Birthday

So...I've reached that age. I wonder what I've done with my life, why I still have a crappy job, why I haven't settled down and started a family, and why I'm still always dead broke. At my age, I should have at least one of the three resolved, you'd think. Dirty 30, that's what they call it. When I was younger I couldn't wait to grow up. Now, I just want to be a kid again. I long for the simple days of no bills, no worries, and no responsibilities. It's fun isn't it? We all go full circle...back to the beginning. And Disneyland still rules!

Travel Log: Avalon

I've been to Santa Catalina Island several times over the years, but never have I really seen it. The tropical weather of the summer months, with the over-run of tourists invading the streets of this tiny town is no way to truly visit the island. My Love and I had the opportunity to get away for a few days and decided we needed to see Catalina without all the tourists. Almost alone on the streets of Avalon, we can truly see how the locals live, in this small community where everyone knew everyone and everyone could tell who was just visiting. We were told to enjoy our vacation at every restaurant though we never really told anyone we were visiting. You can walk the streets and dark alleys at night without ever feeling the caution in the back of your mind that you may be in danger. And the cold, calm atmosphere made the sunsets that more spectacular. And suddenly, I realized all that I had been missing, all that I had wrong. As a child I dreamed of the limelight, of being a famous actress and emulating the club-hopping Paris Hiltons of my time. But now I realize that this was not the life to strive for, not the lifestyle to envy. The old small towns of the 1920's were the thing. A small community where everyone knew your name, where all you needed to do was open your door and sip a cup of coffee on your porch as the sun set over the dock, where you can catch a fish in the day and fry it up for dinner that night. Simple, relaxed, and miles away from crime. Yes, we did visit the Botanical Gardens, rent a golf cart and joyrode around the island, and hike up to the cross to take a picture of the casino. We watched a movie in the old Casino theater, a must see with its hand-painted murals and original pipe organ still in use. We found ourselves enjoying coffee at Gallagher's every night, seemingly the only thing left open after 5 p.m. And dining at Villa Portofino I had my first experience of a beef so tender it melted in my mouth. But for the most part, we enjoyed the quiet, we enjoyed the sunset, we enjoyed Avalon and made believe we walked the empty streets of our future home.