Kannonzaki Park near Yokosuka, Japan

Today, I rode my bike to Kannonzaki Park about 15 miles away from the base. It was a very nice natural wildlife reserve. There were many walking trails and wilderness. It was a definite treat to get out of the crowded stores and streets of Japan. What I found most strange was the animals and plant life. The species are different from what I'm used to from the US. All the animals, insects, and plants look different here. The trees look hundreds of years old and the roots tangle high above the soil they're planted in. The ducks and birds look different. I saw ducks with red eyes, red head and golden wings. The trails were peaceful and interesting because everything is uniquely Japanese like. Every once in a while, you'll see some ancient shrines and caves. The view from the top of the mountain was really nice. I could see the naval base as a tiny dot and far behind it was a giant snow-covered volcano looking mountain which closely resembles Mt. Fuji and next to it was the sea and little islands scattered throughout. Really spectacular views! I regret not bringing my camera. It is a definite trip to repeat.

Grocery Shopping in Dei Mall

Today, I decided to go to the Dei Mall (spelling may be incorrect). I went to the grocery store. Of course, everything they had was quite expensive, but buying food at a grocery store is way cheaper than dining in. I easily got 2 days worth of Japanese food and snacks for less than 20 bucks. As soon as I walk in, people standing by the door say, "Irashimasen" which means welcome. All the employees say it. Even the stocking guys, so you are constantly reminded that you are welcome in their store. I loaded up on a Sushi platter, pork buns (sho pow), candy, frozen dumplings and shrimp-and-corn pizza. I wanted to buy everything! But I had a limit on the amount of yen I was willing to spend. Checking out was easy. I didn't even need to know how to speak Japanese. The lady scanned the barcodes on the items and the price was rung up automatically. I handed her 2000 yen and she punched the amount into a machine and another machine spit out the exact change. Really neat. She handed me a couple of bags and chopsticks. I walked on over to the bagging section and bagged my own groceries. Nobody really buys as much groceries as Americans do. There's no American sized shopping carts. Instead there are carts which you can place your shopping basket on and wheel that around. When you're done shopping, load up your groceries on to your bicycle and go. No wonder why Japanese stores are always packed! They have to keep coming back for more groceries! And you can't really buy too much groceries, because Japanese refrigerators are a little bit shorter and skinnier than American refrigerators. But you get used to it, I guess.


Japanese Shopping Carts 

Grocery Store shopping in Japan

Yesterday, I went exploring outside of the base with my bike. I think I rode over 15 miles. I can't imagine ever getting to the end of the peninsula by walking. I saw lots of cool stores. Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, McDonalds, and many other stores that resemble American stores such as Home Depot. The call it "Home" and the Seiyu (owned by WalMart) - "Living". The grocery stores were pretty cool. The fruits and vegetables are kinda strange. Some of the carrots and vegetables are kinda big. The remind me of that video game back in the late 80's, "Mario Brothers II" where you are supposed to uproot vegetables and throw them at enemy monsters. They were big like that, but not so huge that they won't fit in your shopping basket. One or two carrots would easily do for a pot of beefy stew! The food here is strange. The grocery store had many different isles. One isle was dedicated to different types of soy sauce. I didn't know that there were so many different types of soy sauce! There are so many different spices and mouthwatering pickled items. I actually tried some and they were very tasty. Japan isn't just about Fish, Sushi and Miso Soup. There is a whole universe of delicious food, spices, sweets and pasteries that just isn't sold in the U.S. The Japanese are really good at dressing up everything they sell. It must be an art to make the most mundane items and make them gorgeous pieces of art worthy of being cherished. They dress up a slice of fish and can really make it look super special. Their bread and cakes look absolutely delicious! I can go on and on. But man, this blog is making me a little bit hungry. Well, I'm going to log off now and go eat.

