Looking back, I understand why the first 12 hours of my weekend had to be so terrible (two spilled glasses of water, one broken glass, and toast dropped jelly-side down on the carpet) in order to compensate for the awesomeness which would follow.

Saturday, Melissa & I set off for Marin to join Kali’s birthday celebration at the Pelican Inn. We found Kali & friends spread out on blankets in the lawn and soon the waiters delivered some delicious food (thumbs up on the fish & chips). It was so hot, but we were soon off to Muir Beach which was a 5-minute walk away. The weather was perfect with the ocean breeze and the sand warm but not painfully so. We stuck our feet in the water, but the weather was not hot enough for the frigid water to be especially enticing.

We watched freighters passing by in the distance until sunset. Luckily we had a bonfire to compensate for the lack of sun. The light was gorgeous on the surrounding hills but it was just too peaceful to break from my blanket to dig out my camera. It was my very first bonfire on a beach experience. I felt so Californian. It was a really beautiful day for Kali’s birthday and a great all around day with her friends (and their dogs!). Mayo played photographer so I snatched the photo from her.

It was still warm when we got back to the city around 8 PM, which is a very rare experience. I was comfortable in my shorts. So nice. I picked up some pizza bites to make what I consider to be the perfect evening meal ;)

This morning I woke up early (as usual) and finally cleaned up my place. It was a disaster zone. I suppose I’ve always been messy, but having everything in one room has just magnified my bad habits. *shrug* Jeremiah & I made a Home Depot run in the afternoon. I don’t think I can express how much I love home improvement stores. I love looking at everything, dreaming up projects I’ll never be able to do, and taking in the smells, from the plants to the mix of grease/metal to freshly cut wood. If there’s a heaven, mine will have all of these things. Takes me straight back to standing in my dad/grandpa’s old shop room. I feared that like other things, what I loved in Indiana, I wouldn’t in California due to its lack of Midwestern aesthetic, but Home Depot came through. We asked the *perfect* man for help. I cried a little because he was so awesome. I forget the line he dropped on Jeremiah, but the guy next to us asked where he could find an allen wrench and the man dead-panned, “Oh, he left.” *long distance hug, Home Depot man. I’m still giggling.*

I picked up a pot & soil for the redwood tree I purchased over Labor Day. The poor little guy had been living in his plastic tube home, because his new mom is a lazy bum. I hope no one tells him about my last plant, Ralph, who is probably dead in my dad’s basement. That guy survived for 8 years against all odds, those odds being my incompetence for caring for living things. I’m off to a good start with my redwood. I waited 4 years before I re-potted Ralph from his original plastic terra cotta home. Redwood Ray (yeah, after my grandpa) barely had to wait a month! He has to chill in my living room for awhile, but his permanent home will be in the kitchen where his red pot will be a perfect complement to my Rothko Red on Red. It’s nice to have some life in here. I even broke out my D70 for the first time since…shit, since Christmas! That’s just unacceptable. But yes, expect excessive, unnecessary updates on this new little tree of mine. We all know how I get (just search, Ralph or Howard). 

Oh! And we got lunch at Long John Silver’s. It’s the only one on the whole peninsula and I had my eye/heart/stomach set on it for a long time. I can always count on Ryan & Jeremiah to join me in fast food indulgence. I love boys. I really wish I’d gotten a dozen hush puppies to bring home, though. I want another one now after all this talk…

Only a couple more hours until the Desperate Housewives premiere, which will be the perfect close to the weekend. Tomorrow, I get to keep working on a project featuring a great comedian. Sooo cool to be able to watch them improv and see how they evolve with each take. Presents me with the new challenge of choosing between 20+ takes, too. I’ll share the videos when they’re live! Yes, makes me miss comedy. To borrow Cerra’s phrase, “I miss comedy so hard.”

PS If you haven’t downloaded the EP for The Social Network, do it now. It’s totally The Fragile-era Trent Reznor. Love it. New Walkmen album is superb, too. New Interpol will need another listen. There was little love on the first round.