Week 2 SD

I’ve got a random schedule at work since I jumped in the last half of the current schedule. So I’m off one work two off two kinda crazy.

Thanks to meetup.com I’ve got lots of things to do and choose from. Monday I joined the 2 “Daytime Nighttime Hikers and took a 6 mile walk around University of California San Diego. Tuesday I went to cheap movie night and saw Blind Side with Sandra Bullock. I really liked it. Definitely a feel good movie. Afterwards, I head to La Jolla and when to the Last Salsa Tuesday at the Firehouse YMCA. (See previous post as well) I found the young salsa crowd…they’re hiding in La Jolla. I also met Ms Susie Nguyen a ranked competitor of Salsa Dancing. I love her style and I went ahead and attend her complimentary dance class the next day ( after I got cancelled on Thanksgiving eve!!) I was determined to take her class at any cost.

I met a nice mature man who invited me to see a play. I had a great Friday evening with Scott and we saw Bonnie & Clyde at the La Jolla Playhouse. Such good voices and melodic tonality. I enjoyed every minute of it! We closed the evening up with some great conversation and salsa dancing along with some ballroom dancing lessons. Scott’s multitalented. Oh and he drives a kickass electric car, the Tesla. It really does remind me of a roller coaster.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and I wasn’t sure I was gonna get called in or not, so I typed in beach in the TomTom and had him lead me to the nearest beach which was Torrey Pines Nature Reserve. I walked along the beach and made some phone calls. I watched the sun set and ate a turkey sandwich. :)

Then it was back to work for the weekend!

Silly for Salsa in San Diego

My grandma says that I should keep a diary while in SD. So here's my attempt since who writes in book/diaries anymore?!?!

I'm really enjoying San Diego. I really haven't seen much of it during the day but the nights have been fantastic! I've worked a bunch of days in a row and had a couple off but didn't try to switch to being awake during the day!

Its been salsa that has gotten me out and about. And since it is time of Thanksgiving I'd like to say...thanks to TomTom for leading me and not getting me lost and always leading me home safe! =)

My first night out I hit up Cafe Sevilla in the Gaslamp district of San Diego. Then the next night off I meet up with a wonderful lady Annabelle to carpool to attend Sevilla on the Sea which was a salsa cruise. Had a blast and danced till my feet felt like they weren't attached anymore.

I went to Firehouse last night and was amazed at the quality of dancers there. Susie Nguyen runs the Ooh LaLa Dance Company and most of her dancers were at the Firehouse. I've looked into taking classes with her but it all depends on my work schedule which I still dont have for the month of Dec!!! Hello!!!

Tonight I hit up the La Jolla Marriott for Salsa Wed and rocked out. Such great dancers that make me a better dancer! I felt so good. I grabbed a couple of pics but for the most part I was dancing my tooshy off and never got another chance to snap away. Plus all the sweatiness isn't very attractive. =)


I'm glad and not glad that I was canceled tonight. I miss the money that I would have made, but at the same time I met so many people tonight and had a fantastic time. Thanks Susie, Jen, Paulina, Micheal, Bobby, Micheal #2 (I wont tell him that I thought of him like that), Bryan and Kris and Victor for an amazing night.

Its always a good salsa night when you dance so much that there is not a dry piece of clothing on you!

At the same time I miss my Houston Salsa crew! But watch out guys, when I return to H-town, I'm gonna knock your socks off!!!

Week One San Diego

Beginning Sun Nov 15

Arrived Sunday just in time to get the key to the apt and unpack before the office closed and the sun set. Got the cats situated and kinda crashed. I made lists of things that I needed. Shower curtain was top of the list. I discovered the grocery stores and 99cent store and thanks to Tom Tom GPS, I found the stores themselves. So after spending a small fortune…my first week check… at Target, Albertsons and 99cent store, my apartment is completely ready and cozy for me and the girls.

I searched the net to find the hip things to do and Wed night I headed off to the Gaslamp district and danced all night at Café Sevilla. A Spanish restaurant/nightclub/bar. Such good dancers!!! I need to find a school here! The salsa crew of Café Sevilla also offered a salsa cruise that Saturday which I attended as well. I contacted a lady Annabelle on the meetup group to carpool. We had a blast. I danced with a lot of older guys and prayed that this wasn’t the standard salsa scene, but realized later that it is kinda the Café Sevilla crowd.

