Fire and...more fire. No rain.

There have been fires raging in California lately and they've been a little too close for comfort. Around 11:00 last night I was confused by the thought that someone had started a bonfire nearby and just wanted some smores. Then I used my brain and realized that it was from the fire that has been raging for the past couple of days. Thank you deductive reasoning.

Now it's catch-up time.

Erica and I have been enjoying our new place. We are still chairless, which makes some things difficult. Like wanting to sit at the table and work. We go to Trader Joe's alot--maybe too much. I think we are starting to get recognized, so we probably should cool it.

Yesterday was a good day. Alicia suggested that I go to the Printer's Museum in Carson, because it looked cool and was on Seven Pounds. It was so great. Even better because it was the weekend where they had the Printer's Fair. How serendipitous. So I dragged Erica out there with me and it was great. I got some free posters (letterpress, so fabulous), bought some OTIS grad student work and talked to some vendors. It made me want to go back to school and get a graduate degree...

Ze fair. It was only 105 degrees that day.

I got my name made on the linotype machine. I think I scared Erica with my excitement.

Type love.

Mom, Dad, these are for sale.

Please notice bowler hat guy.

Gutenberg Press demonstration. Printed a page from the Gutenberg Bible.

Mr. Plaid shirt brought his own baggie of taffy.

Queen of the Printer's Fair. I accept.

After we left the fair, we went to Chronic Tacos in Huntington Beach and got ourselves some grub. Best shrimp tacos. Bahhhh. Also, it was in the 90s in Huntington that day, which sad to say, felt a little chilly to me, after living in triple digits for the past week. How sad is that? I'm going to get frostbite when I go home to Hawaii and its in the 70s in Kaneohe.

Today we went to the beach and it was glorious. Got there early, got a great parking space, saw some dolphins, ran out of sunscreen, got hit in the face with a couple waves, survived kelp attacks, ate some pineapple (we went to Trader Joe's on our way out of Pasadena. I told you we needed to cool it), started reading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time (I feel like I'm getting stupider, from my lack of brain stimulation. Tomorrow I will have done a page of math problems...or maybe just a Sudoku puzzle. Level: easy). The sun sucked all the life and energy out of me. The feeling you get of eating pizza after swimming can never be topped. End of story.

This is now the color of my skin. Pantone 186. Coated.

Finally, right?!

Okay okay, I'm back. And I come bearing pictures of Erica and mine's new apartment in South Pasadena.

Front entrance to the building

Our door

Living room, very sparsely furnished--notice the complete lack of chairs...

Sofa::Craigslist, Table::Craigslist

Windows galore

Dining room/office space/study area/storage of my things

More of my things

Bookshelf::IKEA

The kitchen {sigh} -- I love it

Hallway, with Erica's room on the right

The bathroom -- yellow and cream tile with stenciled ivy across the top of the walls (That will probably get painted over very soon)

The sink -- hot water faucet, cold water faucet. Getting lukewarm water is very near impossible.

My room from the doorway

Oval mirror::Craigslist

One window, a closet, and a bookshelf.

Bookshelf::IKEA

{Light shining down from heaven on my two closets} Dos closets. So excellent.

Some of my little friends

Oh yes. Don't worry, I wasn't terrified the entire time.

My trip to the Alhambra ER. Obviously it was a life or death situation because we found time to take pictures to document this momentous event.

So yeah. The ER. Don't worry about me trying to be a good roommate and washing all the glasses before using them. Or about one slipping and cutting my finger. Or that Erica and I rinsed off all the other glasses before tending to my bleeding finger and shattered glass in the sink. Or that I didn't have an insurance card with me and I took all my Blue Cross Blue Shield information into the hospital on a scratch piece of paper. Not fishy at all. I'm sure my Mom loved how I called her and said, "Mom...I cut my finger. And it's bleeding real bad. I think I need stitches." But all this was said in a high voice and every sentence was said like it was a question. I think I was slightly delirious from my extreme loss of blood (not really) because we had a good time in the car on the way to Alhambra Hospital that carried into the ER, where Erica and I became mini-celebrities because we were from Hawaii. Andddd, to top it off, the woman who made me sign some papers? Yeah, her daughter just graduated from Samford's business school last year. Smalllll world over here in South Pas.

