There are shutters on the windows in the guest bedroom of the condo in Malibu, so it’s very hard to tell if it’s light out. You have to put a light on, even during the day, to see anything in the room. I woke up and thought it was still dark outside. I couldn’t fall back to sleep. I decided to get up and maybe watch the sun rise, since I had missed the sunset in Malibu the two days we were there. I went into the living room and the sun was shining. I looked at my phone and it was 8:40am. I had set the alarm to go off at 9:00am. It was a lot later than I thought!
By the time Eric and I showered, got dressed, packed and cleaned up (I wanted to strip the beds and clean the bathroom), it was time to leave. We spent a few minutes talking to Jerry. We had such a great weekend with him and it was so great to see him again. I don't know when we'll get to visit Illinois, so we may not see each other again soon. I'm so glad we got to hang out while he was visiting this paradise called Malibu!
After we left Jerry we headed to Los Angeles to meet Joe and Miguel for brunch at the SPORTSMANS LODGE. It’s the same place we saw them last time. It’s really nice and the Patio Café is great, because you can sit outside and watch people swimming in the pool.
We got there first and went and sat at the same table as last time. After a few minutes, Joe and Miguel arrived. We sat down and started catching up on everything that’s been going on with all of us since we saw them last (November 10th). The waiter came and took drink orders, and then came back to take our food orders, but we hadn’t even looked at the menu. We just kept talking, and talking, and talking.
We finally ordered. I got the same thing as last time: Grilled salmon on top of a delicious salad. Eric, Joe and Miguel all got breakfast with eggs, sausage, potato and toast, but I had eggs yesterday at PARADISE COVE with Jerry, so I decided to have a salad and some fish!
We hung out talking and laughing for two hours. Joe and Miguel are such great company and Eric and I really enjoyed seeing them again. They promised they would come down to San Diego to visit, and Eric wants to go back to Los Angeles, so he can go mountain biking with Miguel. I told Joe we have to see a show while they ride! They can do their thing, and we'll do ours!
Jerry had called to let us know that Eric left his bicycling shoes behind, so after brunch we headed back to Malibu to pick them up and then started for home.
Eric drove and I slept the entire way. I had a really good nap! We got home at 5:00pm and I immediately unpacked and did two loads of laundry. I actually met a nice neighbor in the laundry room tonight. We exchanged a few pleasantries and then she asked if I was from New York. She said she was from Boston and we talked about the adjustment period. I told her I loved San Diego and was really happy, but that Eric didn’t like it and wasn’t happy with the mountain biking. She said the same thing as everyone else – it takes time.
After laundry I made a fast dinner – Uncle Ben’s FOUR CHEESE READY RICE and MORNINGSTAR FARMS vegetarian chicken patties. I swear they’re delicious. I put some tomato sauce and asiago cheese on top, so it was like faux chicken cutlet parmigiana. My NUTRISYSTEM food STILL hasn’t arrived. Maybe tomorrow!
After dinner Eric watched TV in the living room and I watched two episodes of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION. Both made me cry. Today there was another MONK MARATHON and I recorded all of them, so I had my choice of episodes to watch.
I really had a great weekend, even though Eric wasn't as much fun as I had hoped. Everyone noticed that he was pretty quiet and, when he did talk, he was very negative about San Diego and the mountain biking. I was happy to get away for a few days and see good friends and family. It was wonderful.
I’m going to bed early tonight, because I have a 9:30am interview at APPLE ONE employment agency. Wish me luck!