So Funny story...

Friday at about 3pm I got a notion into my head. There was a time in my life when I would occasionally get these notions and would embark on a spontaneous adventure and end up coming out with very few cuts and bruises and a whole lotta great stories. In recent I-have-to-at-least-pretend-I'm-a-grown-up years I have not got these notions. But Friday, after a pretty good week, I got this notion. Now I totally blame this notion on something my voice coach/therapist (intoned with a grain of distaste as well as a rather dramatic eye-roll) and I have been talking about and the subject of my most recent "break-through." I've been a tad moody all summer and I know exactly why and he called me out on it and is trying to make me a less bitter person, which is all very well, except that the subject of my bitterness has become the focal point of my life and personality, which means I've been moody. So I was given a completely ridiculous assignment that I was fully planning on ignoring. Except then I had a really good week and figured out some stuff and came back to my lesson and was totally called out for not completing said assignment. So Thursday I left my lesson intending to ignore the assignment. And Friday I got a notion in my head. And Friday I called a hotel. And Friday night I drove down to Oceanside and checked into the hotel. This is what ensued:

Once I got settled in, I grabbed my bag, grabbed my jacket and headed down Highway 101 on foot. At 9'0'clock at night. Because I am awesome. I planned on just walking to the little plaza area and heading straight back, but somehow I ended up at the beach. That was fine by me! It was hot in Riverside again and it was most definitely not hot in Oceanside and I walked along the water's edge until I realized I had arrived at the pier. So I walked the pier intending just to go to the end and walk back. Because after all it was 9:30 by now. So I walked to the end of the pier and right into the Ruby's Diner. I found myself at a table with a Milkshake, a water, and some chicken strips. So I ate and read my book.

Luckily I had a really awesome waiter who was kind enough to continually supply me with water and didn't seem to think that it was weird that I was eating alone, reading a book, at almost 10pm. He was also really cute, which may have helped out. I left him a good tip. The hostess also told me that I was adorable and she wanted my outfit (which was just a lightweight 70's polyester dress that I wear when I don't care what I look like...). So after I'd finished, I left and began to walk back. Luckily I walked back just as the Marines (Oceanside is right next to Camp Pendleton) were beginning to be beyond buzzed. There was a ton of interesting people outside doing and saying very interesting things. By the time I was two blocks from my hotel, it was about 10:45 and the Marines at the Italian restaurant apparently thought I needed to be howled at, which was highly amusing. So I went back to my hotel, took a shower, watched the end of Braveheart, and went to bed. Which might have been the best, most deep sleep I've had in months. It was excellent! I didn't wake up until about 10am! After I got up, I packed up the room, and checked out and headed over to a cafe down the street called The Longboarder Cafe. They have excellent pancakes if you are ever in the area.

My breakfast would have been uneventful had it not been for the lady who was sitting next to me. The cafe was super busy and I was siting at the counter and the lady next to me kept saying things to no one at all. I figured she was just a slightly crazy bat and kept reading my book. Then she rather loudly announced to the waitstaff, myself, and the guy at the end of the counter, that if those marines didn't stop following her and stalking her she was going to "have them arrested-GO AWAY, GO AWAY!" Then she ordered a beer. Then she drank the beer and went back to talking to herself. Then she started going on about being followed by someone else and how they were coming after her, and then, THEN, she said "Please someone help me! Someone help me! If any of my friends at the CIA can hear me through those microchips you put in my brain, HELP ME!" The owner of the cafe was bringing me more water at the moment and I snickered and tried to not shoot coffee out my nose, and she just stood there staring at the lady, water pitcher in hand. It was like something out of a movie! I left before she did anything else exciting, but it was enough to get my day off to a good start! The rest of the day was incredibly mellow and relaxing. I went to Ocean Beach, which is a total hippie community (there is a shop called "Things to Puff"), which rioted when the Starbucks came to town. There is still only one Starbucks (which is a pretty amazing feat for So. California.). And I didn't take a single picture. There was about a 3 hour period where I apparently forgot I had my camera... I don't know, but I was a little frustrated. I did find some awesome stuff at thrift shops, and antique stores though!

I ended the day at El Indio (best Mexican food in SD) and then onto Seaport Village. It was so, so lovely! It was nice and cool, and the air was clean, and I think I did more walking around than I've ever got to do down there. I had hoped to go to the U.S.S. Midway and tour the ship, but it was getting too late and I hate driving the 15 and 215 freeways at night. So I definitely want to go back soon and do that! I have a slight obsession with all things Navy or generally nautical right now. I have no idea why. But I am seriously going to go to the Swinging on the Midway Big Band Dance in November. Hello dream come true?

So that was my weekend! How was yours?

As always there are more photos here