Retirement, Part I: California

I leave work for the last time at 3:00pm on 6/22. No rest for the wicked… I was on a plane at 6:00am on 6/23 going to Los Angeles. The trip was originally designed as a "vacation" to visit with friends before my family reunion in San Diego the following weekend. But, if you know me, you know that once the trip concludes, I’ll need more rest than ever before…

Saturday, June 23rd
I land and immediately start hooking up with friends. True to form, I’d blocked them in 3 hour increments, more to prevent over-obligating than to maintain any type of schedule.

Tara meets me at Rocky Cola Café, a typical LA healthy type of establishment. Immediately I remember that LA is the land of the beautiful people, and I don’t feel so beautiful. It’s strange how a few minutes can change a positive mood to one more self-conscious and doubtful, but never fear for your heroine! Several minutes after the collapse, I awaken and remember that I don’t care how others see me. The food and company are great, and that’s why I’m there.

I hooked up with MiSuk and her dogs at the dog park but immediately left for the Hermosa Pier for some chips, salsa, and margaritas. It’s always Miller-Time somewhere in the world… Besides, a trip to Los Angeles wouldn’t seem right without margaritas. I may as well get that off my To Do list.

I didn’t have too much time with Vineeta and Faina, but we managed to grab a bite at In and Out Burger and Costco. Really – at both places. You gotta love a couple of Indian chicks that love burgers as much as a fraternity brother then turn around and sample all of Costco’s delectables, to prevent me from doing it by myself.

Back on schedule-ish… Patrick and Moya were on their way home and would get there before me, so I took my time finding the place. Spending a couple of years raising a little girl doesn’t leave much time to do stuff around the house, but somehow they managed to do a lot! The bathrooms are enviable. If only an eye for style and home-improvement talent would rub off.

Last on the list for the day is Debra. Sure, she’s got lots of nicknames, but if you don’t know them, you don’t need to read them. Her Internet business is up and running and her brick and mortar is coming along nicely. We ate (thank you Joey!), drank, and were merry all night and into the morning. I left with an L. Lei Kitty exclusive shrug. It’s like a wool scarf-tube that opens up and allows you to stick your arms in to stay warm. You gotta see it; better yet, try it on!

Sunday, June 24th
Yep, that was all one day. I wasn’t kidding about wearing myself out… So I wake up on Sunday, and head out to see Joannie and Eugene. I meet them at the "Club House". The home is legendary, at least to me. I’d heard about all of the improvements in pieces, and needing to do some myself, I was more than curious. After seeing it, I can only say that there’s no way on Earth that my place will ever look that nice! We eat, I see their office, and I go.

Next on the list was Marcia’s house in Riverside. It’s a hike from LA, and while she’s living the ultimate retirement life in her Ranch House, I can understand why she misses being in the big city.

Monday, June 25th
I added an impromptu visit to see Kevin Lum. Sure, he’s a Trojan, but they aren’t all bad. Our talk really emphasized how precious life is and not to take it for granted. Nearly everyone has been very supportive of my decision to quit my job to live, but meeting with former Nissan folks that made the break last summer reminds me that there is life after Nissan. And, Kevin pointed out that life is short, and there’s no better time than the present! Many thanks for my Roadmap to Success. Now to apply it!

I’m getting tired of the details, so I’ll start combining days…

I spent a few evenings at Pam’s new house, a work in progress. I love old homes, because they’re loaded with character, mystery, and surprises. Of course, some of the surprises, we could live without, but Pam’s been lucky so far with more humorous surprises than anything.

I visited UCLA and The Anderson School’s Career Management Center. Nothing’s convinced me that anything’s better than unemployment and being a bum right now, but I do have a few new interests to research.

I chatted with a bunch of friends to research many vocations. More than anything I just enjoyed catching up with Diane, Suzanne, Aravind, Yuri, Lori, and Kari.

Friday-Sunday, June 29th - July 1st
A quick drive to San Diego started our family reunion. Robb and I were a little early to Joe and Deb’s but that meant that we’d have a little bit of quite time to catch up with folks before the larger crowd arrived. In total, I counted 28 people, and there’s simply not enough time to catch up with everyone in a large social situation. Perhaps we should have spent a little more time there, but it seems that we’ll have a chance for more catch up next summer in Hawaii to celebrate Grandpa’s 88th birthday.

Robb, Andre, and I took a break from the reunion to hook up with Veena for a wine and cheese party. I had a lot of fun with them, even though Andre said he wouldn’t know me once I changed into my trendy "pregnant" dress.

The worst part of the San Diego trip was coming to the realization that I’m OLD. Not only do I find out that "hooking up" is sexually oriented to the younger folk and that I’ve lead them to believe that I may a lesbian for "hooking up" with girlfriends, but I also get shunned from a cousin when I ask to go to a party with him. Sure, he just graduated from high school, but the rejection was more than I could stand, especially since he’s smarter than me too. Worse yet, he’ll read this and be polite enough to avoid recommending the "I" correction. I’m OLD!

OK, the very worst part of all is that I wasn’t able to work out a Mexico trip with Marcie, Paige, Veena, and Robb. In Mexico, everyone’s 18!

Monday, July 2nd
Back to LA for more chatting with Linda, Cindy, Dmitri, Ming, Smitty, Mia, and Marissa. I could have spent another 2 weeks visiting with folks, but there’s always something to do somewhere else. I flew back to VA on the 4th of July. Unexpected cloud cover blew my plan to see fireworks all over the country, so I watched the movie instead.