Cali Day 3

It's my third day in California and I must admit it's starting to grow on me. I like the calm and easy going nature of the folks here. And everyone seems so gosh darn friendly!

Last night I didn't go out with my buddy as planned. I got back to the hotel late, and I was locked out of my room for a time, as my key did not work. When I went to the front desk to have it resolved, there was a long line of people checking in, so I had to wait.

I stayed up until late reading The DaVinci Code and it is a quite gripping novel. By the time I was ready to eat, my stomach said it was time, it was close to 10:30. The Boston Market across from the hotel, on Contra Costa Boulevard closed at 10. I felt like a salad, since I didn't want to eat anything too heavy that late at night. The only place I could think of was the 7 Eleven on Main Street near the freeway on ramp, and the Safeway which I had spotted two nights before.

The 7 Eleven had about 3 salads, all with cheese, and dressings that would certainly keep me in the bathroom or send me to the Emergency Room. While I had a pretty good idea where to find the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, I didn't want to have to. So I drove around until I found the Safeway. It was at the corner of Mount Diablo Boulevard and (the street name escapes me right now).

I found a nice Asian Salad with Sesame Ginger dressing, crispy noodles, Mandarin Oranges and Chicken. It was complemented by Pom, Pomegranate juice, which is regarded as being very good for you. I had no idea that these fruits were so good for you when I used to wolf them down back home. I felt so Californian last night; I nice healthy salad with a healthy drink, even if it was at almost 12 on Wednesday morning.

I could live here, if I had to. I like the whole cosmopolitan and cultural feel to the place. It's very clean, filled with art and sculptures everywhere. My only problem would be my daughter living on the other side of the country, 3 hours ahead. I would have a hard time visiting her, since the trip on average takes 8 hours. By the time I got there, it would be time to go back home.

That's it for now. Hope my readers are all having a great day.

California trip number three

So here I am, back in California again. And missing out. The loneliness sorta kicked in when I sat down on the Southwest Airlines jet. Everyone who I know and like/love will be 3 hours ahead. I remember how difficult it became the first time I came here. It didn't get any better. Oh well. Four more days.

I hope to have some fun this time around too. The temperature here is warmer than what I left in Baltimore. 30-something degrees there, 50-something here. It should be nice all week, except they're expecting rain tomorrow.

I got a Trailblazer today. We rented from National Car Rental this time around. It's quite nice. Smooth ride. Very smooth. I never quite expected that at all. I had a choice between the Trailblazer and a PT Cruiser and so I chose the Trailblazer. I rented a PT two years ago in West Palm Beach and I was not impressed at all.

The flight was smooth. We left Baltimore a little late, but arrived 20 minutes early. Something about the winds being behind us pushing us forward. We sat at the gate for a while after the Kansas City passengers got off, and we got the opportunity to get off the plane and walk around.

I wanted to get some batteries for my Headphones, which came in handy for the brats from hell on this flight. There was one of some indian/arab persuasion who cried and shouted at the top of his lungs for too damn long. In order to get the batteries, I would have had to exit security and then come back in. I didn't feel like going through the torture. That was a mistake. I ended up sleeping for most of the flight, hoping to block out that nasty little brat. I love children, but I have no patience for spoiled brats, and parents who allow them to do whatever the hell they want.

Some witch who got on the plane in Kansas City was giving the Male flight attendant a hard time. He told her to sit down after the pilot turned on the seatbelt sign and she was giving him grief about it. Little did she know that he could have her arrested for interfering with the flight crew. Then she insisted on asking for his last name, I guess to report him, for talking down to her. He politely told her (which is more than she would have gotten from me) that they didn't give last names, and she needed to listen to his instructions. She wanted to go to the bathroom to change her top. Ugh! I can't stand people sometimes.

And so we left KCMO, pushed back from the gate on time, then sat for about 10 minutes as they sprayed some orange deicing stuff on the wings. Then we were off again. I don't know how they did it, but we arrived 20 minutes early into Oakland. I wasn't complaining. We had to sit on the runway this time, however, as the previous flight had not left the gate yet. Being at the front of the plane, I was able to bail in a couple of minutes after the door was opened.

Anyway, I'm going to head to the hotel to check in now. The one I wanted to stay at was booked solid so I have to go to the Courtyard. It still has free internet, which is basically all that I need. May be back online later.. I'm a bit tired after the flight and my knees hurt a bit when I first got off the plane. Hopefully the Hotel has a gym.

Heading to California

I'm going back to Walnut Creek, California on Monday for a week. More to come.