I am here and it is now

So, 11 days off ended today.  Boy howdy that was needed.  I mean, I didn't actually "do" much or go anywhere all that exciting, but there's something about taking more than a long weekend that just flips a switch in my head and says, "Yes, you actually can relax this time."

The first day off was Thursday the 28th, my birthday.  I slept in a bit but not too late - out of the house by 11 so I could head down to Westwood.  I called one person I was looking to rent a room from, met her, and then wandered around campus and the village a bit looking at other things.

There was one point, walking down the main drag past the engineering buildings and into the medical school area, where I actually stopped and thought, "This is my place now.  How cool is that?!"

I then headed down to the Abbey for a late lunch/early dinner.  I got to bump into a couple of guys that I've known for years but hadn't seen since last year.  There was a part of Aussie lesbians sitting next to me, one who had the same birthday (I didn't mention mine), who were having a grand ole time and periodically pulling me into it (with no regrets).

When I left, it was about 5, and I was suddenly struck by the need to visit the ocean.  Knowing exactly how absurd it was to drive down to PCH during rush hour (it's one of the most congested roads), I did it anyway.  I made it all the way to Ginger Will Rogers State Beach and then pulled into the lot.  I always have a bathing suit, flops, and a towel in the car for when I go visit C&D in Fontana, so I took off my shoes, put on the sandals, and wandered out to the shore.  I actually got my feet (and, eventually, knees - waves were a bit erratic) wet in the Pacific for the first time in over two years.  Eventually, I just hung out a while, watching the sun set and listening to the waves.

I don't think I can describe what the smell of sea salt or the sound of ocean waves does to me.  All I ask is a tall ship...

Friday, I just stayed home.  I spent a portion of the day cleaning stuff in the apartment, mostly going through old clothes to toss or donate (some of which I'd started going through in the process of moving it... yes, seven years ago).  Saturday I totally goofed off, and Sunday I drove out to Palm Springs.

I was expecting it to be busy; it was.  I was expecting some of the people I ran into last year to be there again; they were.  I was also expecting it to be boisterous; it actually wasn't.  Everyone was pretty chill and low-key for three days; it got a little busier Tuesday afternoon and then Wednesday before I left.  I guess the more active crowd was coming in after the holiday rather than before it.

But I got a tan (no burns), more blonde, and pretty relaxed.  I used my tablet a fair bit for housing-hunting and such, but I didn't actually use the laptop at all during my stay there.  I've also got fingernails for the first time in my life, a fact I first noticed before my vacation and which now means I need to determine how short I want to trim them.  Historically, this hasn't even been a question due to biting my nails.  I'm actually pretty curious as to what has led to the cessation of that habit; there's all sorts of speculation.

In PS, the weather wasn't at all bad - 108 as the high, about 78 at night, with very low humidity.  That's almost perfect for pool weather (a little too intense at mid-day, but otherwise pretty decent).  When I got back, the heat wave hit, and it actually reached 114 in Pasadena on Friday and was still 106 on Saturday.  Both days, the AC couldn't quite keep up with the heat (I live on the top floor and have a south-facing wall).  Mostly, I just stayed inside.

Oh, one thing I did was drop the car off at the shop again as requested last week (they couldn't tell where the leak was coming from last time, and my impression was that they were just really busy and didn't have time to deal with it on short notice).  This time, they decided the oil pan had somehow gotten pushed in, likely by a valet or someone (not me; I know better) driving it onto one of those parking dividers.  So, that's being fixed now, along with where the filter attaches, so hopefully that's the main issue.  More expensive that I would have liked, but them's the breaks.  Or at least the oil pan.

Still haven't found "the place" yet, still sending out feelers, and still remarkably not at all stressed about that.  I do have my new student orientation next Monday (all day), and I'm really looking forward to it - it'll mean not only registering for classes (I've got two potential schedules that will work with my work schedule and still have seats open) but also getting my student ID.  The combination means being, in however more official a way, an actual Bruin and UCLA student.

I signed up for a few dating apps, since I'm going to want to start back into that once I move.  I figured I'll just see how things go for now.  But I get to list myself as an engineering student under "occupation", which is totally awesome.

(Grindr has a crappy interface.  Jack'd is a little better.)

(And what's with all the guys my age - or, really, late 30s to late 50s - deciding that they have to grow facial hair?  Plenty of guys have older pics without, then newer pics with beards or even mustaches.  I *hate* facial hair - I'm not saying someone needs to be hairless all over, but for whatever reason, facial hair is just an immediate turn-off for me.  It's not even a daddy thing; my dad looked great without it and crappy with it, so he's subject to the same effect.  Oh well.)

Anyway, this is a photo I took to update FB (since my profile shot was from just after moving in to the apartment).

A friend mentioned he liked the other pic, but said this was decent.

Me: Well, the other is almost 7 years old, so it was about time for something new.
Him: ... dammit, don't you ever age??

Since I cleaned things up a bit, I also started back up on the rowing machine.  First time nearly killed me - also happened to be Friday, when it was hottest - but I've been okay since then.  I need to work back up to a decent routine on it, now that I'm not putting in 20 hours a week on top of work.  I'll never be a 9 in anyone's book (I have no interest in putting that much effort into exercising), but if I can get to an 8 or 8.5, I'll be happy with myself.

Oh, and I'm cooking again.  Made blackened shrimp last night, with rice and veggies.  Probably do a stir fry tonight.  Kikkoman makes an awesome brown sauce that works really well, and I still have dried hot peppers I can toss in for spice.

Anyway, I should get back to getting back.  Far less was waiting for me at work when I returned this time, but I think that was mostly due to better planning before I left.  But "less" isn't the same as "nothing".  Sure, I could put some of it off until later in the week (and will, in some cases specifically because people need to learn not to expect things instantly from me), but there's no time like the present.

I am here, and it is now; everything else is negotiable.