good friends are a treasure

a lOvElY vIsIt

What is it about the company of friends that's so uplifting? Is it because one feels as though they are cared for or simply the rejuvenation of interacting with others? This topic is quite interesting to me. After having moved to Gainesville, 5 years ago, I have not had the pleasure of meeting very many friends. For whatever reason, this did not occur. Yet, when I go to St. Augustine to visit already existing friends, it seems like I end up meeting someone new. This has bothered me, for the past 5 years. I finally washed my hands of it and gave up trying to understand why this occurred. However, due to the events of this past weekend, I started thinking about it again.

During weekends when I stay in Gainesville, the days usually consist of me feeling trapped and often like I'm chasing my tail, going round and round in circles and never getting anywhere. The only positive feeling I seem to have is on Sunday evening when I think 'just get thru this night and then the work week starts'. Yet at the same time, this is an awful feeling.

This past weekend, I had a real treat... friends came over to visit. This does not normally happen unless I am seeing someone and I cannot go see them. What was really nice was when we were out casually talking and enjoying a beer. I realized, this does not normally happen here, in Gainesville, for me. I felt like I should be in St. Augustine.

Regardless to say, I had a very nice time and hope it will happen again. In a sense, it's wonderful to have friends that are located in other towns, states, or countries but at the same time it's a bit saddening... because you don't get to enjoy that time with them and be a presence in their lives and visa versa. Yet, that is how life is and like our friends, it is something we have to accept, just as it is.

wOoHoO!

ok, ok, ok.....

So, I finally bought it. What is this mysterious item of which I speak? Guess.... no, guess again.... ok, I'll tell you. I bought [....drum roll.....] Garden State, on DVD. I was going to wait a bit, since I had returned to higher bills than expected, but I couldn't do it. I got to watch it again at Danielle's.

It's amazing how one's current situation and position in life affects their perception. I have really enjoyed watching this movie each time, not just because I like the movie and think Zach Braff did a great job, but because it seems as though each time, it's different. Perhaps that is because my life has been going through so many fluctuations in the past year.

Anyway, it was good watch and I look forward to many more viewings. So, if you would like to watch it, just let me know. There are also a couple really good movies coming out. F.Y.I. Richard Linklater is making a movie in the same format as Waking Life [I forget what it's called]. The movie is named, A Scanner Darkly, and it's based on the story written by the guy who also wrote Bladerunner. Additionally, Richard Kelly, who wrote and directed Donnie Darko, has written and is directing another film called Southland Tales, which I have mentioned before.

rEaLiTy

Chemistry

my heart is on my sleeve my head is in the sand

i said how did we end up here? you said happenstance

but i didn't understand so i made other plans

i ran to the ocean washed the blood off of my hands

i washed away my tears washed away ten years

washed away the empty space in-between my ears

and you said all that i mean is that you and me

didn't meet because of fate but rather probability

and you said the truth's like corn and lies are like weeds

you said the schroedinger equation collapsed perfectly

and i said mercy me be patient please

'cause i don't know a goddam thing about the birds and the bees

i just know what i'm like and i'm like what i see

even though it's hard to see because you just blinded me

and if there's one thing i learned in chemistry

it's that the gain of electrons is reduction, obviously

but you can't see electrons without machines

and you can't tell from my inflection if i'm being mean

and i don't know if i can take you seriously

sometimes elections depend on the absentees

and my family and my friends

and all the little kids that love me make me strong

and no matter how this ends

i know i'll never ever ever be alone

some day i'll be an old lady

with a big dress and an apron

a babushka and bare feet

i'll be out in my garden

on my hands and knees

and i'll be singing a song

that is really sad and sweet

mommy and daddy your baby is grown

and the smell of the cold, wet dirt reminds me home

a song written by Kimya Dawson

oh yeah.....this man knows what he's talking about!

eXcEss wInE

Left to right: Erik, me, and Richard at Sterling Vineyard

Here's the happy trio Our last vineyard. Behind us is a beautiful view. This one was nice because we took a gondola up to the Vineyard. The ride was beautiful and then there was a walking tour and...you guessed it.... tasting more wine. This all for the cost of $10. I thought it was worth it. Erik likes this place so much he bought 3 bottles. We returned back to our car and rainy weather and headed off to find something to eat. All that wine and no food was getting to me.

We stopped at this restaurant called Mustards. The food was absolutely fantastic. Erik and I could not take it all in. We wanted to try everything on the menu. It was so good. I could have eaten all night. Erik and I ordered two appetizers. Then, I had a salad and a desert with a coffee. It was heavenly! If you go to Nappa Valley it is a must, but you better call ahead and make a reservation. We were lucky b/c a few seats at the bar opened up and we ate there, otherwise the wait would have been a few hours. After this extraordinary meal, we headed home to Erik's with a belly full of wine and good food. We were happy campers.

