Let go of what is gone; be grateful for what remains; look forward to what is coming...

NOTE: Written on March 2, 2020: Pre knowing just how big Covid was... I decided not to rewrite it because it was a simpler time then. 

Holy COW, we're in the 2020s!!! Where did the time go? I recall pondering how old I would be once it hit 2000... sheesh!

But before I dive too deep down that rabbit hole, I want to reflect on 2019. I don't write blog posts on the regular anymore, which is pretty evident by how many posts have been published in the last year. Though it's not because I haven't thought about it. For 2019, I have 4 drafts; 2018 and 2017, 1 draft each, 2016, 3 drafts... you get the idea. I'm unsure if I'll finish most of those, but I am guessing a few of them may see the light of day at some point.

Overall, it was a good year but not without several challenges. Nothing happened directly to me, but I was impacted (and still am) by some of the losses that were part of last year's journey. One of my best friends lost her father somewhat unexpectedly, while another set of really good friends lost their 2 year old daughter, also somewhat unexpectedly. If anything, the cliché rings true, we are not promised tomorrow. I don't tend to focus on the harder moments but I will say more about some of that a bit later.

Prior to becoming gainfully employed after a long hiatus, my friends and I went to the King Tut Exhibit in LA. From what we were told, it will be the last time that the exhibit toured because they were able to earn enough money to build a permanent installation in Egypt. It was truly amazing how much they were able to preserve, even with all the traveling throughout the world. I am glad I was able to see it. Even though I would love to go to Egypt, I'm not sure when that will become a reality.

We went on our annual trip to Mammoth, which, as always was a blast. That's one of the things I really appreciate about this fine state. An 8 hour drive will take us high into the mountains where the fluffy white snow is a stunning place for winter sports. As any GoT fan knows, last year was the series finale. And while we were awaiting it, my brain was going into withdrawals, which made me "see" dragon formations quite often. The ending was pretty disappointing, but here's hoping IF the books are completed, it will be told in a better way. I don't want to go into a rant about the finale, as I've already mourned and vented enough for the time being.

So, I'm still back among the working class. My "break" was WAY too long for my tastes, though if I were independently wealthy, I would have been pretty darn happy to not work. Unfortunately, this lovely state isn't cheap to live in, so back to work I went. I'm grateful for an awesome team, and how much fun we had for the Halloween contest. Not to mention the 3 escape rooms we got to do, and the gym classes that I'm a bit obsessed with now. LOL.

I was able to do a tiny bit of traveling aside from Mammoth, visiting friends in the Bay area and my family in Vegas. There is something tremendously fulfilling about having reunions with friends that are family. The laughter, the fun; how it feels like no time has passed, even though time sure as heck passes. We had some visitors come through as well, which was great too!

I saw my 4th Janet Jackson concert with my brother in Vegas. Even at 53, she could still move. Maybe not J. Lo at the Superbowl, but she still has game. #goalsformy50s That was very nostalgic too. I don't know a single new song, but anything before 2002, my brain recalled almost every single word.

I got to play softball again! The last time I played was back in 2017, so I was rusty. It was quite the experience, actually. Almost half the team had never played softball before and didn't know any of the rules. We played in a general city league, and to put it bluntly, we had our butts handed to us. There was only one team we were on par with, and when we played them, we tied. That tie, though... was our first non-loss. We were getting KILLED in each game, have the mercy rule of switching positions after 7 runs were made per inning, invoked on us in a good 65% of the games, if not more.

 

My silver lining to that is that if you see how the team started to how we ended the season, we improved A LOT! The batting was better, the fielding was better, we had some great innings and even whole games where the mercy rule wasn't invoked. (some...) All in all, we had a great time and spoiler alert, we just started the newest season last week in a new league where we won our first game, as a team, EVER!!!

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We had several visitors who were from Boston and we were able to go to one of the Red Sox/Padre games which was, wait for it... Star Wars themed! It was a lot of fun to get the swag and watch the Sox play. We used to go to Fenway Park when we lived in Boston and enjoy the games there. 