One hour haircut the day after Christmas

Last night, the base had 1 dollar movies, so I got to watch a great movie called "Ocean's Twelve". It is a really good movie. It had a lot of famous good-looking celebrities. It was very good, just like the first movie "Ocean's Eleven". It was about theives trying to steal very expensive stuff and getting through state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line security. If you like complex themes with unusual twist and turns, then you'll like this movie. This movies is not for kids, they'll be bored to death because of the intense complexity. A fat kid that sat behind me fell asleep and snored pretty loud. I wanted to kick him out. But anyways, I give it a 9/10. Must see.

Today, I rode my bike to the barber shop. It was the longest and greatest haircut I've ever received. The Japanese ladies do a really outstanding job and take intricate care for every single piece of hair. I also got some wierd head message. It felt good. The whole haircut experience was about an hour long, even though I didn't have that much hair that needed to be chopped off.

Soco called and it really feels great to receive a phone call now and then from someone. My time here is kinda lonely, but I try to keep myself occupied. Last night on the news, a Marine got interviewed about seeing dead civilians and was asked how he feels about it. He replied, "I just try not to think about it."

Merry Christmas, and enjoy your Speghetti.

It is Christmas today! I finally figured out how Santa does his thing. He doesn't do the world all at once, because of all the time zones... So actually, he has two full days of Christmas and an hour to stock gifts in each time zone. Wierd... try to explain that to children. Anyways, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas especially our troops in IRAQ. I feel pretty bad for those guys.

I rode my bike over to the shop and found a co-worker typing away at his computer. He offered me some Philipino food that was left over from his holiday party from yesterday. I was kinda hungry and said, of course! I got to try some Philipino speghetti. It had sausage in it and was very good. I guess it is holiday food for Philipinos.

I also got to watch a movie called "Osama". It was about a girl in Afghanistan while the Taliban was running their country. I think it was a pretty good documentry about what goes on there. A mother and her daughter were left starving after the man of the family became a martyr and died in a war. So the only way they could earn money is if the little girl cut her hair and became a boy and got a job. To make the long story short, the girl got caught when she had to bathe with the other boys in the community and was punished to death by being stoned. Instead, her punishment was ruled to where she was forcefully wedded to a dirty old guy. And the movie ends with the old man taking a bath after he had sex with the girl. The movie was pretty depressing. I give it a 5/10.

Routine in December 2004

I get up in the morning at 0530 and I prepare a bowl of ramen. Take shower, eat breakfast. Get uniform ready and throw on my snivel gear and bike helmet. Ride my bike 10 minutes and show up for work. Muster. Work until lunch time. Eat in galley. YUM! Get back to work, get off 1630. Ride bike back to Navy Lodge. Call wife. She not there. Put civilian snivel gear on and bike helmet. Ride to Fleet Service Center - 6 minute bike ride -. Check out computer to get on internet - 30 min. Check e-mail. Update blogger. Time's up. Get off computer. Play arcade games. Get back on bike, ride to Navy Lodge. Too late to call wife. :( At 6 pm my time, it is 1 am in California. Watch TV. Get brainwashed with AFN channels (Armed Forces Network) - 3 hours -. Shower, prepare dinner. Eat junk food. Fall asleep until alarm clock wakes me up again.


Little Garden at Navy Lodge, Yokosuka 

First trip to NAS Atsugi

I got to take my first daytime trip in a vehicle in Japan going from Yokosuka to Atsugi. I volunteered my time off to hop along on a little sight seeing that someone was going to make anyways. Riding in a vehicle was kinda wierd, especially hopping onto the left side of the vehicle to be the passenger. I got to sit in a van... oddly, the seat on top of the engine and the very tip of the van was right in front of my face. Everytime my partner would drive up to the back of a vehicle, I was scared that we would smash into it. I keep forgetting that there was no hood. My partner just kept laughing at me when I freaked out and prepped for collision. Well, along the way there were a couple of tolls. Each one varying in cost depending how far and where you are going. The cheapest toll was 200 Yen (about 2 dollars). Taking a vehicle from Yokosuka to the Narita airport (close to Tokyo) is roughly 100 dollars one way because of tolls, not counting the cost of gas. It is way smarter to just take the train. Anyways, the freeways are pretty isolated from the rest of the city. They are usually lined up with huge walls which sometimes curl over the freeway to trap in the noise and smog. If you take the wrong turn or exit, you will have to pay for it. You know in America, if you take the wrong turn, you can just take the next exit and turn around... Not here. The Japanese are very efficient with space. Some of the freeways are on top of other freeways several stories up to conserve as much space as possible. Someone told me that the skyscrapers aren't so tall when you look at them when you are on those because you are so high up. Gotta love Japanese efficiency.

