Rollercoaster

Day 8

Today was a self-inflected emotional rollercoaster.

Up: We found our way to The Grove and The Farmer's Market. If you aren't a TMZ watcher or an In Touch reader, then I should specify this is a shopping and dining area that celebs frequent.

Down: I kept my eyes peeled for paparazzi or celebs under cover, but didn't see any. Not a one!

Up: We had a lovely brunch on the balcony of the Cheesecake Factory, where we could people watch and enjoy the day's cooler temps.

Down: We didn't have room in our bellies for cheesecake.

Up: The Farmer's Market was bustling, I bought apples and nectarines to ensure our experience was authentic, and we encountered an amazing pumpkin carver.

Down: It took us about an hour to drive out of the area, as I didn't trust the GPS to take me the way I wanted to go and instead took us on a round-about route that involved stopping for gas and witnessing a blatently obvious crack rock purchase.

Up: We eventually made it past Venice to Marina Del Ray, which was pretty to glance at through the window.

Down: I had to give in and we jumped on the boring Interstate en route to Huntington Beach.

Up/Down: We made a pit stop of Darrell's choosing. In the spirit of trying to experience 30 new things this year - a pact I've made with a few friends - I partook in an activity that got our adrenaline pumping and required me to choke back some fear. Details will be revealed at the end of the ride.

Up: We took 20 minutes to walk along Huntington Beach and, although it was cloudy and cool, my heart was sunny and warm.

Down: It's been over a year since I visited Surf City for the first time and to my dismay or delight, I'm not sure which, I still really, really want to live here.

Up: The rest of the drive was lovely and we arrived in San Diego before too long.

Down: After dropping our suitcases in our little rented apartment, we ventured our for food only to not find anything easily and having to settle for some nasty "island style" teriyaki food.

Up: We stocked up on some snacks at the Pharmacy, ate supper on the couch and didn't get food poisioning.

Down: I was overcome by a bout of homesickness and disappointment that our little apartment was not what I had hoped. I was tired and, although it's in a nice residential neighbourhood, it wasn't feeling cozy in the least...there wasn't even Kleenex to dry my tears, there's no hairdryer, and the tap water is poor tasting.

Up: Darrell comforted and soothed me, told me we can find somewhere else to stay if tomorrow I still don't like it, and brought in the Kleenex from the car.

The end: We agreed to look forward to the NFL game tomorrow (holy crap, I'm going to an NFL game!) and concluded that the most amusing way to share what we did at our pit stop earlier, would be to provide a self-explanatory video. Click here and enjoy!