Enjoying Socal

(This is last Sunday's post that was waiting for picts.) So this week I have been trying more consciously to exercise and enjoy Southern California before head to the frozen north. Fortunately, the waves has also been cooperating and I had several good days of surf. Friday morning was actually well overhead with lots of huge backside closeout barrels. Also body surfed Crystal cove wednesday evening while M and G played in the shorebreak. Miriam is getting to be a pretty good boogie boarder although she won't go further than 10 feet or so from shore. We went to the beach Sat. morning as well. Smaller, but still fun. I spent another 3 hours fixing my kayak. I had the fan on the whole time, so I felt a lot less whacked from the chemicals. Bekah and I went on a date and got sushi and walked around Corona del Mar. I have also made some progress on the dissertation, although not as much as I would like. I am reading Foucault and Bourdieu and I have found a bit that will be useful, but I am not sure how much I need to read to really use their ideas. The kids got a huge box and after two days of playing in the packing peanuts, we made a house out of it. They just finished swimming lesson and Gwyn is pretty good.

Last Week

So, a lot happened this last week, and the week before. The Waxman-Markey energy bill passed the House, the Senate is debating national health care, and Michael Jackson died (and Farrah Fawcett). Miriam's tooth, that has been loose for months, is on the verge of falling out. ("Can I see it?" I ask, "Seeing is not touching," she says as I reach for it. Different events have had different levels of significance for various members of our family. Meanwhile, I have been crazy busy with teaching Japanese, getting ready to teach in Maine, trying to keep the dissertation ball rolling. I get in usually by 7 or 7:30 and work till 5 or later, and then more at night. I haven't really figured out how to find time to exercise with the new schedule, so I need to work on that. Basically just frisbee once a week and surfing on the weekend, and I've been skating to school, which is good for my left leg. Miriam and Gwyn are getting really good at swimming and boogie boarding. It's been hot and summery.
On the fourth, we went to a pancake breakfast at church. Gwyn rode her bike in the parade, without training wheels, since I took them off the day before, and she is doing fine without them. Then we went sold our loft bed in the kids room, so I took it apart and helped the people who bought it reassemble it in their house. Then we went to the pool with our friends. Then in the afternoon we went to Chelsea's and hung out and ate and watched the fireworks at Huntington beach. It was very fun, although we didn't get back till pretty late, and then overslept, and were the latest I've ever been to church in a long time.