We discovered a new sandwich place that is thoroughly mind-blowing, but totally simple. A got a giant cookie and proceeded to scarf most of it down. At Target, we did what people usually do and came out with way more than we intended to.

What I had been looking forward to that week was Shakespeare in the Park at Griffith Park. I had got wind of this event earlier in the summer, but we never got a chance to go so I put on my best bossypants and got us to the very last show and finagled some friends along too. The last show turned out to be a collaboration with an orchestra, and they paired selected works from various plays to the sounds of a symphony. As far as boring old people events go, I've always been a fan of the symphony.

The RRS went to Shakespeare in the Park events as a child in the Bay Area and he does not have fond memories. He described the agony of being at the park but not being able to play and having to sit (usually in the back) and stare at the stage, during the day when it was sunny. I contested for seats as close as possible and made sure to pack snacks and libations. The show starts at sunset and ends when it is dark. It was a warm day so the temps were perfect. He had a great time, and we will be back next summer.

desperately regular,
jt

driving cars

Ahoy,

Our first day back and being reunited with his other gf, he requested we go on a drive with the s2000 club. I rolled, he leapt out of bed excessively early for a holiday and drove us out to a parking lot to meet his soon to be car friends and their cars. We started off with more than a dozen s2ks going from almost Redondo to Malibu to meet some more cars and their humans. There were probably more than 30. They drove through a bunch of canyons. There was so much driving.

We trailed off before the final canyon drive because I was hungry and hot and on the verge of changing into crankypants. He has seen that monster plenty of times to know the proper protocol. We went to one of our lunch favorites and sat outside in the shade. Emphasis on shade because we had been driving with the top off and that is far less pleasant in the sun than media suggests.

Our final adventure was visiting a kosher market in Santa Monica. I consider new grocery stores adventures and you should too. It was great. I love wandering new places and looking at all the things that are not readily available elsewhere. And also, the wine was delicious.

delectably veered,
jt

to the suburbs

Ahoy,

The RRS had been abed for several days during his vacation. We had not been climbing since leaving LA, so we were both pretty (READ: excessively) excited to go climbing. The night before we started looking at the online media for this place and bugged out. He even started hyperventilating. I'm pretty sure he did not go to sleep. We went to a new Vertical Endeavors location that had opened that month and proclaimed itself the largest in the nation (don't they always say this?). Also, we went right when the doors opened. 

It's a strange gym because they don't let you get on anything unless you go on an orientation tour thing which is annoying because you have to wait around and just gawk at everything until another tour starts. I've never had this happen at any other gym. They have a ton of auto belays, about 30. It's a really big gym and they have everything - bouldering, trad, sport, top rope. Enough for any type of climber to be satisfied, probably. The flooring is weird tire rubber pieces, which I've decided is not preferable and probably worse because it never gets cleaned. We spent more time than we were intending to there, but it was a lot of fun and the RRS slept really well that evening. 

coincidentally aloft,
jt

increasingly hipster-fied

Ahoy,

Mushing our way to Chinatown to meet the family for dinner, I commanded my brother stop so I could get Beaver Donuts. We had just eaten in the suburbs because we were post-climbing starved and I do not have the self control to curb my enthusiasm. Yes, the doughnuts were totally worth it. The truck happened to be parked at this art festival thing/event. This area between Pilsen and Chinatown has increasingly become more hipster-fied throughout the years. Formerly very abandoned-industrial, it is now abandoned-industrial cum hip-grunge-artist-loft. 

not cool enough,

jt

taxi time

Ahoy,

I decided (and the boys consented) to taking full advantage of the water taxi day pass everywhere. We started in Chinatown and went downtown to Michigan Ave where we shopped a little and checked out Eataly. Must return! S showed us his alma mater block party where we took full advantage by eating their food. Our next stop was a ride all the way up to North Ave, a neighborhood I'm not familiar with because I seldom visit. The taxi ride is a lot of fun and relaxing and a great perspective. It takes a while to get up there so the ticket price is definitely worth it. Upon landing, we walked for a bit just window shopping before making our way back to Chinatown and home for dinner. I highly recommend getting a day pass on the water taxi if you are looking for a unique, fun way to get around to a lot of places. 

better than a car,

jt

perfect day

Ahoy,

The last day I would see my best friend before heading back to the west coast, we went to go check out the new facilities at the park in Chinatown. They are pretty fancy as far as public parks go. I love new parks. They are so well maintained and not so well used yet. This picture is so postcard perfect and representative of my day with her. 

