5.23.99

    I had the worst nightmare last night. I dreamed that T. and I were going to have to start running around today and packing things up. I dreamed that we were moving back to L.A. and that we were going to have to wait until we got down there to find a place to live. I dreamed that we might have to go back to that stinky apartment we used to live in and that we had to throw all of our money into the move and into the apartment. As I started to wake up I began telling myself that it was just a dream and we didn't have to leave yet, that we had six more months on our lease here before we started thinking about moving to L.A. When I really woke up I told T., "We are not moving back to L.A. -- not now and not ever."

    Yesterday was a perfect day. We slept in late and then made waffles. Afterwards, T. went to the gym and I went shopping for a housewarming gift to take to a party in the evening. There's this awesome garden store near where we live that has tons of plants and greenhouses and tools. I bought some shiny silver garden tools for the gift and a little Venus flytrap to bring home. I don't really know why I got it. It just called out to me. I'm sure we'll kill it since I don't really know what to do with it. Right now there's four large heads on it with four small ones and it looks like two more on the way. One of the heads is clamped shut.

    When I got home we threw some drinks and snacks in a cooler and went to the beach! Took I-26 West for an hour through trees and farmland and beautiful open sky until we hit Seaside. It was a gorgeous day with one hell of a wind. There were quite a few kites out and someone had these gigantic wind socks spinning in the ocean gale. It all looked so amazing and T. and I stood under the kites and socks and just stared for awhile.

    The tide was way out and there were seagulls here and there dismembering crabs. We saw many pieces of large sand-dollars but could never find a whole one. There were kids building sand castles and dogs trying heartily to catch the gulls, leaping into the air and barking fierce battle crys. The gulls seemed to be enjoying the wind and would float here or there in midair, winds spread wide open.

    After initial frolicking we went to the arcade and played four dollars worth of Skee Ball. We won 102 tickets and with that got a glow-in-the-dark alien key chain and four mini, Recee's peanut-butter cups.

    In the evening, we went to Sarah (Magoo) and her husband's housewarming party for their new home that they bought and moved into this last spring. It's a cute little place on the southeast side with a great back yard -- perfect for parties. I met up with a few old friends that I was a little nervous about seeing. You never know if they're going to be the same kind of people and if you can pick up where you left off. Sometimes it's easier to start new friendships than to rekindle old ones.

    Today was completely gorgeous and I spent it soaking up sunshine and cleaning the apartment. The apartment is finally looking less cluttered but we still have four boxes of books and a Linux box to unload and put... where? My parents are planning a visit in June or July to bring some of my childhood stuff and other junk that they want to unload. Hopefully, there will be some bookcases in the mix.

    You're probably wondering about the title of this entry. When I was cleaning I found a sticker with "SEVERE SHOCK, ELECTRICAL BURNS AND GENERAL DEPRESSION" printed on it. It turns out it was part of a warning label created by T. that he stuck on his office stuff when he was at work in L.A. I just had to use it here.