Seiyu, the five story Walmart in Yokosuka, Japan

Yesterday, I walked over to the Seiyu. I have heard that it is supposed to be owned by Walmart in the states. The building itself was hidden and squeezed between other large shopping towers. I managed to walk right past the bicycle parking and saw a statue of Col. Sanders standing in front of the Japanese Kentucky Fried Chicken. Walking in, there's hardly any similarity to the Walmart in the states. There were no shopping carts and there was no greeter. Instead, I was confronted with Japanese name brand clothing, real estate booths, and several tiny restaurants. I can already tell that the Seiyu only caters to the Japanese. Each floor had different products and little stores including a 100 Yen Store which is kinda like the US version of the 99 cent store. It sold Kimonos, clothes, chopsticks, rice cookers, potted plants, flowers, Japanese DVDs, bicycles, various Japanese household items and of course, Hello Kitty stuff. The only thing that resembled Walmart is the "Rollback" yellow smily face on the signs hanging from the ceiling and in front of discounted items. It was kinda funny that the escalator only leads you up, but if you want to go down, you have to take the stairs. I couldn't find my way to the elevator... everything was written in hiragana. Compared to the surrounding stores nearby, the prices there were pretty competitive, but still expensive compared to the US. It is definitely worth a trip back for some household items. If you were from the states, and didn't research, you wouldn't even have a clue that Seiyu is owned by Walmart.

Toilet Paper Dispensers

You know in the US that replacing a roll of toilet paper is kinda of a hassle? Here in Japan, it is much simpler. Instead of the spring loaded bar, there are two spring bars that hold the roll of toilet paper in place. When it is out, you just lift the empty roll out, and push the new roll in. As simple as that. Neat stuff.

Arigato and Sumimasen

I guess if anything that if you were to survive in Japan, you will have to know these two words and trust me, you're going to say this a lot to the point where it becomes habit. I'm trying to learn more Japanese words and I've been practicing my skills with my new friend, Masato. It surprises me how amused he gets when he flips through english children books. He showed me pictures of dressed up snowmen and laughs hysterically at them. To me, it just looks like somebody had too much time in their hands, but I just smiled and joked back.

Groceries in my bike basket

I went shopping at the Commissary to restock my food supply at the Lodge. I loaded up all my groceries into my basket on my bicycle. I felt kinda ghetto, but I gotta do what I gotta do. It makes me miss loading my groceries into the trunk of my ol' Sentra in the U.S.. I'm missing the food that I'm used to eating at the states. I haven't had a good California Pizza kitchen pizza in a long while or an "In and Out" burger. I've been craving those kind of things lately and Christmas is coming up. I'll be spending it alone this holiday and it kinda sucks. But what can I do? I'll just hang out at the Fleet Rec Center with the rest of the single sailors and geographical bachelors. I'm not the only one.