We also got pizza at one of my favorite neighborhood places, which isn't pictured because it's in my belly!

externally elated,

jt

something touristic

Ahoy,

I spent a day with S and friends from LA doing touristic things because it was their first time. For those of you looking for a fun loop tour of Chicago, I'm about to make your day. 

We started off at Intelligentsia for some caffeine because my friends had been walking around for a bit looking at Millennium Park and architectural hotspots. The Chicago Cultural Center is right next door so it was perfect because there was also an exhibit there I wanted to see. I made sure to show them the Tiffany dome. We headed down to make our way up Dearborn to see the Thompson Center, City Hall, Daley Plaza, and the Flamingo at this other plaza. This last sight popped us off right by the Harold Washington Library, which is one of my favorites. And I got to show them the roof before sending them on their way with a packed itinerary for the rest of their visit. 

poignantly perplexed,

jt

throne of pillows

Ahoy,

His majesty spent several days in my room because he has the immune system of an 11 year old. Abed his throne of pillows. I also had to bring out all the winter blankets. Never has my bed ever been piled up with so many blankets. Not even in the winter when our heat is broken and it's negative degrees outside. 

eternally pansy,

jt

sauna hike

Ahoy,

I made the poor decision of going to Starved Rock State Park on an extremely hot and muggy day. The temperature was probably approaching 100, and the humidity was probably extreme (80%-90%). I dragged my brother, cousin, mom, and the RRS along. We decided on the 6 mile route, and finished in about 3 hours taking lots of photo breaks. The terrain is mostly flat. Because the sandstone erodes so easily, they request you wear regular walking shoes because hiking shoes damage the rock, and they pave the main paths to prevent further erosion. I would rate this hike on physical geography alone as super easy because most of the route was paved and flat. The heat made it more difficult, but it was also shaded all the way. This place is gorgeous. I highly recommend a visit. You are weaving in and out of these massive canyons, gorgeous rock formations and sandstone features to look at.

We left just as a major storm rolled in, perfect timing. We munched on diy cracker/salami/cheese sandwiches on the car ride back. And the RRS spent the next couple days sleeping in my room because he has the immune system of an 11 year old. He suspects he and my cousin (who is 11) exchanged germs, and he got sick from my kid cousin. To be fair, my kid cousin got sick a few days later so his theory is not without correlation, but he's 11.

pleasingly immune,
jt

beaches on bikes

Ahoy,

I'd been wanting to go on a beaches on bicycles tour of Chicago because nostalgia, and because it was hot. We started out scrambling to get enough bikes because my brother let his bike get stolen in Madison. I say this because I suspect he would rather it "get stolen" than have to deal with bringing it back home or trying to sell it, and maybe because it was a little tall for him. But also, I suppose you would think it would be safe in your parking spot in your parking garage in your building. The nerve of someone to steal from a fellow tenant! But also, it wasn't locked to anything. 

Our bicycle gang started from Chinatown after eating a massive brunch of dim sum because my mom has no control regarding ordering food. Our first beach was 31st Street, one of the newer ones that also features a brand new dock and harbor and playground. One of my favorites because it is so easily accessible from my neighborhood and is typically less crowded. We skipped 12th St beach because it was just a little out of the way, but in retrospect we probably should have just zipped by. It's one of my favorites because it's less well known and smaller, so typically less crowded. The views from Solidarity Drive and the Planetarium are amazing. It's a good beach for thinking deep thoughts.

Our next stop was Oak Street beach, just past Navy Pier. It's typically one of the more popular beaches because of its convenient location from downtown and Navy Pier, but still small and intimate. The gradient is not very drastic at all so you can walk pretty far out but it still wouldn't be very deep. Fun to just dip your toes after touristing downtown. And you get a great, intimate view of the skyline going North.

Our next stop was Ohio Street beach, which is massive. There are a bunch of volleyball courts you can play on. The view is pretty stellar. I did not frequent this beach often growing up, mostly just zipped past on my bike.

My favorite and ending point of this tour was to jump in the water from the deck. Between Ohio St beach and before the turnaround for North Ave beach are usually lots of people jumping into the water right from the path. You can just set up next to a ladder and you and your friends can just dive/jump in. It was super refreshing and fun, definitely a highlight. I highly recommend. Make sure your friends aren't wimps and only watching you have fun.

