in California, where all things are possible

1. Avocadoes are in season. Who knew?

2. I learned to drive stick on Saturday, in suburban Philadelphia on a sunny day in a relatively new, well-maintained car. On Monday, my first day in California, I took my grandmother's battered and ancient Honda Civic (stick shift) on the freeway in rush hour traffic during a rainstorm with directions that made no sense. Except for a couple of bad moments on hills and the moment when I tried to shift to fifth and it wasn't there, I was fine. Trial by fire, anyone?

3. Land's End. Not the clothing company, the spot in San Francisco. Whoooo eeee. My soul feels showered and massaged.

4. I ran four miles up at Inspiration Point last night. More than I've run in two months, and the first time I've run in over two weeks. Then I came home and did 55 push-ups and sit-ups, which I've certainly never done. I recently discovered the ladder concept - do 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 9 push-ups, 9 sit-ups, ...., 1 push-up, 1 sit-up. It's kind of miraculous. Because of course I can't do 55 push-ups straight, but I can do ten. And after ten and a bit of a break (during which I do sit-ups, or more accurately crunches) I can do nine. By the time I'm exhausted, I only have one left. And I hurt this morning, but not as badly as I expected.

5. I'm seeing an old high school friend a lot. It's amazingly great. I always remember how much I like him and all my fears that he doesn't really like me, and you know what? He does.