Saturday July 2, 2011

I’m fascinated with weather, daylight, temperatures, and all things natural….I’m sure I get this from my father who is more of a weather freak than most. Today I experienced heat like I never have in my life. On the drive from Phoenix to San Diego the temps soared to new heights, topping out and remaining at 118 degrees for the day. It was simply unreal.

The second you opened the door, the heat poured in….. and it took 20 minutes to return the cab to normal by running the air conditioner. If the truck was not in motion, the air conditioner spewed hot air all over you. Stepping outside the truck felt like stepping into an inferno. It was crazy……People that live in Yuma, Arizona deal with this type of heat all summer, why, I have no idea.

The 500 or so miles I need to cover to get to San Diego took me thru the desert. At times the drive would parallel the fence that separates the USA from Mexico. I also was forced to go through 2 different checkpoints, I guess to see if I was harboring any fugitives

As I drove over the tops of some mountains just outside San Diego, the temperature began to drop. By the time I was by the ocean the temp had dropped a whopping 50 degrees down to a comfortable 68. Talk about refreshing….

My First impressions of the Pacific Ocean in San Diego were that it fit the stereotype I’d envisioned…….It had the long pier reaching toward the sea, the skateboarders, roller bladers, and beach bikers tooling all over the place. There were loads of tattooed “So-Cal” types that looked like Pedro’s friends from Napoleon Dynamite, there were surfer duuuudes, tourists, T shirt shops, and thongs on the beach. These people were gearing up for the 4^th of July weekend. You could feel the party just percolating.

By a stroke of luck I landed a beachfront parking spot, which was to be mine for the next 24 plus hours. That night I was thrilled to discover a Zep tribute band playing nearby. I wonder if there’s another person on earth that’s seen more different Zep tribute bands that I have. I’d throw that challenge out to anyone. They were fun and the crowd was fun. The experience gave me a welcome sense of comfort.

When you take off for the summer, you occasionally miss important events; events that you know you should be attending. I missed one today and felt bad about it. One of the truest joys of being a teacher is to have the opportunity to have a positive influence on students. There are occasions where this influence is reciprocal and a student has positive influence on you. They’ll never admit it, but a teacher definitely has his or her list of all time favorites. Today I missed the graduation party of one of mine. Happy Graduation Lusan……Your graduating from high school is just a minor stepping stone to the greatness that lies ahead of you…..I’m so proud of you….and even more proud to say…….. that you are my friend. The flower is for you....