We stopped at North Ave beach only to use the facilities because this is probably my least favorite beach. It is always super crowded despite how enormous it is. It is probably the most used, and thusly - the dirtiest. I never have any interest in coming here, and going past is usually a challenge because there are always people walking every which way not paying attention.

We ended in the Lakeview/Belmont neighborhood to see E's apartment and gorge on korean chicken wings. Not my choice, but I was outnumbered because it was all boys. Usually the case.

enamorously recommended,
jt

the suburbs

Ahoy,

This was the day N and I decided to go to the suburbs to go on a "hike." We started out on the "hike," which requires you to cross a road that has traffic that doesn't have stop signs. We had to cross a similar road several times, sometimes the same road. You are just hoping the the good grace of the driver will see you and not run you down as you dart back and forth across the street for this "hike." You can see the last place you crossed the street from the next street crossing. Hiking in the Midwest is nothing like hiking in CA. There is little to no elevation gain or loss; it is flat the whole time. Granted, there is foliage because this is a prairie and not a desert, but it's not like there is so much variation you can have when it is flat the whole time. So your view is pretty much trees on either side of a wide, flat road the. whole. time. 

We unanimously decided the 2 or 3 miles we had walked so far was not glorious enough to convince us to make another 4 to a waterfall and then walk back. So we turned around with the reward of snacks in the car. Promptly after wimping out, it started to rain, and then rain harder. We were thoroughly drenched by the time we got to the car. And that was glorious. Next time, we'll bring bikes. That "hike" is far better suited to experience on a bike. 

After arriving in the city, we picked up my brother K and got stuck at the train crossing. 

frantically awaited,

jt

rained out

Ahoy,

One of our premier activities was the water park. I had been so, so excited to come here it was ridiculous. The RRS was deeply concerned the build-up in my head would lead to disappointment. The day came and it was glorious. We packed a cooler and loaded up the sunscreen. It was a perfectly hot day and I got a bunch of other friends to join. I had grown up watching too much television, so the commercial for Deep River Water Park is engrained permanently in my mind, just part of the soundtrack of my childhood. And it's somewhat surprising to me that we had never been despite the egregious adverts all over the area.

We spent the morning going on all the rides and slides on one end of the park until it started to rain in the afternoon. It was a glorious downpour all of California would be entirely envious of. There was probably more water that came down that day than all the water that exists in CA right now. They eventually shut down the park and we left for the candy factory we had passed on the way to the water park. After loading up on diabetes, we left for East Chicago.




Marktown is in East Chicago, IN. It's a planned worker community built in 1917 that did not get fully completed due to the aftereffects of WWI. It's built to look like a traditional English small town. I imagine this would be what a lot of towns looked like after WWI in England because there were a ton of abandoned, dilapidated buildings. It has a small footprint compared the the acres of BP that surround the community. There's something spooky and touching about a place like this. I felt like I had to tread softly as I stepped into a pocket of history that was forgotten or is oft overlooked. I had a sense of wonder about how out of place this piece of land is. I suggest a visit if you're ever in that direction. It's certainly fascinating.

We returned to Chicago and ended up attending an event in my increasingly hipster-fying neighborhood. Maria's was having a birthday party of sorts and had beer, sausages, and live entertainment on hand. Another community favorite of mine is the Italian ice from Freddie's. I did not care for Italian ice until Freddie's and I still don't care for anyone else's except Freddie's.

simply splashtastic,
jt

long anticipated

Ahoy,

I flew straight to Chicago from Seattle, leaving the RRS to fend for himself for the week. He would subsist on burritos and anime for a glorious week of bachelordom.

I went downtown with my brother and best friend to the Chicago Public Library for a class at their Maker Lab. We learned how to use TinkerCAD to print out things with the 3d printer. It was a lot of fun. They have a bunch for cool machines: 3d printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, wood mill, etc. They do crafty sorts of classes all the time, and they're free! I love the library.

I went with my brother to Lakeview to see N's new apartment and picnic on the waterfront. It was only mildly muggy, so sitting outside did not get us all drenched if we were staying still in the shade. As kids, my mom always had me bring my brother along to all my friends' houses because video games is not a legitimate baby-sitter. I've gotten used to dragging my brother along everywhere, and my friends have gotten used to him. Also, he gets good 'what not to do' advice regarding girls. I'm sure he's catalogued all sorts of stuff we've spouted throughout the years. We walked around the neighborhood a little before parting ways.

