So Cal Admirers

I'm back in SD for the second weekend now after a long week in the O.C. traveling from fair to fair. The first half of the week I stayed in hotels and the second half I got to chill with Shawn and his family. I've really been enjoying my internship lately, and while I go back and forth, I'm starting to feel more like I could do this as a real job for awhile, which is good since recruiting is the most likely way to break into this business.

Last weekend was great fun, what with Rachael's birthday, going out dancing, Oktoberfest in El Cajon, and the Little Italy Chalk Festival. There was so much to do, we hardly got in any relaxing at all! Well, I guess drinking beer in a massage chair would qualify as pretty darn relaxing...

My most interesting night this week was definitely in Long Beach. I checked into what I assume to be the nicest Super8 on the planet. Edwin, the sweet sweet clerk, always called me by name, escorted me from the car to the lobby, and upgraded me to a suite (who knew?). And, they offer a happy hour with Chex Mix and boxed wine. Alright, it is still Super8, remember...

I went out to an authentic, family-run Italian restaurant on my own for dinner. The place was small, so one could hear everyone else's conversations. I was enjoying chatting a bit in Italian to the waitress, the owner's daughter and watching the other parties dine.

Then, in the middle of my pasta scamorza the retired gentleman from the table next to mine who was dining with his wife got up, came over to my table, and declared, "You are beautiful and you do NOT deserve to be eating alone." He proceeded to kiss my hand and introduce himself, then continued, "Seriously, you are gorgeous. And I hope there's someone waiting for you." I was totally flushed, to the stay the least, and babbled out that he was very sweet and made my night. The best part of the whole event was that when he sat back down, his wife chastised him in sharp whispers. He defended himself with "She liked it!" and I sent a reassuring smile over to their table. "See, she liked it!"

It got even better when the owner came over and we began conversing I suppose more loudly in Italian than I had before because out of my periphery I could see my admirer light up with a look that said, "And she speaks Italian?!" It was fabulous.

Beat LA!

I spent the last two weeks in Northern California doing a couple of fairs a week and hanging with the fam. We went to a Giant's game, my mom and I made Boeuf Bourguignon, I walked down memory lane at my high school's Homecoming, and I also talked to my AP English teacher's class about UCSD and study abroad.

I also did a lot of lounging. A lot can be said for lounging.

I started the drive down to SoCal on Sunday and I had one fair at UCSB before moving on to my least favorite city in the world, Los Angeles. My table at the USCB fair was positioned next to a man in a wheelchair promoting Costa Rica programs who I became friends and chatted with throughout the day. Half-way through the fair he was approached by a couple of students asking if he'd been on TV! He sheepishly replied that yes, he had...they'd seen him on a couple episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I thought it was so bizarre...the last place I would have expected to run into an actor, however small the role. Well, I haven't seen the show, so to me he was just the nice guy next table.

After the fair I had some major issues with box-carrying when my giant 20 lb. box fell off my carrier and split open. Thank God everyone in this business is so friendly and kind because I was about to abort this mission altogether and just go home before someone offered to carry the box on the roller.

Now, as I sit alone in my grungy motel with the sounds of the 405 wizzing outside my window and the leftover stench of my delivered pizza wafting through the poorly lit room, I'm touching base with all of you to remind myself that there are people out there in the world.

Just two more days and then I can leave L.A. and all will be right again in the world. Slowly but surely...San Diego here I come!