May Gray 2015

The above photo was taken after the Tinkerbell 10K at Disneyland on May 9th. See how overcast it was that day? It was glorious! Cloudy and cool – perfect running weather. The phenomenon known as “May Gray” really delivered this year. The whole month was spectacular. A few weeks ago the Timehop app on my phone reminded me that is was 100 degrees around this time last year (check out the shudder-inducing reminder here), but I loved every moment of May 2015. My sweaters, jackets, and sweatshirts got a lot of wear! Running was so enjoyable during the pleasant evenings and with a cool wind off the ocean. And the days I didn’t go running I walked around Seal Beach in the evenings to make the most of the amazing weather. We even got a good amount of rain in May! A friend of mine and I went to Disneyland on May 15th and it was pouring for the first few hours. We resorted to buying sweatshirts and ponchos in order to stay warm and dry that day. It’s so rare that we get any rain between April and October in the LA area, but it was very much appreciated during this drought. There were a couple of nights where I was awakened by storms, and I swore I heard hail one of those times. Pretty crazy. I knew the beautiful weather wouldn’t last so I spent as much time outside enjoying it before summer arrives. If the last two years are any indication, June through September are going to be uncomfortably warm. I’m definitely not looking forward to that, but luckily June has been lovely so far (“June Gloom” has been in effect in the mornings). We’ll see how long it lasts!

Before my surgery

My parents flew into Los Angeles (the Orange County airport, actually) last Saturday morning and I picked them up around lunchtime. I already wrote about how we spent the rest of that day, but I’ve been too lazy to write about much else. My dad’s birthday was Sunday so I had something special planned. I got us tickets to visit the Getty Villa in Malibu which is replica of a villa in Pompeii that was destroyed when Vesuvius erupted. The house and gardens are very elaborate, and it’s also a museum that houses mostly Greek and Roman art and artifacts. It’s a spectacularly beautiful place. I’ve been wanting to go there for a long time so I was really glad that we went before my surgery. And I think both of my parents enjoyed it too. We had lunch there before leaving and it was very delicious. My cauliflower and lentil soup and green salad was wonderful. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised since I’ve had some excellent meals at museums. After lunch we drove back to my apartment so I could whip up an orange cake with cream cheese frosting for my dad’s birthday at his request. Actually, I made the frosting later in the evening, but when I made the cake I set out the cream cheese and butter to soften for a few hours. I have to admit that I doctored up a cake mix with orange juice and orange zest rather than making something from scratch, but I didn’t want to risk a poor outcome. A dry or tasteless cake would have been such a shame for my dad’s birthday. Before dinner the three of us went over to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands so my dad could do some photography around sunset and my mom and I could take a walk. It’s such a nice place and I can’t believe I’d never been there before! And getting a little exercise before dinner was a plus. Since it was my dad’s birthday he got to choose the restaurant for dinner. He mulled a couple of options, including In-N-Out, but he ultimately selected California Pizza Kitchen. We split a salad between the three of us and then each ordered our own pizza. Of course none of us could eat more than half because there was so much food, but that meant leftovers for later in the week. All in all, it was a very nice day and I think my dad enjoyed his birthday. Monday wasn’t very exciting since I had to work and then go to bed early in preparation for my surgery, but we did have a nice dinner at CafĂ© Lafayette on Main Street in Seal Beach. I was very glad that I had a good couple of days with my parents before my surgery!