Disney was having a special where an Annual Passholder could buy $99 park hopper tickets for the end of summer. Just in time for my birthday. I had a pass when I was living in the OC and I had a blast! Growing up close to the Happiest Place on Earth, we were able to go somewhat frequently. I recently found ticket stubs where the ticket was only $22!! My very first annual pass was $99, so let's just say that Disney definitely increased prices much faster than inflation. Anyway...

As a treat, we got reservations for the Blue Bayou. After all these years, I had never been and it was not too bad! We should have waited to get a seat closer to the water, but I'm sure we would have been WAY TOO hungry to wait that long. Next time though.... we will be patient enough to get the table by the water. :) We got on over 15 rides in less than 12 hours, often taking single rider lines to make sure we could get on as many as possible. A few awesome people (who have passes) came throughout the day and though it was a HOT day, it was everything I had hoped for. Disney just has a way of making you feel like a kid again!

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We're almost in the last quarter of 2020 right now. What a crazy adjustment it has been and there are no signs that things will change any time soon. But... that's for another post.

"Newlywed or Nearly Dead..."

"Newlywed  or  nearly dead", that's the unofficial motto of where I currently live. As they always say, "Home is where the heart is" and in any case, I know I'm not in Kansas anymore! (Or Boston, San Diego, Garden Grove, or even Indianapolis for that matter!) Ok, ok, I'm done with the puns.

I had never been to Santa Barbara prior to the interview for my current job. I wanted to come to visit while I was living in San Diego, but it just never happened. I remember thinking, "Even if I don't get this job, at least I'll have gotten a glimpse of the place so many people have raved about."

Don't get me wrong, it's a great place. Beautiful, secluded, not too populated and was featured in the NY times in their travel section just last month! With the beach to the south (so weird!) and the surrounding Los Padres National Forest , it is a unique place.

It's definitely the smallest town I've ever lived in as an adult. (As a youth, I had a brief stint in Tequesta, FL which is by far the smallest town that I've been in... ever...) When people ask me what I think of it, it's almost a reflex that I exclaim, "They don't have a Target!!"

To drive the point home, I am where the green arrow is and the Target website so effectively reveals that the closest one to me is only about 40 miles away. (Only...) To the city's defense, there is a Kmart here (which to date I have not visited because I have strategically hit up a Target on my way back home from a weekend away), but man do I miss having one around!

The other place that most people know about is UCSB. Known as a party school, it also boasts some Nobel Laureates and one Field Medalist. One of my good friends visited me for Halloween weekend. We decided to venture into Isla Vista (or IV) where, according to Playboy, UCSB is a Top Party School. We strolled through the streets and one thing we both agreed upon was that they had a very "fit" student body. I had to ask my friend, "Is there a BMI maximum on their application form?!"

Yes, that does say "I <3 Boobz"

We saw and heard a lot of entertaining things. In addition to the window artwork here, we also saw a drawing on a filthy car. Instead of the familiar "wash me" sign, it was a picture of a particular body part. Enough said. Sorry, no pictures were taken.

The "inner hoes" came out in droves, although, some of them might have been themselves... something I'll never personally know. The quote of the night could have come from any of them, "Is my a$$ hanging out?" and we weren't sure if it was something they WANTED or didn't.

We also came across some guys that held up "DTF?" signs on cardboard. Let me be honest, I had no idea what that meant, although we were pretty close and definitely had the right context in mind. One thing was for sure, they were going to have some fun parties down there that night, even with the police in full force. (We saw a Cookie Monster in handcuffs on the sidewalk, so sad.) I was warned by several co-workers to avoid the area if I wanted to steer clear of debauchery, but as a good host, how could I refuse my first visitor?!

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I'm guessing that's because of the SBPD.

Anyway, my temporary housing is coming to a close in about a month so I have to find a new place to live. Right now, I'm across the street from work, about 1.5 miles away from the local airport, and about 10-15 minutes away from downtown SB. Pretty darn convenient, but as a recent graduate with student loans, my current abode is just a wee (as in not at all, but actually a HUGE) bit too pricey for a gal like me. Wish me luck!