Also, a little story about the movers. They came last Friday. It was two youngish guys, a teenage girl, and a middle school age boy. Quite an interesting group. Anyway, they started bringing things up and when he asked where the headboard went, this dialogue happened.

"That's not mine. And neither is that suitcase." (panic starts to show on the mover's face as I talk)

"You are not Lancaster?"

"Ummm, no." (my own panic starts to set in)

"You're not moving from Chicago?"

"No. From Alabama. Birmingham Alabama. Alabama!!" (anxiety creeps into my voice)

Well, they came to us first. When they were supposed to come to us third. Greatttt. So, good news, our things were on that truck, they were just in the middle of it. They came back the next day, sans one of the guys and the teenage girl, and unloaded everything. At the end of the move, the boy child says, "Enjoy your life." Erica and I look at each other and mouth "Enjoy your life? What?" As the guy and the kid are walking down the stairs, we hear the guy say "Enjoy your life? What does that mean?" Thanks EZ Movers. A couple days of panic was worth it for that parting exchange.

All in all, The Big Move is complete. Now we just need chairs...

Okay, okay

I haven't been posting. But that is largely due to the fact that Erica and I are moving into our new apartment. Anddd our stuff won't be rolling into town until sometime early next week. Anddd that we don't have internet & cable yet. But, get ready for an awesome "Welcome to the apartment" post. It's comin'.

The apartment search is over

Da da da daaaaaaah!! So, after a long and painful/stressful/frustrating search, Erica and I have found a new place to live. And we are excited. Tomorrow we sign the lease!!

Not going to lie, the stove/oven basically sealed the deal for me.

Alicia's visit: Part 3

The next batch of pictures is the day before Alicia left to go back to her second home. We stayed in Orange County and went to a used bookstore and then to Huntington Beach Central Park, where we went to the Shipley Nature Center. We strolled around the gardens and stalked animals.

I want this to be my backyard.

Alicia's famous photography

Exploring. It was hot.

Alicia's visit: Part 2

Alright. So, the missile destroyer. We went to Seal Beach to attend this "Navy Open House" along with pretty much everyone in Orange County. There were very attentive and helpful military personnel there to assist with parking. Alicia and I were not expecting the lines. We waited in line to get in (where a couple times we were tempted to defy the young military boys and girls who told us to step on the other side of the line), and then waited in line to get on the boat. Here is the boat.

Sidenote: the newspaper blurb about this event said to wear closed-toe shoes. So we did. Not everyone else paid attention. Heels were present. I'm going to leave it at that. Think what you want. Anyway...of course I wear shoes that have basically 0.05 centimeters of plastic as the sole. So I am experiencing this ship as if I am a monkey-child walking barefoot on blazing hot asphalt. I eventually become immune to the hot surface. Good thing too, because we stood in some type of line for about an hour. But, it was very enjoyable to listen to conversations around us and watch everyone else and try to come up with alternative ways to get on the boat without having to wait in line.

On the boat. Not really. Alicia's tricky.

This is what we did.

The next day we woke up early and went to Hollywood. Oh yes. Hollywood. Part sightseeing, part apartment hunting. We started at the Chinese Theater, where we found some of our favorite people.

Alicia lurves Cary

Alicia being Jimmy Stewart

Doris and Me

After walking around Hollywood for a little bit (we didn't last too long), we went to look at a long list of apartments all over L.A. Well, more like around Pasadena and South Pasadena--a couple in Hollywood. More on the apartment-front later. After doing that, we went to the Gamble House in Pasadena. We got there too late for the inside tour, but we were able to walk around the outside of the house and go to the bookstore. It was so great. Alicia's favorite style--Craftsman (did I get that right?)

This is not at the Gamble house. Just something we saw when looking at an apartment. Meet my new neighbors.

Just kidding. This building has since been stricken from the list.