standby romance

so, my weekend on the west coast has come and gone. the warmth of the sun and the springy scent in the air is starting to fade away, but in its aftermath, i can honestly say that i've learned a few things about life that i'm hoping i don't soon forget.

for one, unless you are retired or independently rich and like to travel at the drop of a hat, do not fly on a standby ticket.

i had the unfortunate experience of being bumped off of 2 flights and not even coming close to making it onto several others which lead to me missing a day of work, spending far too much on transportation back and forth from LAX, and wasting several precious hours of my life on security lines...all which left me sputtering in travel limbo, alone with my neurotic tendencies that rage when i'm stressed out.

i realize now that when one is in travel limbo, if they are ocd, they should not be left in an apartment alone. i mean, how many times can i attempt to fold my paramour's interestingly tailored hoodie before i can be satisfied? apparently, 6 attempts.

windex the coffee table? sure!

rotate the plants until you find the most pleasing visual angle? of course!

make the bed a few times? definitely.

thank goodness i was able to take a walk and shoot some photos.

get a decent mushroom omelette and drink a latte...not once, not twice...but thrice.

this is another thing i learned.

when you're stressed and anxious, drinking very strong lattes in quick succession will cause you to become a knot. i was so wound up that i couldn't even take a nap, which i desperately needed and ended up, more or less, blacking out instead after suffering a very painful tension headache.

...but enough of this nonsense about the negative aspects of the trip.

here are a few thing i can say about the airport experience that help...

• terminals are much easier to deal with during the daylight hours

• people who drive shuttles and cabs have some very interesting things to say - try talking to your driver next time...i was able to wax the philosophic with my drivers regarding socialism, language, the education system, public transportation and the importance of keeping in contact with humanity.

• crack jokes with security people - they need a good laugh.

• ask people their names, smile, thank them and shake their hand - it'll make you and the people who deal with you a lot happier - people who help deserve recognition.

so, now that i've gone over the things i learned in terms of air travel, on to things i learned during my short, but satisfying trip.

here's something i've always known, but didn't really think about very deeply until this weekend:

laugh

i know it seems so simple, but i laughed so hard i couldn't breathe many times this past weekend. i'm really starting to believe that nothing can make moments more beautiful than a lot of laughter. i only shed tears this time from lack of oxygen and general body quaking caused by more humor than my brain was able to handle and it was perfect.

next?

enjoy good food and good conversation

when i'm stuck in the daily grind, i always forget how comforting and reviving amazing food coupled with really good conversation can be. food of note this weekend?

• kobe beef cheek on cracked wheat risotto & root vegetables (ford's filling station) - this was the softest, most intensely satisfying piece of beef i've ever eaten. it melted on contact with my tongue...all i can say is that these cows were very well taken care of.

• fried squash blossoms with ricotta (pizzeria mozza) - i recently read about squash blossoms and wanted to see what they were about...and i was pleased as punch.

• brussels sprouts with prosciutto breadcrumbs (pizzeria mozza) - sinking your teeth into all those fine layers of brussel sprout while experiencing the saltiness of prosciutto with the crunchiness of breadcrumbs is like heaven in spherical form.

• margherita with mozzarella, tomato & basil (pizzeria mozza) - the pizza i order to gauge the quality of a pizza place...i wasn't disappointed. i even ate the crust. i suspect they import their water from elsewhere. italy, mayhaps.

• prosciutto di Parma, rucola, tomato & mozzarella (pizzeria mozza) - a bouquet of proscuitto curled up like a big bloom of tasty meat, topped with rucola and supported by a cast of tomato and mozzarella. seriously tasty.

• butterscotch budino, maldon sea salt & rosemary pine nut cookies (pizzeria mozza) - this dessert made me want to cry. it was so delicious...my mouth is watering just recalling my first bite. regrettably, i didn't get around to the cookies because my paramour and i were so involved with the budino. just the though of it makes my heart flutter...there i go again, getting teary-eyed.

can you take a guess as to where my favorite restaurant was this past weekend? yeah. it was spectacular.

...but the good conversations continued over various other little nibblies in the form of cheese, blue corn chips, and ordered-in thai food....and, ya know, despite how serious some conversations get in life, i really do appreciate them. it means that both parties are actually thinking on a deeper level.

what else...

enjoy your youth

i played a good amount of videogames this weekend and got to play a few rounds of laser tag. there's something great about being surrounded by a sea of children who take themselves too seriously in a laser tag arena full of fog machines and techno music. my paramour, our dear friend and i found ourselves in the thick of it and even had a chance to deploy a group of overenthusiastic, bespectacled asian boys out to cover our backs during battle. they reminded me of my japanese friends from elementary school.

it was all very endearing and sweet.

i can't believe how much time i spent as a child wishing i could grow up.

i did feel like slapping the kid who told me i had a low score.

...and then i recalled the cruelty of youth.

...i was disgusted by the children who couldn't have been more than 13, smoking outside the laser tag place...and i wanted to hug the 4 young boys who were pogging. oh, how youth plays with my emotions!!!

in other news...

make your surroundings beautiful

i am forever-flattered when asked to help with things of the decorating variety...and so, off i went with my paramour to take a look at plants for his apartment. we settled on three beauties and i gently suggested certain pots. i was so happy to see which ones he picked out. they were really lovely.

along with that, he had already done a pretty good job of rearranging furniture, cleaning and hanging up photographs, so we went in for the kill...a cream-colored, shag rug.

he had seen it already and needed my opinion...and i happily gave it.

all systems go. that rug complimented his dark wood floors and chocolatey couch like sea salt compliments butterscotch budino and makes it weep-worthy.

when all was said and done, we stood there, nodding our heads in agreement. good work. good work to friday & the city...and let's not even get into how wonderful the rug feels when walking on it...or what a joy it is to fluff the pile. it's these wonderful little gems in life.

in parting...

make the most of your time

i am not the first person to tell you that time is precious. i will not be the last person to say this either. life is something that needs to be loved...and despite the stress of staying another day on the west coast...despite the fact that it upset my work schedule and caused a lot of frustration, it gave me a chance to just wander around and enjoy the little things...

it also bought me a little more time to laugh and love the company of my paramour.

so, really, i can't complain.

...if anything, i regret being so agitated and stressed out as the departure time inched closer, but the final farewell (we had 3, so i think we were beginning to get tired of always having to just say "bye") was one of smiles and, for that, i'm very grateful.