Tuesday I had sat through an all day orientation which only I was the attendee. Fun times! Thurs and Friday was my on the unit orientation. Really nice people that I get to work with. I enjoy working nights. I haven’t done it since Shock Trauma, but I like the night and I don’t have a problem sleeping during the day so it’s a win win thus far.

Road Trip

I loaded up my car and made the 1600 mile drive to San Diego with my girls. Thanks to my blackberry a good portion of the trip was captured. First night in Las Cruces NM, second in Scottsdale AZ at Tina's, third night...in my apartment in San Diego. Wootwoot!

The girls got themselves comfy for the ride

First day on the road...beautiful sunset

Yep...long road with not much of a view

Woohoo...I made it to Arizona finally

Yep....bunches of rock mountains and hills

this is how enthused Ciccia was

Pit stop and saw this at the light

An hour away from Tina's and a major wreck happened. I was stuck here for another one and a half. It sucked but the people in the wreck had it worse so I really couldn't complain.

Beautiful Rainbow

Finally made it to Tina's. She prepared her famous Monkey Juice!

Just before I went through a major dust storm

There wasn't anything 'verde' in Mesa Verde

San Diego county here I come

Bahamas

Thank you Amy and Royal Caribbean for giving me such a beautiful adventure. Of course it did have its bump but we made the best of it.

Amy and I both sent each other texts stating we were running late. It was me though that caused us to take the next flight to Miami. Thank God there was an early flight. We get on the ship in Miami and go straight for...you know it...the buffet! :) This girl is always hungry! Its the metabolism, I swear it has sped up this past year.

Of the 4 night cruise, we entertained ourselves at all the shows and daily excursions. The weather behaved for most of it. My favorite events of the trip were our Atlantis day excursion on Paradise Island, Bahamas which included our shallow swim with the dolphins, our multiple water slides, and lazy river trip and the cruise's shows of Love & Marriage and The Quest.

Amy and I had ourselves a good time. I have to say though, that our cruise with Carnival was better. The people on this RC cruise were great. Our waiter Rakesh was fantastic and we had tons of fun. So did our dinner guests Laura who made Rakesh and Manuel blush at every opportunity! :)

Its all about good times and meeting new people. Thanks again Amy.

This too shall pass

After a hellacious week, things got better and better.

Salsa picked my spirits up as usual. And then I got some of the best news…I got a job offer in California!!!! I signed that contract as soon as I could! San Diego/Escondido here I come!!!

My friend Kristy had an extra ticket for the Renaissance Festival. So I strapped into my purple corset and gypsy skirt and joined her and her family. It was such a sight to see all the different people dressed up and in all sorts of characters from mythological creatures to fairies and wizards. I took a picture with a pegged leg pirate too!! And the sprite fairies put a big smile on my face too!!

I took Mom to a comedy show which I managed to sleep through most of it! Haha. Guess he wasn’t as funny as one thought. And my dear Marcy gave birth to her angel boy Seth Richard. Marcy and Chris are amazing parents and are extremely blessed. The following day was Mr. Chuck’s funeral which was very moving. My friend Leo sang a couple songs in the closing part of the service. With death there is life…how true this is.

Corey and Jen had a Halloween party at their place. It was so cute to see the kids all dressed up and eager to scare us. The party usual of piñatas were in full swing as the kids went at them for candy! Afterwards I headed off to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show with the shadow cast of The Beautiful Creatures. They did a fantastic job. I was tempted to go see them the following weekend and dress in my black corset and fishnets! But nahhhh. Haunted houses were calling that weekend.

The rain came to Houston with a vengeance which shut down salsa the last week of the month for me. That saddened me cause I knew that it was my last month with Salsaeddy for a bit. But I’ll have a salsa party before I leave so that hopefully I can see a bunch of my friends.

Halloween was an awesome holiday. I went out with Amber and her sister’s family and JC to see a couple haunted houses. I love those places. Its so funny to see people jumping and screaming! So not scary for me.

November is right around the corner when I will soon jet off to the Bahamas and then California!!!