Look, Look, A Monk

A week ago yesterday, a Saturday, I was busy doing laundry, cleaning the house, and getting packed for a business trip to California.

I left on Sunday, arrived back home on Friday night, and spent yesterday, a Saturday, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and unpacking from a business trip to California.

Just one of those funny little inner circles of life...

Sidebar: While I was gone, Max celebrated his 100th day of school. As you can see from the picture, he made a 100th-day crown. Five days later, he's still wearing it. He loves to don hats/headbands/crowns -- especially ones he crafts himself. My other kids wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything other than a ski hat or a baseball cap. Not Mr. Beat of His Own Drum.

So I've been traveling back and forth to/from California for about 3.5 years. At first, I flew out about four times a year. For the past year, I've been out there every six weeks or so. The trip sounds a lot more exciting than it usually is. I'm typically gone for 5-6 days; two days of travel and three to four days of relatively intense work/meetings in the office. I almost always stay at my friend Romy's flat where, as I've often said, I live the life of a single urban girl for a few days. (Really, we eat in, wear sweats, play with her cats, and watch a lot of TV, so maybe it's really the life of middle-aged woman having a sleepover...)

A few observations/experiences from my most recent visit:

On people and diversity: "Look, look, a monk." This, a quote from Romy as we were driving down the street. Funny thing was that the monk, walking down the street, was carrying a new DVD player and a bag of purchases from the Office Depot. I thought monks lived a life of austerity, but maybe they watch movies too.

On food (and drink): Romy and I usually try to squeeze in one nice meal together, and we almost always order sparkling wine. So "city" of us, don't'cha think? The other "must have's" on any trip include a good burrito and a Zachary's deep-dish spinach and mushroom pizza. "Nice to have's" include a morning bun from the La Farine bakery in Berkeley.

On transportation: I never rent a car, choosing public transportation so that I don't need to fight the traffic for which I no longer have the nerve. Riding the BART train presents a perfect opportunity to listen to my iPod, which Husband always loads up for me when I travel. This past week, I most enjoyed on BART an NPR Fresh Air podcast of a Bruce Springsteen interview and a recent podcast of Chicago Public Radio's "This American Life" radio show.

On weather: 60s in California; 10s in Vermont. Not much I can say about this that isn't obvious.

On work: I always enjoy connecting up with people in the office, but the intense vibe makes me forever grateful that I work from home.

On shopping: Once in a blue moon I splurge at the Anthropologie store in Berkeley. My suitcase always suffers from a visit to Target though. Vermont is the only state in the lower 48 that doesn't have a Target. Not much I can say about this that isn't obvious either.

On friends: During my past two trips, I stayed at my colleague and friend Amy's house for a few nights. She has two kids, fourth and second graders, and I always get a big kick out of talking to her kids and seeing that I'm living a somewhat parallel parenting life on the opposite side of the country.

On coming home: Always the highlight of my trip. It takes a day or two to re-enter and adjust back to the time zone and my roles at home. Surely, the complete opposite of Urban-Girl Loft Living. Plus, it's cold right now, and it's not likely I'll see a monk walking down the street. But I wouldn't trade it for all the Targets in the world. Clearly, I need a pair of ruby slippers...

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