Sweet Potato and Green Tea Ice Cream in Kamakura, Japan

Shinto in Kamakura 

Today I went to Kamakura to go see the shrines and temples. It is one of the most highly suggested place to visit while I'm here in Japan. It was a great pleasure! I got to see all kinds of ancient temples, shrines, and statues galore. It was very interesting to see in real life. Pictures can't really show the beauty and magnitude of their splendor. Being there actually gave me chills up my spine when I caught my first glimpse of a temple on the very top of a hill. I also got to witness a traditional Japanese wedding. It was awesome! I was told to try out the Sweet Potato Ice Cream that Kamakura is famous for. I gave it a try and it was actually very good! It didn't really taste like potatoes though. It was more like sweet rice.... The green tea ice cream was great also. It's way better than that bitter Jasmine ice cream. With all the food in the windows of the stores that I passed by, I had to try some food before I left. I ate some rice crackers wrapped in seaweed and some Chinese pork buns. They are pretty cheap, costing $1.20 and $1.10. The current exchange rate is 1 for 1 so it was 120 yen and 110 yen. Well, I couldn't help myself with the food. I just wanted to eat everything! I didn't get lost on the train this time, hehe.


Sweet Potato and Green Tea Ice Cream Guy 

Banking Transaction Woes - Trying to conduct banking in Japan

In order to move into an apartment, you have to pay a renters fee, landlord fee, Japanese renters insurance, and three months advance rent. Oh boy, what a headache. That is a lot. Today, I had to figure out how to pull out $7,000 out of my ass. The military hasn't paid me a dime to live out in town yet... Here is how it went: I went to Navy Fed and asked if they could cash a check. I had the money in another bank account that I had to transfer from my emergency funds. I wanted to write a check and put it into my Navy Fed account. Sounds simple right??? Nope. Now keep in mind that I have been living in the Navy Lodge for 17 days and Christmas holiday is coming up. The Navy has a policy about the limit for the lodge is 30 days INCLUDING weekends. Technically, I only have 14 business days to play with, which started the day I went to my housing brief. 6 of those days were consumed with routing a stupid request chit asking to move out in town... so that leaves me with 4 days to actually process the paperwork and get my pay fixed. And 4 days to move into my apartment. Unfortuanately, my realtor goes on vacation the last week this month... so how the heck am I going to process my move without extending my stay at the Navy Lodge? Impossible. I don't know, I'm praying a miracle will happen. Well, back to the story: Navy Fed has to hold on to the check for 10 business days before the check clears and the money is deposited into my account. In the US, it takes 3 business days. I DON'T HAVE TEN FREAK'IN BUSINESS DAYS!!! I was literally pulling my hair out, because I needed to move out of the Lodge and fast. My options were to take out a loan or ask for a cash advance. I didn't know what a cash advance was, but I knew what a loan was. So I started with the paperwork for a loan. Knowing that my loan for $7,000 was probably going to be turned down (I had zero dollars in both my checking and savings account with Navy Fed) I asked about the cash advance option. Technically, they can take out money straight out of my credit card (bank card) and deposit it straight into my account! And you know what? It doesn't cost anything to do that! So that is what I did. The only problem was, is that it could be denied. What a headache! Well, the transaction went through and I had a good learning experience about "cash advances". Now, I can pay my first month of rent. A whopping $7,000.

