Friday, August 23, 2013
Dammit Cat
Enjoy your crisp, clean air.
Here's a recent fire map.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Write now
It's write now or not at all, because tomorrow I'll be on the road, then falling into bed, then working, then unpacking, writing thank yous, etc., and I'll forget everything. I did a good job documenting, I think, until today.
So after Riley's walk, Dad and I had breakfast at a diner, then went to Belmont Park at Mission Beach and rode a roller coaster called the Giant Dipper. It was originally built in 1925, closed and rebuilt in the 70s. Dad rode it with his family in 1962. It was rebuilt in the same design, and sounds just as rickety as a wooden roller coaster should. It was good that we built up to today's adventure, because this thing was a roller coaster. I felt a bit apprehensive as we chugged towards the top, thinking, "So this is how I'm going to die."
This was not a one-big-hill-and-you're-done coaster; this was a kick-your-ass-all-the-way-through coaster. Holy shit. And it rattled the bejeezus out of us- I felt my neck crack. It was so much fun. We looked at other rides and decided to shop for a little while. I found a magnet to remind me of the coaster.
Our next ride is hard to describe. Maybe like a carousel, but instead of a horse, you ride a chair that you can flip upside down. Oh, and it goes a lot faster. I thought we could just opt out of flipping, but we felt comfortable with the ride and agreed to flip. Dad pushed the lever and we rolled forward just slowly enough to almost lose your sunglasses. "Again!" I yelled. "Backwards?" he asked. "Ok!" We continued to flip and laugh until we got stuck upside down, but we still found that pretty funny. We were eventually uprighted and released, and then wandered through another store.
I thought we could do that ride again, and maybe the roller coaster too, but then we met our undoing: the Tilt-A-Whirl. This is also a carousel motion, but with a few large, wave-like lumps. The cars spin as you ride these waves in a circle. How fast do they spin? Go find a bracelet and whip it around on your fingertip as fast as possible. Then vomit. Dad says he thought I was fine because I was still smiling, but I had actually stopped having fun several rotations ago- I was just afraid that moving a muscle would summon breakfast.
"Are you ok?" he called out.
"EEEEEEGGGS!" I yelled.
But hey, that was the plan: greasy eggs and roller coasters to find out if Jenny can still handle either. The results: roller coasters are still good. I can flip. I can spin in a circle. I just can't spin with an up and down motion. That is a barf recipe. I didn't hurl at all, thankfully- one either day- but today I came pretty close. We had to go sit somewhere else afterwards, because I could smell food garbage. Oh my gaarrfddhhhh, let's go sit on the beach. When I was able to move again, we walked to a boardwalk restaurant for some shade, a breeze, and a Diet Coke.
"I think I'm done," I told Dad.
Can I get a standing ovation for a dad who was still willing to potentially be barfed on by his daughter, 35 years after her birth? He asked what I wanted for my birthday, and roller coasters was my answer, so roller coasters he provided. We had a great time, and I managed to not throw up.
This evening I opened presents and sat with my dad, Nik and Rob, and we ate grilled cheeseburgers and salad. We had chocolate cupcakes for dessert (!) and Rob burned me 2 mix CDs from their iTunes collection. Laura came over and we all sat outside talking and sending each other photos. I sat in the nap swing with Nik and watched the clouds, then the moon as as we rocked back and forth with Riley sleeping half on Nik, half on me until it was time to say goodnight.
The puzzle wasn't finished, but Dad suggested I leave it for them. Nik said she'd finish it, then said the last time she'd done a puzzle was with Barbara.
"Barbara liked puzzles? I asked.
The response came with a look from Nik. "OH, yeah."
I'm floored. Dad says, "I forgot all about that." Later, I tell Nik I'm floored by this. "You are all the best parts of Barbara," she says.
What a lovely birthday.
The Start of 35
Ate a banana and the last half of a chocolate croissant with milk, of course. Riley wanted to flop down in the sunshine before she even peed. (I made her go pee first.) Tracy posted an awesome Snape joke, and Nik wants to do a puzzle today. :)
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Odd
This is probably not as fascinating to you as it is to me, but that's my San Diego trip odometer as I'm sitting in the Nissan lot, waiting for Nik. 619 right on the dot, which also happens to be... San Diego's area code. Oooooooooo.
Lego man down
Jumped off the bridge, committed suicide. We were quickly escorted away.
Sky Cruiser
This ride has bicycle pedals.
"Does it make a difference?" I asked the attendant.
"Not really," he said.
Lego shopping
Oh my god, Lego backpack! Each of those round parts is it's own zippered pocket! I may need that...
Quiet Time
I'm waiting on Dad and Nik to get back from dropping off her car. I'm sitting out back in the nap swing, listening to the fountain, birds, and barking dogs. And the garbage truck. Otherwise, it's quiet- not a lot of cars or people noise, despite being in a sea of houses. There is a lovely view, unobstructed by anything but vegetation. I finally understand the point of having a house on a hill even if it means having a largely unusable yard.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Nice day
We went to breakfast with Nik, then Dad bought himself a new grill, which we helped him bring home. Then Dad and I went to Solana Beach for arty shopping, then to Coronado just for the dog beach as I asked. Del Mar is better, but now I know that. We had a good time and Riley met lots of happy dogs. When we got home, we ate some cheese and crackers and now it's time for a nap. Riley's already passed out.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
The swirly thing
One thing I learned from years with boys is that every gifting opportunity needs toys. I found this helicopter thing at this really cool store filled with fake barf and things like that. I had no idea what it did, but Rob and Nik had seen them at the beach and we went out front to play in the street. It's like a slingshot, but it's got a light on it and the blades catch the light. It took a few tries, but Dad launched it pretty high up, and Rob would try to catch it. Dad called out when a car came by, and Rob, Nik and I all waited for it to pass so we could yell:
Yell what, my 90's people?
GAME ON!
If I ever do get married, my wedding will have some fun outdoor games and toys like this. Summer nights need outside fun.
Presents!
I got some too, from Laura and Nik and Rob. Neat stuff, fun evening, terrific food.
Afternoon nap continues
The nap swing's powers apparently encompass the rug.
Beach Walk
There are tons of squirrels in the hill, and Riley can fit through the fence- if I'd let her. The squirrels know this, so they taunt her.
So far
Currently walking Riley at the beach with Dad in Carlsbad. Had breakfast outside at the french bakery.