Night Owl

Dream by day, evade by night. It's a defense mechanism that works - flip the natural sleep cycle upside down when you don't want to deal with reality. At least, not when everybody else is awake.

This was a summer of nights. Nights spent applying for the few stable teaching positions coveted by every other teacher in Los Angeles and trying to figure life out. Nights spent mindlessly avoiding those two goals with books, journals, old dvd collections. I did most of that work between the hours of midnight and 5am.

This is my last week of being a night owl! Even though I slept at around 3am and should still be curled up in bed, I'm wide awake and blogging? I feel jet lagged. My eyes feel agitated. The to-do list is already starting to form in my head.

Four women I know became mothers this summer. How awesome and wonderful is that? They must be night owls too with a to-do list that will last forever. I'm going to brew myself some coffee and make breakfast.

Summer, Here

So I'm returning to JLMS to teach. Same students, same classroom, same partner teacher...but as a long term substitute. What will happen? I have no idea! But I believe it's a blessing in disguise. It's been so good to see familiar faces back at school! The questions have mostly been like this: How are you? How was your summer? What did you do? Where did you go?

It's so difficult to answer questions like that in sound bytes.

Most of us were pink slipped but we all responded in drastically different ways. Some left L.A. to go find themselves. Central America, South America, So. Carolina, Fresno, New York. I spent summer, here. Also, finding myself. Traveling to new places is bound to be an intense experience, but travel can also happen whilst staying in one place, and can also be as intense. This summer, was hard in every possible way, but beautiful too.

So how was summer? Here are some photos I remembered to take, more to come.

Pleasanton


Writing & Wine


Karen


To be Married, Shirley & Tom


San Francisco Ferry Building



Santa Monica Beach


Santa Monica Beach, Vanessa


Eaton Canyon Falls


By the Falls, Erica & Karina


Before going in

Summer!

Butterfly from Pavilion of Wings at the Natural History Museum in L.A. One of many beautiful pictures that I'll post on my photo blog soon =)

Summer is wonderful for many reasons:

* its warmer on morning runs
* poolside sunbathing
* swimming
* summer school - teaching math and art =)
* the sun - I love it!

Enjoy the longer days, the cool nights and soak it up ;-)

Malibu Warming

Fred and I spent the weekend California style - basking in the sun. It was a perfectly lazy, warm weekend and I have the glow to prove it.

There's a great Italian pizzeria that is Thai owned (why always this fusion of the two?) on the Pacific Coast Highway. Johnnie's Pizzeria. Maybe it was the super nice chef that gave us free, fresh baked garlic rolls or the ice cold Singha beer (in a perfectly chilled glass) but I loved the food: thin crust medium pizza with roasted yellow peppers, roasted eggplant, sausage and pepperoni.

We found a nice spot along Malibu beach, laid out our blankets and enjoyed the pizza. A young couple was sparring in front of us. Pelicans were gawking at our pizza. Cool German man was being happily chased around by his son. Surfers were on one side, swimmers on the other. This is California, I thought, people are laid back. And tan.

The waters are definitely rising - with every hour, you could see people edging further back away from the reach of the incoming waves. Global warming. It wasn't just me & Fred noticing - some lady was announcing it, am not sure if she was addressing me, the sun, or the sea - but it was cool to be on the same wavelength, with a stranger.

On our way out, we noticed a sign that warned everyone not to swim due to "drainage" issues. I mean, I was glad I only entered thigh high - but who can resist the ocean? Nobody seemed to care, all of us were happily dunking ourselves into toxic oblivion. It really makes you wonder when you have to ask yourself: should I swim in toxic water? But, I think it's funny. It's very So Cal ;)