Blogging from the beach

Nice to get away for a few days. Even nicer to return.

Notes from the beach:

TUES. We have a room at the beach, right on the Promendade in Seaside, view of the ocean, no traffic sounds, nice. Be here for R&R until Friday. Early anniversary present to ourselves. H brought her laptop, there's wireless here, but if I check my email, I think I'll use the Internet Cafe up the way, more of an adventure. Been raining hard, a little break now, but the forecasts is for lots of rain, which is fine. Nothing wrong with staring out at the bad weather from a warm room.

WED. Sketkch, our rat terrier, got me up at 3 a.m. for a pleasant walk on the beach while he searched for a place to do his business. It wasn't raining, wasn't even too cold, actually a nice moment. Then we repeated the game at 730 and I went on to get a cup of coffee at a local cafe. Nothing planned for today, which is great! A little writing and reading and walking and brooding. I'm not completely unwired: I found an Internet cafe where I can check email. I waiting for a room change from the university, need to check in in case there's a hassle.

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Back from a walk. I love beach towns. At various times, I've lived in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Monterey, all in California. I've always wanted to live in Venice, right on the boardwalk. On any beach town boardwalk, for that matter, smack in the middle of its summer people-watching splendor and winter ghostliness. When I was going to UCLA, I knew the owner of a Santa Monica bar on the beach and spent many "after hours" there, sometimes until sunrise. Ah, the wildness of our youth.

I spent a great week in Benidorm, Spain, in the early 60s before it became part of the Spanish riviera. Construction going on everywhere at the time.

There's something about living next to the ocean that focuses my perspective on our cosmic smallness. Not a bad thing to rememberj.

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Wild weather at the beach! Earlier this afternoon it snowed. Didn't stick long. Now the wind is blowing like hell.

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The temperature here has dropped into the 30s. Not Spring break weather at all.

THURS. In a hail storm and sunshine simultaneously this morning. This strange coastal spring weather.

I think this afternoon I'll try and do a complete sequence outline of the NEXT screenplay. I took notes on the current one, the bigger ending, so I can get right on it when we return. I am eager to return, actually. I am happiest in my routine, to my wife's chagrin. I'm not the best traveling partner as a result.

UCLA plays Western Kentucky tonight. Something to look forward to! I worry about the SI jinx and the inconsistent Bruins.

No word on whether I get a room change. Be a big hassle if I don't.

I have music buzzing in my head. This summer I'll see if I can become a composer.