Ocean Beach Dipper and Lifeguard Tower

My patient and methodical combing of Craig's List in San Diego is bearing fruit. Along with acquiring the Apple Red Beach Cruiser Bicycle, I scored an all-in-one printer unopened in the box for 1/2 price and now a dining room table. The table was an especially exhilirating score due to the fact it's retro design mimics the curved art deco walls of my place. My friend Stephanie enlisted her co-worker, John the Accountant, to help transport the table. Afterwards, celebration was in high order, so Steph and I headed to Albie's Beef Inn and sat at the piano bar with Pinot Noirs under the glow of the nude-woman paintings. More celebration followed at Urban Mo's (formerly Hamburger Mary's).

No Lifeguard Today

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. Am I really here? Through my stuffed up nose I just smell air, stripped of Ocean. At the foot of the ocean it seems like there's a lot more air. Right now the water is pulling away from me and it will continue retreating until 2:34pm. It will creep back by 8am. The barnacles are beginning to show on the pier footings like hairy legs. There's a guy with an amish-looking beard, a beer belly and very liberal g-string who keeps glancing at me. I've got my DMV appointment for Wednesday, new retro table acquisition on wednesday and another meeting with my spanish tutor on Thursday and I'm taking an adoptive dog to Dog Beach on Friday. There's no excuse not to be busy in this city nor is there an excuse not to fully, deeply relax with so much ocean so available. This thursday evening I'm heading to the Contemporary Art Museum overlooking the Pacific in La Jolla. They're re-opening after a year of remodeling. This was one of the first places Aunt Muriel took me 15 years ago when I first visited San Diego and my first exposure to the questions of contemporary art. Muriel is a lover of the Old Masters so she definitely took me for my benefit. With school starting only part time in January I can approach my priorities from other angles. There is so much modern design and old design to interact with. Little Italy has some really fun new buildings that I want to walk up to and touch. There are mid-century apartment buildings around every corner and southern california as a whole is stuffed with notable buildings/architects both on and off the beaten path. My perogative in the absence of full-time class will be to get to know these buildings as intimately as possible and with a technical understanding of how they're built. My other priority is to learn Spanish. Mexico is only 20 min. away and there's a lot of development going on in Baja California. In 3-5 years I want to be able to take part in that growth as a designer. I don't think we give those who have feet in two countries (legal or illegal) the due credit for living two languages and two cultures. So far, I can't even get past rolling my "R's".

Two Hours Forwards, Fifty Degrees Backwards

Rumour has it that I'm flying into Minneapolis on Monday Dec. 11th....if that's true...then whoever picks me up at the airport at 11:53am needs to bring me a down coat, flannel hat with ear flaps and thermos of hot coffee, so I can survive the walk from the baggage claim to the curb. I'll be in town until Dec. 24th, mostly buried under six blankets with my girl and many cats but I will venture out twice for Camille and Stephani's fabulous parties. On Xmas day I'm contemplating a drive up to San Fran to catch up with some old friends. For everyone who showed up at Rudolph's and brought me great cd's (Susan, Judy, Jill and Denise) and presents! (Camille, JB, Kris, Nelle, Steph) Here's some music in return >>>>>>>>>>>> click hereAnd for those of you who gave me your addresses...watch your mailboxes, something is coming.

Expression

On Saturday at Balboa park I decided to sit down in front of a ridiculously complicated Baroque-Rococo looking building and draw it. I put pen to paper for about an hour and a half. After 60 minutes and 70% of the drawing completed I began to attract small children who would gasp and go get their parents and vice-versa adults who would grab their children and point to me. It felt kind of nice to be an improvisational civic attraction - especially since I haven't drawn much over the last two years. Sun night I also randomly caught a segment on 60 minutes on a Venezuelan Pianist, Gabriela Montero. Montero is a classical pianist but likes to improvise. She can take any song or 3 seconds of humming and improvise an elaborate arrangement. Morely Safer asked her to do a tango version of Twinkle Twinkle little star and the amazing stream of music came out of Montero in a fluid instant of mind-to-piano. You just have to hear the 10 sec. clip to know what I mean. I forget that expression is simple. I forget that just me, pen and paper, are an unscripted sum of parts. Watch the the 2 min. clip here, it's worth it. You'll have to endure a short commercial in the beginning. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?channel=60SundayGabriela Montero's official websitehttp://www.gabrielamontero.com/

Balboa Koi Fish

Acquistions

1. Apple Red Beach Cruiser Bicycle - $40 off Craig's List.

2. San Diego Library Card

3. 200 Ibuprofen tablets - $14.99 at the RiteAid Drug Store in Hillcrest.

Yesterday from 2 in the afternoon until 8 this morning I had a headache that went from minor nuisance to sharp throbbing of biblical proportions. I live with a new bicycle, a bed, some clothes, laptop, enough food to last 12 hours, map of san diego on the walll and no ibuprofen. Now I have 200 tablets. This weekend 200,000 people will be gathering 3 blocks from my doorstep to celebrate December Nights at Balboa Park. Amongst the activities are cultural displays of goods, artwork, traditional dancing, free admission to all 13 museums, food from 32 different countries and countless restaurants from San Diego, a beer and wine tasting emporium of which I will sample just enough to make the 3 block walk back home. Last but not least, elaborate displays of lights will adorn the fountains and buildings in the park. http://www.balboapark.org/decembernights/Since I don't have a date for this event I will be going by myself and showing myself a very, very, good time. Spreckles Organ Pavillion