First thing’s first. I just went on a walk to the pier, and as I passed the beach, some guy started talking to me. I removed my earbuds, and he said, “You’re looking very lovely today.” Not quite as explicit as Eric’s solicitation, but I like to think I attract a classier crowd.

I haven’t written this past week because I’ve just plain been enjoying Ocean Beach. I’m not going to lie – it’s pretty great. We got here last Wednesday. Our apartment has two bedrooms, two baths (so as to prevent frustration over whether one has the right to occupy the reading room for 45 min at a time), and has a small balcony. It looks like this:

As you can see, Eric immediately set up his office in the second bedroom, and I think he’s been pretty happy there, aside from missing his chair at home. He’s using this folding wooden chair that can’t be too comfortable.

We were really happy to find that we have everything we need here; the apartment is very well appointed. We didn’t really need the Kate Spade kettle, but we have it in case of emergency. Wow.

The dogs have finally settled in a bit. There were a lot of new noises and smells when we arrived. There are two dogs that live downstairs – a bulldog named Stella and a . . . I don’t know . . . dog named Nova. They are good dogs who can be outside without a leash. We don’t do that. Luckily, we have our own side entrance to our second story apartment, so we can escape for walks without any drama. We don’t have a fenced yard like we do at home, so we take LOTS of walks. I take both dogs around the block in the morning, Eric and I both go for a longer walk around 5, then Eric takes them out just before bed. We realized after a couple of days that something had to be done about Waffles’s leash manners. We may have been lazy for the past year and not trained him how to not be an idiot on a leash. We now realize the error of our ways. Thanks to our new doughnut-printed Gentle Leader, I can now take both dogs for a walk at the same time without wanting to kill them.

We are within super comfortable walking distance of nearly everything we need. There are a few small markets, tons of restaurants, churches on all sides of us, coffee shops and acai bowl places galore, and even a few psychics. Everything smells like incense and hippies.

That reminds me….we’ve developed a new game called: surfer or homeless person? We’re not very good at it yet. Both groups of people like to wear those pullover poncho things that look like they’re made out of burlap sacks, neither wears shoes, neither smells particularly good…you get the point. I kid – in pretty poor taste, I’m sure – but it’s actually really nice to be in such a laid-back, accepting community. I NEVER worry about what I’m wearing. Eric always feels overdressed. He says he should’ve left all his clothes at home and just gone to a thrift shop when we got here.

Another great thing about this place is the weekly farmer’s market. Every Wednesday night, this one long block about 2 blocks from us is filled with tents with people selling homemade hummus, East African food (super popular…crazy long line), Turkish food, bao, dumplings, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches (we had one last night with hashbrowns, chives, sour cream, bacon, two kinds of cheese…so good!), healing crystals, jewelry, burlap sack pullovers, poke bowls….all kinds of goodness. Wednesdays might just become our new favorite day of the week.

We have tickets to a couple of plays coming up. This Sunday we’ll go to the Ocean Beach Playhouse for “I Love You Because,” then the following week we’ll go to the Old Globe Theater (as in Shakespeare) in Balboa Park for “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Tomorrow night should be fun too. We have tickets to this event at the San Diego Natural History Museum called “The Secret Society of Adultologists: Courtship, Love, and Sex.” Check out the link. Should be interesting, or at least different. I’m particularly excited about the Prom Selfie Station and Mating Dance Performances. Too funny.

We also have reservations for Valentine’s Day for the first time in the history of us. I decided I wanted to celebrate, and I knew that good food would be all Eric needed to join me. We’re going to George’s at the Cove, overlooking the water in La Jolla. We haven’t been up there yet, so I’m pretty excited. Our reservations are for 4:30, but I’m actually okay with the early time. The sun sets around 5:30, so we should have a pretty incredible view. Oh, and we’re on the terrace.

Hope all is well back on the east coast!

Quick reminder that the “featured image,” the picture at the top of the page, doesn’t show up for folks who click on the link from the email you receive. Kinda a bummer. If you refresh or type in the address, you should see it.