High Tech Apartment in Japan

Apartment Security 

I have just finished touring an apartment building in Yokosuka. The realtor really impressed the hell out of me with a super-duper high tech apartment. It comes with one parking space and it was on the 12th floor. Yeah... 12th floor, folks. It is very common to find very high apartment buildings in convenient places such as the train station. If you can find a house near a train station with a nice parking spot, good luck. Well, let me tell you about this apartment. When I went to the realtor, Kanako Suto, she introduced me to a couple of places. One was old and one was new. I picked new. It was about 40,000 yen more, so why not? We walked to the apartment building and at the glass entrance, there was a machine and a video camera. Ms. Suto put in two keys and a hydraulic door opened up which led to the elevators. I noticed how small the elevators were. Not very big, but who cares. Ms. Suto pressed the button and took us up to the 12th floor. It brought us up in like 5 seconds. Wow... That was amazingly fast and I didn't feel a thing. I just saw the floors blur for a second when I was looking through the window. The apartment was really nice. We took off our shoes and walked in. The entrance had marble flooring and the hallway and living room was made out of plastic wood. It was very clean and everything was small. The ceiling was high (for Japanese)... it is considered a western style apartment. The air conditioner was a cooler, heater, and dehumidifier all in one. The bedrooms were carpeted and small enough to fit in a queen size mattress. The kitchen was tiny. There isn't any refrigerator or washer and dryer, but there were hookups. There was a switch on the wall where you can set your water out of your faucet at a certain temperature. There was a small balcony with things that fold out so you can hang your clothes out to dry. There was also a heavy bar where you can hand out your futon mattress to dry also! Plenty of closet space. The apartment had an intercom system so you can allow visitors to come and visit you. The system had a small tv screen so you can see who is on the ground floor trying to contact you. The room with the toilet is separate from where you bathe. The toilet had a bunch of buttons on it and a seat warmer. Very high tech. It met my rental ceiling. All for 165,000 yen a month! (not including utilities). It was only 3 minute walk from the gate and a few minutes walk from the train station. It also includes a parking space. I asked to see the parking space.... The parking space is actually a space on a conveyor belt/elevator. Yes, a car ELEVATOR! It reminded me of the giant carasel at California Adventure. The Japanese are so inventive.

Checking-In Headaches

Checking into the command here in Japan is a nightmare. It is hard as heck to get anything done in a timely manner even if you try to handle things yourself. It feels crappy to be homeless. I've been homeless since October 28th and have been living in hotels and other people's houses since. I just got my lodging bill a few days ago and it was $600. Ouch. That was for only 10 days. My rent back in Texas ran up to $480 a month. Well, I guess that is life. Everything in Japan is expensive except for cars. I could get a 95 Nissan Skyline for less than $3,000 easy. I'm still trying to figure stuff out here. I also bought a plane ticket back to Los Angeles, it cost me 58,761 Yen which is $577 dollars in US money. The conversion rate changes everyday. Not bad at all. I expected it to be in the thousands of dollars. It was a pretty good deal. If I had paid cash, it would've been 3% less which isn't much. Japan is a cash based economy. It is rare to find a place that takes credit. It is impossible to find a place that takes checks. If you go to Japan, you better have some YEN handy.

Calling the US from Japan

I've been asked how I've been calling my wife from Japan. I've been using an AT&T calling card to call the states. There are dispensers all over the base and they cost 20 dollars a pop. They charge 15 cents a minute with no connection fee. Yeah, it sounds kinda cheap, but I'm on my third calling card and I've only been here for less than 2 weeks. Well, I am trying to find a house off base. All the administrative paperwork is a pain in the butt. It is actually giving me a headache and I'm getting really tired of it. There is so many appointments I have to attend to. It is a good thing I don't have kids or a freaking pet. That would probably drive me crazy!!! Well, my time on the computer is almost up. You guys can call me at anytime. If you are calling from the states, you have to dial:

011-81-6160-43-6708 and ask for room 228. That is where I'm living at, at the moment... I'm still homeless. If you don't know me, you can drop me a line and say hi. It's your dime, hahaha!

Biking in Japan

Most people don't drive cars here in Japan. Public transportation is very reliable and most prefer to use a train. I could live here forever without ever owning a car. Yesterday, I bought a bike. It is pretty nice, it has splash guards, a basket, and headlight electronically powered by the rotating front wheel. It is pretty awesome. It cut down a 30 minute brisk walk to 6 minutes! But instead of having my feet hurt, my butt hurts the most. Oh well. I registered my bike today also. It got put in a database just in case my bike ever gets stolen. I was planning on taking pictures of Skylines and uploading them. I can't believe that the new Skyline is the Infinity G Coupe that is in the United States. I heard that it was an 8 cylinder instead of 6 in Japan. It is the Infinity version of the Nissan 350Z. I think the Nissan 350Z is gorgous and the Infinity just looks ugly as hell. But that is my opinion.

