Hello from beautiful San Diego, California!

This little four day getaway (I arrived Wednesday) was sort of a spur of the moment decision on my part. October looks as though it’s going to be a month full of fun events- with my time split between being at home in Massachusetts and in NYC- and November and December, as is the workplace tradition- will be very, very busy as the firm wraps up cases for the end of the year and prepares for 2014. It’s a little wild to think about- that in just a few months we’ll be heading into an entirely new year.

But I digress, since talking about time going by so quickly can be awfully depressing. Seeing an opportunity to get away, if only for a few days, before I am indubitably swamped, I flew out to Southern California to do, well, nothing. This is the first time in a long time where I’ve traveled somewhere, not to see any specific sights or participate in any specific activity under any specific schedule, but to just sort of come and go as I please- eat and drink where I want, sleep as late as I’d like (although I was up and moving at 7 A.M. Pacific Standard Time yesterday and this morning, so I guess some things never change, even on vacation,) and roll with the punches as they came at me- and it’s been phenomenal, and also very, very relaxing. I’ve discovered a ton of new places in the area to add to the list of places I already frequent and enjoy.

I’ve already explained my love for San Diego, and my long-term goal to eventually make the permanent move here, so there’s no need to bore anyone reading this with the details of my love affair yet again. This place is the best- and that’s really all that needs to be said.

While Wednesday was pretty quiet, low-key, and uneventful (after a pretty long and horrific flight, the only thing I really wanted to do was grab some food and take a nap in my hotel room,) yesterday was filled with a lot of exercise and exploring. I spent the majority of the morning and afternoon in Balboa Park, stopping by the San Diego Museum of Man (an absolutely massive and gorgeous building I’ve always admired from afar whenever I’m here,) to see an exhibit of Medieval torture devices- because why not? I only got a little queasy just once while reading the description of how one of the devices was used (spoiler alert: it was a device designed specifically for women,) but overall, it was morbidly fascinating. Definitely worth checking out if you’ve got the stomach for it.

As it turns out, my timing for this trip turned out to be perfect, especially last night when I stopped by The Griffin to grab a drink and catch a show put together by SoundDiego that featured Neighbors to the North (awesome,) the first live performance from Saint Diego (my new favorite band,) and my old pals, The Nervous Wreckords. Now, my love for the city of San Diego itself and it’s beautiful weather and lovely scenery is only surpassed by my love for the people I know here. I’ve known Brian, the frontman, since my teens- and Daniel, the keyboardist, for a while now, and I hadn’t had the pleasure of spending time with either one of them in about two years. The show was fantastic, but getting to see them and catch up afterwards was truly the highlight of my night (apart from Saint Diego covering CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising,” of course. That was the coolest thing ever.)

And major kudos to the friendly new faces I met last night who talked Boston sports with me (without ripping on my accent too much) and directed me to different things to check out in the city, either during this trip or the next time I’m in town. Those guys, and gals, made an already wonderful evening even better with their hospitality.

With only a couple of days left on the West Coast, I’m looking forward to visiting a few more friends and hitting the beach. It’s still early-ish here, however- and I think I hear breakfast calling my name.

xx