My First Meme

Recently, the delightful Danielle from Delightfully Sweet tagged me for a meme. Now, I'm usually the worst at keeping up with these things (abject apologies to anyone who tagged me and I totally forgot about it) and I never know what to write. I think my life is pretty exciting, but the details that make it so exciting for me would put all of you guys to sleep, so instead, I am going to take you on a short walk of my neighborhood. If you haven't figured it out yet, I live in sunny and beautiful Los Angeles. To be exact, I live in a sunny and beautiful urban suburb of Los Angeles called Santa Monica, which is pretty much the best place in the world and has the additional benefits of being right on the beach and having even milder weather than the rest of the city. What can I say, I'm one lucky girl! Without further ado, follow me!

I always feel strange in land-locked cities because I grew up practically smack dab up against the ocean. Santa Monica is a fun and vibrant community with lots to do and even more to see, but at some point, if you continue walking west, it just ends and there is this vast expanse of blue on blue and the sound of the breaking surf and the salty, tangy smell of the water. When I have a free hour, I like to bring a book here and sit on one of the benches overlooking the ocean, pretending to read, but really just lifting my face to the warm sun and thinking about how cool it is to actually live here.

It's always a point of contention between writers and poets whether the ocean makes one feel really small or really big. To tell you the truth, it doesn't make me feel either way, but it gifts me with peace. The water can be gray, azure, turquoise or indigo, or a multitude of other colors, but it washes away the dust of daily life and refocuses my mind when I most need it. It's a very Californian thing to say, I know. Then again, I am a Californian, and I dare you to try standing two feet away from the Pacific ocean and not feeling almost entirely happy.

After an hour of such fulfilling philosophical reflections, I felt a very natural need, as would almost any girl, to get a cup of coffee and look into Sur La Table. Thankfully, it was only a short walk from the ocean that I could satisfy both of these desires.

Two blocks away from the beach, there is a long street blocked off for pedestrians with colorful shops, cafes and street musicians. There are tourists and locals and high school kids with skate boards and tattoos sitting at Johnny Rockets next to families with lots of kids. I don't always come here because it gets quite busy, especially during the summer months, but sometimes, I just can't resist the magic of people watching from a Greek cafe and then browsing for new books at one of the big book stores. Are these grass dinosaur fountains, you ask? Why, yes, they surely are. :)

It was a wonderful day, the kind when the colors are bright and crisp, the breeze is gentle on your skin, and there seem to be people everywhere, walking and laughing and enjoying the perfect July weather. This guy tuned his guitar for a long time while the kids watched, sipping an iced coffee and making up his mind which songs he wanted to start with.

As usual, time had run away from me, and I had to walk back to my car and get on with my day, but on my way there, I allowed myself a last pleasure and peeked behind the wrought iron gate of the beautiful Fairmont-Miramar Hotel. My parents and I have gone there for dessert in the evenings ever since I can remember, to sit out on their patio under the fairy lights and crunch on the sugar sticks they serve with their coffee. The tinkling of the fountain brought my mind back to the very different sounds of the ocean and I knew that I wanted to share my day with you, my friends. Thank you for coming back to my little corner of the blogosphere and sharing your thoughts with me.