Still 75 and sunny

Well, I didn’t get the job I wanted. And the temp job is not paying anywhere near what I used to make. But life is pretty good, regardless. John and I worked out finances, at least until the temp job goes perm (when I can hopefully start making more money). My container-garden tomatoes on the patio are starting to take off (in October!) and I have some freshly planted pea shoots that are going bonkers. Exciting stuff. Best of all, I can walk to work in a t-shirt, in the bright California sunshine (last week in New York: 43 and rainy. Last week in San Diego: between 70 and 75 and sunny). I have yet to break out a jacket or an umbrella. I’m currently on track to celebrate the first birthday I’ve had without rain in…more than a decade? Early November in New York is always rainy and miserable. I’m considering going to the beach on my birthday this year. The beach!

Speaking of which, I thought about having a house party, but then upgraded that idea to a night out in LA. Most of the people I know in SoCal are in LA, anyway, and I haven’t been there since I moved. We’ll have dinner at Ford’s Filling Station, and then go out to some really nice but not crowded or expensive bar afterward. Does such a thing exist in LA? We’ll find out. And any West Coasters that are reading this, you’re all invited. I think I’ll save the house party for an actual housewarming sometime later in November, and I’d also like to put together a Thanksgiving dinner for everyone I know that, like me, will not have other family commitments that weekend. Thanks to the San Diego library, I’ve been drooling over the Alinea and Thomas Keller’s sous vide cookbooks and now I really want to cook for people. There’s a new tabletop sous vide small appliance coming out that I’m really excited about, retailing for $399. I’m wondering, though, if I can’t get essentially the same results with a sous vide temperature regulator (around $150) and a Crock Pot. Of course, I’d need a vacuum sealer ($150) either way. So as much as I’d like that, I think there will not be any bison tenderloin sous vide for Thanksgiving. (Mmmmm...bison tenderloin sous vide...) Which now makes me want to plan a menu.

Walking down to the library last night, I realized just how small your world is with no car. My world has shrunk down to a mile in all directions. I feel like a loser, having been here for close to two months with no good intel on local restaurants/bars/shopping, etc. And in a sort-of-unrelated note, I’ve been thinking about career moves lately. An old idea is burrowing back to the surface, and the more I examine it, the more I think I like it. More on that later.

Oh, and we've decided to drive cross-country (and back) for Christmas. Even with gas being what it is, it's cheaper than flying for three people to two different destinations. Hopefully both John and his son will adapt to road-tripping, and I will not want to kill all three of us by the time we make it to Virginia.