Taking the Train to Tokyo

Finding my way at the Train Station 

The hardest part about getting to Tokyo by train is figuring out how to purchase the ticket at the machine. It is funny that there is a "panic" button for foreigners. I've hit the panic button and then a man "smiling face" pops out of a little square in the wall next to the ticket machine. You tell him where you want to go and then he punches the buttons for you and you insert your money. Everything is in Kanji and hiragana so it is hard to read the map for directions and which transfer stations to take. It is easy to come back, but make sure you take the correct train line back because if you don't, you'll do what I did. When you exit the train station, you're supposed to surrender your ticket to the ticket machine, and for a second, the gates will open for you to let you out. When I turned in my ticket, the machine started beeping and screaming at me in Japanese. Luckily, it had some instructions in English to go to the correction machine... Yes, another machine... That machine takes your ticket and spits out whatever money is owed to you if you paid too much. If you owe money, such as when you paid the 250 yen minimum, then it will tell you to insert more money. Well, with my luck, I ended up at the wrong train station in the right city that I wanted to end up in. The correction machine went crazy and instructed me to go to the ticket counter. I ended up paying full price for another ticket... :( Overall, taking the trains in Japan is complicated for foreigners and Japanese alike. But once you figure out how to pay for your ticket, it is easy to reach your destination with an English map.


Train on a Saturday Night 

Recreation Center in Yokosuka

Well, I'm unable to upload pictures from my digital camera. I've been borrowing the computer at the Recreation Center in Yokosuka. They have a great little place here for single sailors and geographical bachelors. There's free internet, movies and videogames. It is a good place for single sailors to hang out also. Today, I took the written driving test and I passed! I'm so excited and it is one step closer to getting my international drivers license. The drivers license I have here in the states just don't cut it. I'm just going to have to get used to the slower speed limits. The maximum posted speed limit in Japan is 80km/h. Which equates to about 60.2 miles per hour. On average, the posted limit is 50 km/h. I don't have a car yet, but I've been walking around a lot. I've probably put 60 miles on my shoes since I've been here. My feet don't hurt from blisters, they hurt from walking so damn much. I've got some really good shoes. Well, I need to get off the computer.

Akihabara the Electric Town

Today, I got to go adventuring out by myself to Akihabara. I finally gathered the courage to take the train. Without a map, it is very easy to get lost. On my way back, I didn't realize that the train that I was riding was going to stop at Zanda. Once it stopped, the doors shut and started backtracking!!! I yelled, "OH SHIT".... I was the only one on my cabin so it was okay. As far as prices in Akihabara goes, they were quite expensive. The bargains are about the same as you would get stuff back in the states. There was lots of DVDs, computers and high technology. A lot of the stuff was way cool. They have stuff that can be activated when you call it on your cellphone. Cool stuff. They also have lots of Anime and hobby shops. If you look hard enough, there's also child porn. I guess it's legal there... I thought it was kinda disgusting to see 6 year old girls on the cover of DVD covers. Well, I gotta catch a bus. Later.


Akihabara 

I'm in JAPAN!

Yes, I am finally here. Internet is really hard to access. Especially when my computer is still being shipped here. The plane trip was about 9 hours long from Seattle, WA to Japan. We had two in flight movies and two lunches to supplement for the time change. It was really boring. The difference between Japan and Los Angeles from the sky is that in Japan, you can't see freeways. They really don't have large freeways, they are only 2 or 3 lanes wide. And huge apartment complexes scattered throughout the land as far as the eye can see. To get the idea of what the population is, just imagine California. Now, cram half the population of the entire US into California. Yeah, a small city is the population of 200,000 people. It is pretty crowded here. I had experienced culture shock right from the get-go. My sponsor picked me up in his little Toyota and when I walked to his car, I proceded to walk to the passenger side of the car... in Japan, the passenger side is the left side, not the right side. So I almost got into the driver's side of the car... Everybody here drives on the opposite side of the road. Well, when I get back, I'll tell you more. My adventure is just beginning!

