Art and Anniversary Parties

On the 5th of May I visited Twin Peaks and I took this photo. What is it? I have no idea.  I looked at my notebook around the 16th and listed out many of the things that had happened during this period. I ended up attending a bunch of parties that I really enjoyed going to. On the 17th of May, I met a friend at caf� Soleil and then traveled to two Art Parties and, then much later that night, the Suppen Kuche anniversary party. The very next day I had an interview for a job that I wanted.

It occurred to me that this combination may not be too out of the ordinary. My last few employers have made me realize that human resources departments seem to organize their hiring around the first day of each paycheck. For instance, I have found that after my employer would always initiate interviews one week before the end of the pay-period and new personnel would always start on the first day of the pay period. In the meantime I have noticed that parties are planned for the days after the pay period ends.

On the twentieth, I watched the eclipse at the Academy of Sciences. I was sick for a while after that and on the week of the 21st, I spent a lot of time rewriting my notes. I had time to clean house and visit the cleaners and had the house to myself. I started feeling better and on that Friday the 25th when I saw Dark Shadows at the Kabuki.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life.  I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Do I Bring a Towel?

I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately.  I have always disliked sleeping on my back.  I suppose that if I did more sit ups this would change but I in the meantime just don't do it.  I tend to sleep on my side.  However, in the past month I have even had trouble in this position.  So I toss and turn.

I woke up this morning at 5, which means I really only got like four hours of sleep.  So, I decided, because I had been telling myself to for about a week now, to go to the beach when the alarm went off at 6.

There were all these things that I knew would come up.  Like keys and ID and shoes and "Do I bring a towel?" and other stuff not worth recounting here.  There was the cold.  It was cold.  I was really groggy.  Even after being up half the night it was interesting to realize how much I wanted to return to that tedium.

I kept thinking, "I'm going to hate this," on the way down.  I only live five blocks from the beach so the reality is that I didn't think this too long but it only made the experience that much more immediate.  Every block brought the reality of the sand, the waves, the in-your-face-power of the thing that closer.

When I got to the Lower Great Highway I just kept going up the trail and over the levee, across the upper roadway, over the fencing, through the brush onto the sea wall over to and down the stairs....  I took off my shirt and flip flops and trudged through the sand saying, "Well here goes..." and then I was in the water.

I hate wading into water.  It only makes the difficulty of getting used to the temperature all the more drawn out but with the ocean it isn't the same.  You can't just jump into it.  The waves start small but as you walk (or run) out to meet them the weight of the water begins to slow you down.  Then there are the variety of waves that you have to deal with and then WHAM that big one comes in and knocks you silly.

And then there you are.  In the ocean.

From then on, even on the way home, I didn't once dislike the waves, the temperature, my outfit, the wind, the walk.  I just found myself at home spraying my feet off, showering and getting ready for the day.