I drove to Pasadena for a committee meeting. I took the 110, which goes straight through downtown LA. I had to be at the meeting at 9:30, so I got in the car at 7:30, along with every other resident of Southern California over the age of 16. I didn't have directions; not only do I have a grasp on Pasadena I have learned, roughly, which freeways go where. I listened to Johnny Cash and NPR news in the car, going 20 miles per hour and enjoying the gorgeous morning despite the traffic. Once I passed downtown, the traffic was negligible, and I realized that I have a favorite stretch of freeway- the stretch of the 110 between LA and Pasadena, which is all windy and treesy and dotted with art deco arches and tunnels. I drove 35 miles in 90 minutes, arriving in Pasadena in time to stop at the Fuller bookstore. (Fuller, please forgive me. For so long I thought you were a den of fundies. But no. You have an amazing bookstore. You have bright and helpful staff and a higher concentration of Anne Lamott than Jerry Jenkins & Tim Lahay. You have a Thomas Merton section. Expect my DMin application in three years.) I bought two Eugene Peterson books- The Message, which the hip salesperson commiserated with me when I told her I had vehemently avoided it for years, and Playi
ng Christ in Ten Thousand Places, his new "spiritual theology." I stopped at a local coffeeshop in Altadena and saw my second verified famous person, Jann Carl from Entertainment tonight. Granted, she's not A-list, but every celebrity sighting can't be on the level of John Travolta. [Insert long meeting.] After the meeting, I accidentally got off the freeway in Koreatown, unwittingly handed my car keys over to a freebie valet service, and realized I was inexplicably at Olympic Spa. I have a feeling that I might accidentally end up in Koreatown after each of these monthly committee meetings. It was sooooo nice. Concentrated relaxation, for $15. I decided to take surface streets back home rather than face the freeway during rush hour again, and managed to talk to my Mama for the whole hourlong drive.Ben and I bummed around with Deacon (who continues to be besieged by fleas) for awhile before I left for church to go to choir. I was all giggly when I got there, as the effects of my mugworts bath were still in my bloodstream. We capped off the evening with Jon Stewart and the Daily Show, which is quite possibly the funniest television show I've ever seen in my life.
And today- today!- I see the illustrious Lara Bruce.
1) You said, "Committee Meeting!" Heh.
ReplyDelete2) Were you not a fan of The Daily Show before now? Because... Jon Stewart is possibly the funniest smart man (and the smartest funny man) in media, hands down. And the Daily Show? Genius. Pure, unadulterated genius. My Friend the (red-haired) Republican - you know the one - even likes it.
3) I'm glad you've become comfortable in SoCal. It sounds like a lovely place in spite of itself :)
regarding item #2: I have been yearning after the Daily Show for years, but only until recently have I had access to it. The whole paying for television thing doesn't really sit well with me, but part of the deal for staying in So Cal involved getting Direct TV with the NFL Sunday Ticket so Spouse can watch the Browns. The Daily Show is my reward for living with football. My Husband the (red-haired) AntiRepublican even likes it. :-)
ReplyDeleteBj and I love Jon Stewart-I am so glad that you get to finally enjoy him. I wish that I could think of that as my reward during football season, but even jon doesn't quite cut it.
ReplyDeleteI have the Message as well (Remix!), partially because of my obsession of collecting translations. It was actually useful in a few settings. And I too just recently picked up "Christ Plays," and am looking forward to reading it, though it may have to be over Christmas break (this seminarian is still in school over at Wesley...)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you had a good experience visiting Fuller, BTW.
nice blog.
ReplyDeleteHey K,
ReplyDeleteYour stroll up the 101 took me down memory lane. Even though it made my blood boil sometimes, I loved that stretch. IF you get off on the 5 and take it up to the 2, you get a great view of the mountains, and you pass Occidental.
Enjoy SoCal for us. We've missed it lately. We had a really nice couple of days in the low 70's, and that made me miss Cali weather just as much as the 100 degree temps this Summer. I remembered that the weather was like our 2 day respite most of the year in Los Angeles. Oh well.
Peace