the sit-n-spin summer

have you ever had a summer that flew by dizzyingly fast? or maybe one where you felt uprooted and unsettled instead of embracing the long stretch of leisure that defines "summer"? HELLO! i am the girl who is currently living out of boxes & a suitcase, about to quit her job, about to move (again) next month, go into more debt, and go back to school to dive headfirst into a Ph.D. program. my recent vacation already seems like long ago. i've been physically back for a couple weeks, but i fear my mind never made it home. while my body sits in an office and i vacuously stare into my laptop, or nod and pretend to listen to clients, my mind is far, far away. it's a place where there's sand, water and a salty smell in the air. you know that place where stress, deadlines and worries don�t exist? yeah.

here's a recap: california & colorado were both fun. san diego's weather is deliciously mild & sunny, and if water is your thing you're in the right place, whether you want ocean & surf, scenic overlook cliffs, or the calmer waters of the bay. the trendy Gaslamp Quarter. is a must if you're into restaurants & bars, lofts and cute shops. but it's not just for the trendy set. there's also down-to-earth brunch & coffee places, shops, a farmer's market, and of course, Petco Park (home of the Padres) for some baseball action. the Old Town is also cute, again, with some touristy areas, but definitely the best authentic mexican food. i highly recommend the Old Town Mexican Caf�, where you can see tortillas being hand tossed in the front window. there's usually a line, but it's so worth it once you sit down and order a basket of hot tortillas that can be eaten in and of themselves, or on the side. (fish tacos in san diego are a must)!

finally, the zoo is one of the best in the country, and the pandas are obviously a huge draw. since i grew up going to DC's national zoo, where admission is free and there were (are) pandas, i think that any zoo with these adorable animals is worth visiting. the zoo itself is clean and the exhibits are easy to navigate. of course, there wasn't enough time to do everything, but i suspect i'll return sometime. we didn't get to the famed Coronado Island, Point Loma (lighthouse), or Balboa Park. but a quick drive to the seaside cliffs in the independent, unpretentious & hippie surf town of Ocean Beach was the perfect stop before hitting the airport. (locals call it "OB").

daisy & joel's wedding itself was beautiful (and huge with 230 guests), complete with a sword arch ceremony. it was great to be there to wish them a lifetime of happiness in person. who cares that the bride was late because her hairdresser backed out at the last minute and they had to get a new one to drive down to san diego from Irvine? (boy was the priest punitive! talk about laying on the Catholic guilt for tardiness)! at least everyone had a good laugh about it. the reception overlooking the water was fun, both because there was a virginia table, AND it was neat to glimpse her life in the context of her childhood friends, family & ethnic community/culture.

it was fun to go travel w/ cindy, then meet up w/ my sister and her friends who happened to be there the same weekend. and what better way to wrap it up by heading to colorado for a week to de-stress & hang out before going back to a busy sit-n-spin summer? from ocean to mountains, it's all good times.