.

cOppOlA vInEyArd

This is one of my favorite pix from the whole trip. This was taken at the Coppola Vineyard. It was a beautiful old building with a nice courtyard and fountain out front. There was a man there with a white american pit bull mix. It looked very similar to one of the dogs we had when I was younger. I was missing Karza so much, I had to ask him if I could pet her. She was very sweet.

The wine is made in wooden or metal barrels. However, many prefer those aged in wooden over metal. The building was old stone with as shown in the pix with a beautifulstairway when you walk in the front doors. off the left and right sides, before going upstairs are a series of rooms. This is one of the rooms.

nAppA vAllEy

After getting back from Santa Barbara we decided to take advantage of a short break in the weather and headed to wine country. Though I'm not a big wine drinker, i was ready to see some of the countryside and enjoy the ride. We headed over the Golden Gate bridge, away from the rain over the hills and into the valley. There were rows of grape vines on both sides of the road with many vineyards to choose from. Our first stop,brought us to this vineyard, which offered free wine tasting. We toured the gift shop area, picking up some great tasting treats and headed to the counter to enjoy our samplings of wine. The bitter reds and dry whites are not much interest to me, however, rose wines were not in high demand. So, I would try a sip or two and then hand the remaining portion over to Erik, who greatly enjoys wine. The shot below was taken by Erik and his true passion shows through.

mOrE On thE cAstlE

The last part of the tour, we visited a beautiful pool made of beautiful tiles. It was so bright and colourful. But before getting on the bus, I had to take a pix of this view. I thought is was breathtaking. The surrounding area of the castle was so beautiful, I don't think I would have spent much time in the castle, itself. Though there was a theatre, where Hearst showed a film every night and each guest was required to attend. Hearst would fly in various people, including many of the famous holywood names. There was also a billiard room, two pools, and inside running water.

dEtAIl

For some reason, I really liked this detailed portion of an outside banister. Like the majority of the castle, it was one of the various eclectic artworks making up the facade and surrounding area. Hearst liked art but not one particular type or theme. There were replicas of ancient egyptian statues not far from a white marble statue resembling David.

ElAbOrAtE cAstlE

So, Richard and I headed south and along the way, it began to rain. Not a big deal for us, coming from Florida, except this rain did not stop. It rained for the remainder of our stay in California. We stopped along the way at various vista points to check out the view. One time, we stopped but the wind was so strong, Richard could not even open his car door. So we moved on dow Route 1. It was beautiful! Racing downa winding road on jagged 90 degree cliffs kissing the Pacific ocean what seems like miles below.

We arrived in Santa Baraba that evening and it was still raining. We settled down and eventually crashed. It was nice to visit Stu. He showed us around Santa Barbara the next day, unfortunately, it was still raining.... limiting our ventures. I had wanted to visit the college there, UCSB, which Stu attends for Marine Science. I have applied to thier Geology program and wanted to check it out. We briefly visited a few areas of campus. It was nice.... right on the beach. It would be wonderful to attend grad school at a campus located on the coast.

The next day, Richard and I took advantage of a brief break in the rain and headed north. Due to all the rain, a landslide had closed a portion of the coastal road, which was the route we were going to take so, we took another road into the mountains. It was very beautiful. On the way back to San Francisco we stopped at a place called Hearst Castle. It was built by a man named Hearst, who apparently was a bit of a nature lover and valued the trees on the estate. Some of the pictures from the Castle and surrounding are are below....

sAd wRiNkLeD fAcE

Finally, arriving in San Francisco on December 24th, a day later than expected, the sun was full force and so were we...out and exploring the coast, driving down to Half Moon Bay. Along the way, we stopped and took advantage of a beautiful spot with a small beach and intricately eroded cliffs. Breathtaking is how I would describe the west coast of California because it took my breath away every time I saw it. The mountains were gorgeous and the abrupt coastal cliffed edge was mesmerizing. I will post more pix soon, but now it is time for sleep....... z..z...z..z...

eXplOrAtIOn

After arriving in California, finally. I found it to be georgeous, at least the coastal area... or I should say the undeveloped areas. The city was nice, as cities are. There is a good public transport system and you can walk pretty much wherever you need to go, except when it's raining. I mention this because this is what I dealt with majority of time I was there.

After traveling down the coast a bit, Richard and I caught a ride into town with Erik, on his way to work. We explored the Embarcadero area and walked down to Pier 39, the warf area. That's where the x-mas tree was. There were also sea lions hanging out on wooden flats on the water.
Christmas day was a lazy day of maying around and I was able to catch up on my rest. Then we went for our Christmas dinner, which of course was a chinese dinner, the only type of restaurant open on December 25th in the U.S.A., not that it's a christian country or anything... just ask our president.

Fisherman's Warf Tree

a contemplative study

this was my shot...damnit!