Hooked on Mall Tycoon 2 Deluxe

Lately, I haven't been very good at making the most of my time while on vacation. But I have made myself more addicted to video games. I've been playing a computer game called, "Mall Tycoon 2 Deluxe". It can be found at Bestbuy, Target, or Wal-Mart for $20 and it comes with a 10 dollar rebate. This simulator allows for you to create your own shopping mall. Although, this game is highly addictive, this game can be an education tool for business majors. After several hours of play, I strive to make my mall look perfect and rent out spaces to my favorite types of stores. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at charging the right amount of rent or percentage profit cuts because my malls keep losing money. I think the game runs too fast and that months and years pass at a blink of an eye. I learn that shoplifters wreck havoc on my tenants who in turn have to raise prices to stay in business. It's real life. The way the game is engineered isn't perfect, but it is fun and educational. I have resorted to cheating and cheating can be very fun and save me lots of time. I think the game could've been made better, but the fun factor and addictability is a plus. I give it a 7/10.

San Diego Aerospace Museum

San Diego Aerospace Museum


Apollo 9


WWII Planes


Wright Brothers Plane

Here are some pictures of the San Diego Aerospace Museum during my visit on the 3rd Free Tuesday. I also went to the Automotive Museum and the Sports Hall of Champions. The Aerospace Museum is a really cool place to visit. I left with the fasination of airplanes. The history of flight is fairly new and its pretty awesome to see the apex of human achievement. I believe this is the best museum in Balboa Park. You get to see The Apollo 9 and an Army Cobra Helicopter! It was nice to marvel at their size and brilliant construction. And also you get to see giant sized NASA photos of Mars and the Mars probe. Expect to spend 2 or 3 hours looking at the exhibits. It was a magnificant museum to visit. When I left, I felt awful for not paying admission.

http://www.aerospacemusuem.org

Quail Botanical Gardens, Carlsbad CA

Quail Botanical Gardens, Carlsbad CA


Waterfall

Quail Botanical Gardens is a little oasis of nature in Southern California. Admission is 8 dollars a person. It is a worth while trip and you get to see plants and trees from around the world. Expect to spend an hour or two there. And don't forget to get a handmade pretzel, they're good.

When will the Bad Luck End?

Ever since my vacation started at the end of October, I've been having some pretty bad luck.

First off, I came home to my parent's house in Arkansas. They own a few restaurant buildings and a couple of them called my parent's asking them to fix the leaky roofs. I tried calling some roofers and they won't reply. How troublesome is that? They need to be fixed soon, because it rains a lot in Arkansas. If the problem doesn't get fixed, then the problems will increase tenfold.

Second, my favorite politician, Democratic Senator John Kerry lost the election for Presidency. What are the odds of that? I guess I should've voted for Bush. An angry Bush lover pegged my car with an egg and left a beautiful mark next to my John Kerry bumper sticker. That bastard.

Third, on my flight to San Diego from Little Rock, I missed my connecting flight at Houston due to stormy weather. It delayed me about 4 1/2 hours. That sucked because I arrived so late at night and my wife had school the next day. My baggage ended up arriving in San Diego before I did.

Fourth, when I dropped off my wife from school, I drove back to the hotel. I fell asleep and woke up about four hours later with the sounds of a leaf blower outside my freak'in hotel door. All crusty eyed, I opened up the curtens and saw our car being towed! I didn't even receive a phone call or a courtesy knock before the stupid hotel started towing cars in their own parking lot. The stupid tow'er left a huge dent on the front driver's side fender. That bastard.

Fifth, after the towing incident, I was on a mission to receive a package that I had mailed out to myself from Texas. I went to the post office. After waiting in line for 20 minutes, I handed over the package slip and the attendant walked to the back and started chatting with his buddies for 15 minutes. When he finally came back, he told me that it wasn't there and that I should call a "phone number". I went home and called that number. The number ended up being a postal office warehouse which doesn't have my package...

