"Riders on the storm"
Well, it's been a very long time since I've written an update. I'm still alive and kicking, I just haven't much felt the itch or the need to write. I used to get an urge to just get on here and rant and rave and blather on about the things going on with me, or my job. But, I've felt rather placated as of late, so I've found other manners of speaking my opinion and haven't felt the need to air them to the world on here.
(REMOVED) I've actually been in San Diego for a while now, trying to turn this stop into a little mini vacation for myself. I've tried to go see the sites, enjoy the culture, and just roam around the city to check the place out. I haven't been to San Diego in several years, and the last time I was I had merely passed through en route to elsewhere. But this time around I've gotten to spend some time here, and so far I like what I've seen. It looks like this place has a lot to offer, and it may be moving up on the list of places I want to go after Hawaii(Seattle is still at the top, but I do need some variety). The main thing I know is that I need a break from the islands. I need to get back to a place where I can just go for a long drive if I feel like it and not see the same thing day in day out. And of course, be able to fly somewhere and not have it cost an arm and a leg.
Leaving Hawaii for this trip was definitely more difficult this time. In the past I've just locked my door, set my alarms, and said goodbye to my stuff for a few days. But this time I'm in a relationship, which hadn't happened previously while I was on this ship, and I had to leave Maria back in Hawaii. It's a completely different experience from what I'm used to, having someone I love and miss back there on land waiting for me. I can't be there for her, and sometimes I'm not even able to talk to her for a few days, and it just makes me want to race back home. We've tried to make the best of it, with e-mails, and phone calls, and pictures sent back and forth. But I still miss her a lot. I think the fact that it's the holidays makes it all the more difficult. Fortunately we had a really nice anniversary(6 months) trip before I took off on patrol and we went for a drive around the entire island. It was a great trip, we saw lots of sites, and had a really nice time. She got all excited at seeing the big sea turtles on the beach and was sure to get a bunch of pictures.
Maria and me at Turtle Bay for our anniversary
(REMOVED) I arrived in sunny California. It was quite cold and dreary. Not like what I remembered in the sweltering desert of Redding. So, since I love the freezing cold, and even thrive on it, I was pleasantly surprised. Once I made it to San Diego I set out on the city. I jumped on the trolley, found the historical Hotel St James, and checked in for a nice four day weekend of relaxation and Christmas shopping. I was in my hotel for Thanksgiving, made some phone calls, and set out to find some dinner. Not really surprising, the only places I could find open were bars and Mexican restaurants, so I had my Thanksgiving dinner with a pint and a plate at La Fiesta's. I roamed all over the Gas Lamp District for those four days, spending Black Friday at the open air mall downtown, shopping for all sorts of presents. The evenings I spent with buddies hunting for stuff to do, and on Friday we created the goal of trying to find every Irish pub in the Gas Lamp District, and I ended up losing count after seven pubs.
Please excuse the quality of the photos, they were all taken with my cell phone.
This last weekend I rented a car, and set off to spend my time in Mission Valley. This time I spent a bit more time relaxing in my hotel, and just a little bit of shopping(my bank account was crying from all the previous damage). Most of all I spent it completely sober since the weekend before had been rather rough, and having the rental car also precluded me from getting around as much(the trolley doesn't really run around Mission Valley, and it was lacking in night life). But that Saturday, I went to Sea World! YAY! It was interesting, but I felt rather lonely throughout the whole thing because I knew Maria would have loved it there and I spent most of my time text messaging her. The rest of the boat was there, as they had purchased all the passes for us, but I didn't much feel like hanging out with boat people on my liberty time. The highlights of Sea World were seeing two little people, and getting a big chunk of fudge. This park was definitely themed towards entertaining children, as any theme park seems nowadays. So I roamed around and took pictures, and went back towards Fashion Valley for a bit more shopping.
There is still much left to my journies this winter season, with many more stops, and I will continue to post updates about my trip and hopefully more pictures. I can't yet say where I'm headed, but I should have more updates over the coming weeks.
I want to say to everyone that I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And I wanted to say that I love and miss you Maria =)