As MacArthur said... "I will return"... and so I have, apparently.

So what can I say about my vacation? So many things, so little webspace. But I digress...

And away we go!

1. Day 1 Los Angeles. Have I mentioned before how much I hate LA? Yes, well things haven't changed, even though I saw a pretty damn good show at Staples, with thanks to a good friend who I ambushed, from a VIP box. That was fun. Free beer, even if it was bud light. Parts of me wish that I had driven right back up to SB, parts were happy that I stayed in town. But most of me was not happy about the traffic I encountered when dropping off a friend near LAX. They're doing some sort of construction during the middle of the day, with no signs posted. God bless the CalTrans workers! The ride back was excellent because I drove up the coast through Malibu and Pt. Mugu. I love that drive.
2. Day 2 road trip. So I picked up my friend Peacock (the SB one) and hit the road for SF, planned on going up Hwy 1 because we were to stop in Gonzales for an early lunch, which was awesome. I highly reccomend this place even if it is in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. As it happens, Michael usually gets sleepy when dosed with herbs and a really big steak, so he quickly passed out in the passenger seat while I was twisting and turning my way up the absolutely gorgeous California coastline. It was a clear sunny day and there was hardly any traffic. So we arrive in San Mateo just in time to have some homecooked lasagna and a couple of glasses of wine. Watched a movie and went to sleep.
3. Day 3 Shoreline 1. Clarke's is a great place to eat. A great place to drink. Not so great a place to hang out with people that you may or may not know, when the person you're with doesn't know anyone and all of a sudden has become completely anti-social. But he was social with me, and that was good. Maybe there were a couple of people there who would have liked me not to be there, but I kept to myself for the most part, so I don't think I bothered them too much. Anyway, it convinced me that going the second day would not be a great idea. Got to the show, found a couple of my friends from SB and hung out some. Michael was talking shit about people who go to concerts then get so messed up that they get sick and don't remember the concert at all. Note to all: do not under any circumstances make a statement like that unless you plan on not drinking or doing drugs at all. If you can't guess what happened...
And then it happened. I heard the first notes. I felt a rush. THEY PLAYED MOTHER FUCKING PIG!!! Highlight of my evening. Nothing could get me down. The rest of the show rocked solidly too.
4. Day 4 Shoreline 2. Was going to do some sightseeing in the morning, but it was raining. So I washed my car instead. Nothing like soaping up a car and not having to hose it off afterwards. Had a chill afternoon, and got to the show just in time to pick out a spot on the lawn. Shoreline lawn is the best lawn. I love that lawn. The people next to us had been to the '00 Bridge School Benefit, and we reminisced on the rain that night. It only ended up sprinkling for about five minutes near the end of the show, but it was again a solid show. Mostly radio hits, but that was okay, because Michael knew all the songs. And they did the 36-Everyday-36 thing. The people around me were clueless when I started singing 36, but then they got into it too.
5. Day 5 road trip home. Made it back to SB in just over six hours, because we had to stop in Buellton and do some beer tasting. That was fun. Nice ending to a perfect trip. We had so much fun together, and really bonded, which was what I was hoping would happen. And coming home to SB for the last time was very poignant. We came over the mountains instead of the 101 route. Just beautiful. Came home to find out that Michael's dog had a run in with some barbed wire and had stiches. He was not happy, so I left him to bitch about it to his "not"girlfriend. Went to my house and fell to sleep.

All in all, a nice time was had. Wouldn't change it for the world (ok, I would change Michael's puking, but that's it, and he still had a good time).

OK. there's more since then, but I'll wait to see if its something I should blog about, or something I should just enjoy until it ends.
Till then, ta-ta!