Sixth, I received a call from my dad. He told me that they received a parking ticket that I have to pay for. What the heck? The ticket was ticketed to the person who bought my first car about four years ago. But, they decided to place the blame on me. I fixed the records years ago with the DMV. Due to incompentence, the stupid city is trying to bill me for a stupid ticket which has collected interest over the years!

Seventh, I got sick and I have a stuffy nose.

Eighth, I went to my wife's school. Her career counselor told me that the detailer lost my paperwork and that I have to submit my co-location stuff over again. It was the 4th time our paperwork has been lost.

Nineth, I went to Fontana, to my in-law's house. The next day, my wife's father received a notice from a court asking for payment of several thousand dollars of rent from a random apartment complex. Is the bad luck following me? I don't know.

Old Town, San Diego

Old Town San Diego


Old Town

This place is called the "Birthplace of California"

It is a nice place to go. It is "FREE", so it won't cost you a dime. It has a lot of free little museums of historic San Diego. It is pretty interesting and there are a lot of little shops, restaurants, and sightseeing. It is located right along the I-5 and it is a good place to stop by if you are ever in the area.

Balboa Park, San Diego

Balboa Park, San Diego


Spanish Statue


Nature Trail


Old Outdoor Theatre


Arts Village


Museum of Man

Balboa Park is always full of activities. It is filled with many museums, walking trails, bridges, art, gardens, stores and restaurants. Everyone should go there at least once in their life. It is the largest and most scenic park I've ever been to. It has free parking and is located next to the World Famous, San Diego Zoo.

The Monthly Free Tuesdays Schedule goes as follows:

1st Tuesday: Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Model Railroad Museum, Natural History Museum, Centro Cultural de la Raza

2nd Tuesday: Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego History Museum, Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

3rd Tuesday: Japanese Friendship Garden, Mingei International Museum, San Diego Art Institute, Museum of Man, Museum of Art

4th Tuesday: Aerospace Museum, Automotive Museum, International Cottages, Hall of Champions

5th Tuesday: Regular Admission

4020 Texas Street, San Diego California

4020 Texas Street, San Diego California


Roof tops in San Diego


Residental Parking

I flew to San Diego last Tuesday. Here are some pictures of Texas Street. I forgot how great the weather is over here. I went running yesterday and I felt refreshed! When I was in Texas, the heat, dust, wind and humidity took a toll on my running ability. It always felt like the wrong time to run over there. I love San Diego! I just have to get used to the road manners here. People are very impatient and there is always something to do here. Californians are a lot different from the rest of the U.S. Life here is fast and furious. Going out is the norm. What is considered rude everywhere else, is laughed at here. Although you don't get that small town, small talk stuff from people here like you do in the southern states, people here generally mind their own business.

When I walk by people on the sidewalk, nobody looked at me or said a friendly "hi" or a "how are you doing?" You pretty much get ignored and it is assumed that you exist. Plus, it would be exhausting to greet every single person you meet. There's lots of people here. Everywhere you go, involves lines. You can't do anything without waiting in line. The economy here is better than most places I've been. It is possible that a business here can shut down even though they are busy and have many customers. It happens all the time. Everything here is expensive compared to the national average. Fuel is usually about 75 cents to a dollar greater per gallon than the national average.

Driving here is fast. San Diegans are a bit impatient with visitors and slow drivers. I noticed that freeway traffic is always fast no matter how many cars there are on the road. Jams on the freeway don't last a long time here. The only thing holding up traffic are traffic lights at the exits. Other than that, the roads here are wide and traffic flow is efficient. But parking is a bitch.

I saw a guy digging through the dumpster here yesterday and he found a paycheck addressed to one of the residences here. He was kind enough to put up the check so that maybe the person who threw it away would find it. Every once in a while, you see kindness.

View down Texas Street, San Diego


Lincoln Street, San Diego