The RRS and I spent another day picking up sandwiches at the French Market in Union Station. We got in line for sandwiches because everyone else was in line. I got not nearly enough of my favorite mini doughnuts and devoured them before lunch. He spent a good deal of time deciding between iced coffee at DD (because there are none in LA area) or Intelligentsia. He was afraid his expectations would be too high and he'd be disappointed because it wouldn't be as good as he remembered. First world problems. Sometimes I question his rationale. We brought our sandwiches, which turned out to be bomb, to eat at the JazzFest in Millennium Park. My favorite part was dipping my toes and getting wet at the various water features in the park on the way out. After Buckingham Fountain, I remembered there was an exhibit I wanted to see at the Architecture Museum, so that was our final stop.

glaringly sprouted,
jt

coincidental birfday

Ahoy,

On our last day in Seattle, it happened to be E's birfday. She had just moved to Seattle and I was so glad to get to see her and see she was doing well and enjoying her new environment, despite the troubles oft associated with moving. I had come to regard her as a good friend and regrettably, had not seen her as much as I'd have liked those last few months she was in LA. Sometimes life gets in the way. Being busy is not permanent, hopefully.

We met with her for lunch at an indian place in the dungeons of this corner building. It turned out to be spicier than I could handle, but I ate it all because I didn't want to carry the rest home. How many times in my life have I and will I stuff myself to avoid the tribulations of a to-go box?

Our next and most memorable activity for me was the lake/beach. It was the one of the most idyllic small town watering holes I've ever visited (READ: only watering hole). There was a platform a little away from shore you had to swim out to with diving boards you could leap off of. It reminded me of diving into my local pool as a child. I would leap without abandon from the diving boards until that fateful day I saw they had been removed, never to be seen again. I had a blast in the water, and it's a shame everyone else stayed ashore. After I dried off, we all moved to play bocce ball while I joined the children on the playground zipline. The playground had a zipline!

Visiting Seattle is always the most fun. O & H are the best at entertaining/hosting us. So much so that sometimes I feel like we may be better off living in separate cities until infinity and beyond. But then I think also that I would love to hang out with them all the time too.

enamoringly lucked,
jt

mosquitoes & rocks

Ahoy,

Picking up where we left off. The morning of Squamish was a mad dash to get new shoes for the RRS because we had forgotten his shoes back in Seattle. One of the most tragic of occurrences to befall his young soul yet. I will be lucky if he expresses as much grief and mourning upon my death. Luckily there is a climbing shop in Squamish and we picked up lunch & shoes in the area. He ended up purchasing new shoes that he had been eyeing for a while, so I guess it all worked out for the best.

Our first stop was in an area called the magic kingdom. The most magical part was probably the mosquitoes. I got about 59 mosquito bites here. 59! The audacity of those mosquitoes! They went through my clothes; I looked like I had the pox. After tackling some things here, we returned to the same area we had climbed at last time we were here. I think it's called the grand wall. Much to my relief there were absolutely no mosquitoes here to bite me. It was much breezier and open. Climbing days for me are usually a lot of waiting around so I always like to bring bubbles or something to entertain myself. Like a child. I will remember Squamish more for the harassment by the local fauna, than for the rocks.

We hightailed it out of there with as much speed as we could muster despite the traffic on the road to Vancouver. The goal was to make it back in time for dinner, but everything was closed, so we just ordered pizza and watched reel rock, as if we hadn't gotten enough of climbing in for the day. Thanks to O for being a champ and driving us home safe.

splatteringly dyed,
jt

out of town, out of the country

Ahoy,

We departed for Seattle mid-August to visit our favorite Jewish programmer. For some reason, one of our friends got a ton of our other friends to go to Vancouver to climb at Squamish. How anyone could ever get a group that size to move en masse to another country is beyond me. It was amazing. It's difficult enough getting them all to drink boba with me. For fear of missing out, the RRS pondered very deeply over whether or not we should go because he was at the mercy of his academic schedule. What else is new? We ended up just going ahead and booking it because I was frankly sick of his moping, and I knew if we didn't go, he would continue to mope. "But our friends will never all be there again..." he queried. Oh, the drama (cue rolling my eyes).

Our friends O & H always pull out all the stops for us, which gives me hoster's remorse because I'm sure we don't give them the same royal treatment when they visit us in LA. How will I ever live up to the grandeur? After an evening in Seattle consisting of German food and bomb pie, we departed the next morning for Vancouver. We weren't in a hurry to leave because we had decided the night before that since the weather would be crummy on Saturday in Squamish, we would just call it a wash for climbing and spend the day in Vancouver.

Upon arriving, we dawdled our way out the hotel to catch the tail end of dim sum. It was delicious, probably the best mango pudding. We walked off some of the food (there was a lot of food to walk off) on our way to get java. It still hadn't rained, so our next stop was to rent bikes and ride around Stanley Park. The bikes we rented were probably the creakiest bikes we've ever ridden. It sounded like my bike was wheezing whenever I asked for more speed. The chains occasionally fell off or got tangled. Imagine my apprehension as I was going downhill wondering if my chain would dislodge itself on my back brake bike. It was a fun ride and weather was amiable.

For dinner, we made our way to Yaletown for some seafood.  It was all delicious and we ate everything. We were all pooped and ready for bed. The next day would be our climbing day in Squamish!

deleteriously served,
jt

quiet on the internet = loud unplugged

Ahoy,

Some things I forgot to mention.

We went to a ping pong social club event in August. I had seen these places while I was in NYC. They recently opened a location in LA and had a party to kick it off. The RRS says it's one of the more fun things I've dragged him to. They had rented a bunch of vintage arcade games in addition to use of the ping pong tables. We had unlimited play for the whole evening. The food was not spectacular, I would not eat those foods again, but the experience of the night was fun for me as well. The facility is in the Standard Hotel, and they try to create a sort of nightclub vibe. Truth be told, I would not really go to this type of thing, but I felt that the RRS would like it a lot, and my brother too. I had fun nonetheless. One day I will drag him to the ballet. He will nap, and I will have fun.

We also made a trip into Chinatown in LA last month for Chinatown summer nights. Typical sights in Chinatown include lots of people, pushy Chinese ladies hoarding freebies, lots of food, exploding confetti rocket thingers, etc. Since it was a KCRW event, there were a ton more hipsters and non-natives (READ: not Chinese people). They had several sound stages, a beer garden, djs, food trucks, craft & jewelry sale stands. There was a lot of excitement, uncharacteristic of the neighborhood. We also discovered a new boba shop! It's good enough for a repeat visit.

frothingly pearled,
jt

no snags

Ahoy,

A's sister L visited us again. It is always a fun time when she comes because we eat a lot of foods. Normally, A starves me throughout the weekend because he is bad at feeding us. Sometimes I let him be in charge because otherwise he says I'm too bossy. Warning: don't let him be in charge of your children. They will starve.

The day L arrived, we decided to go downtown because a) national dance day was happening and b) the renegade craft fair was happening. They were conveniently located in the same park, so it was perfect. It was a bit of a scorcher, which I hadn't really thought about, but we persevered. Our first stop was to the grand central market for coffee, eggslut, and horchata. If you know me at all, you know I love a horchata bigger than my head. Eggslut surprisingly lived up to the hype. There's a line for a reason. Although I do feel like grand central market only recently became cool because of the slew of hipster places that got injected. It was a cool and fun place before and it still is.

We made our way over to the splash fountain at grand park. I splashed around with the kiddos while people danced. The water was warm and not as refreshing as I wanted, but after getting thoroughly soaked I felt okay about leaving the water feature for the craft fair. The RRS wilted in the sun waiting for us girls to look at everything. His pride prevented him from having a seat in the shade with the men, even though I prompted him to several times.

Dinner composed of deep dish pizza at masa of echo park. We've been meaning to try this, so we thought it would be appropriate to dine here before checking out the teenage mutant ninja turtle art gallery. The pizza was delicious and hearty. And the gallery was fun. The evening ended back in culver city for beer and ice cream/karaoke. Coolhaus is probably one of the best karaoke parlours on the westside.

The day was full of fun. And we were all surprised how smoothly everything went. I had a great time, and I hope you did too.

steamingly wilted,
jt

ropes!

Ahoy,

So we made the smart choice of taking the redeye on megabus up to Oakland last weekend. It was awful, the ride, not the trip. The redeye megabus was awful. I don't know what we were thinking. Who okayed that? Never again. Put that on the list of bad decisions. You would think since there are 2 of us making choices, one of us is bound to veto the others' poor choices. We got to his house and slept late into the afternoon. Had we taken the daytime bus, we would have arrived at about the same time.

I'd been dying to get on ropes again, so we got to go to not 1, but 2 Touchstone gyms to top rope. It was so much fun! I had so much fun! I can't wait for their Pasadena location to open! It will be so much fun! We also made a stop at Berkeley Bowl, the happiest place on earth, for snacks, the best food group of all the foods.

Other than that, we spent the days with his family running around SF and Berkeley. It's always fun to see what has changed and what remains. I feel like college towns are so transient not only of the people, but also the businesses. It's always a delight to see my favorites remain throughout the years.

Also, on the bus ride back, I got a super mario toy from the kid's meal. Probably the highlight of megabus is the food stops. Sometimes the company is alright.

distortingly summered,
jt

oh, the sports

Ahoy,

Last weekend the RRS and our friend J made me go watch a soccer game. We went to a Nike party at 6th & Mill, they called it the Hall of Phenomenal. I guess I didn't have a bad time. There was a giant screen and benches. We got there early enough to secure great seats. Nike also provided snacks aplenty, which I'm a big fan of. Let's face it, it doesn't take much to make me happy.There was also a taco and burrito stand. This place had everything you need to watch sports, minus the alcohol. But I think it would have been nuts if they added alcohol to the mix, so it was more like good decisions on Nike's part. It was an incredibly pleasant experience and I would be happy to watch another sporting event there, even though I don't like sports or spectating sports in general.

Since it was right behind our climbing gym, we got to climb for a bit after the event. The evening ended with a party that was pretty low-key. I'll admit I'm of the demeanor where low-key parties are way more fun than rowdy parties. I've never understood the attraction of shouting over each other at other drunken people you will likely never see again. But this was a great party consisting of food, conversation, and board games. I aspire to lead a relatively PG life.

falteringly snored,
jt

sports

Ahoy,

The RRS took me to my first ever sporting event last weekend. I cannot honestly say I was thoroughly amused. I cannot honestly say I was paying attention to the baseball game. A got tickets from work, and the seats were in the shade. I was so glad for that because I would have been so, so, so grumpy if I had to sit in the sun the whole time. It was Dodgers vs Cardinals. My English teacher in high school was a big fan of the Cardinals, so I felt more of an attachment for that team. He was always in a good mood when they were winning. A says it was a really exciting game in that there were a lot of runs scored by the Dodgers. The chocolate malt was probably the highlight for me.

I'm not dying to go again. But I didn't have an awful time. There are a lot of people in the world more dedicated to fandom than I.

drastically posted,
jt

Kevin was here

Ahoy,

I went on a bicycle adventure with my brother but my bicycle promptly malfunctioned when we started bicycling. We took the bus to the Getty Villa with our bikes. We tried to hop on the architecture tour but had a lot of trouble hearing the fella, so we hopped off that activity. When we left, we had to wait nearly an hour for a bus that had space on the racks for our bikes. What a drag to be stuck on the side oceanfront for so long. We didn't want to ride on the side of the highway because, you know, the imminent death upon falling over thing. We were reminded upon multiple occasions to take pictures together to send to my mom, because, you know, her life is consumed by taking and showing pictures to her coworkers.

Immediately after we got on the trail, I noticed my bike had a flat. We were in between places and far from anywhere, so I probably rode on my flat for way longer than I should have. One could say stranded on the PCH is a fear I never anticipated. We made it to omusubis in Santa Monica and my brother liked them. I guess you could say this was the beginning of a rather ambitious walking food tour. We moved onto a taco truck in Venice and sausages shortly after. One might say this food part was successful because we had more food than we needed. What is a life well-lived if not filled with indulgences?



We ended up taking the bus the rest of the way home because, you know, my bike was broken. The bus driver ended up being super nice and interesting. K thinks he learned more from the bus driver than the museum tour guide. I sometimes find myself wanting to write positive feedback cards to bus drivers, because they only really get cards for complaints. I think excellent customer service deserves just as much recognition. I implore you, thank your bus driver today.

We went to the drive-in that evening. K worked on his Botcon costume until the wee hours of the morning. What an action-packed day.

woefully detached,
jt