I know some of you still check this, so here’s a quick update on our not-so-exciting-at-the-moment lives. We’ve rented a beach house (a duplex, actually–my “dream dump,” since it’s just rough enough for art projects and just ugly enough for me to not give in to decorating) in Pacific Beach, San Diego. It’s six blocks from the beach, three blocks from Trader Joe’s and three blocks from the excellent library.
We ruled out L.A. for the moment, mainly because we wanted a place where we’d both feel comfortable with the other walking around alone. (Cell phones remain abhorrent to me–I hate feeling “on call.”) Nothing in our price range–under a grand a month–fit the bill in that city, and since our main goal was to have a comfortable place to work indoors, we kept looking and found this. San Diego is not as exciting as L.A., but it’s prettier and less hostile. The people are friendly, the weather is idyllic, and the proximity to the aforementioned shopping and recreation spots is fulfilling our needs well.
Our lease is up on the Fourth of July, and we are committed to not planning what will come next until we’re much closer to that date. We will very likely go abroad again sometime this summer, since we have Olympics tickets and miss being expats. If we teach again, we won’t take jobs like the ones we had: We’ll either secure shorter contracts or get university jobs, which include tons of vacation (our professor friends in Korea often fly home for quick visits). But this sounds like planning, and everything could change in these magical six months. So never mind about all that.
Our days here are focused, but we’re logging hours at the beach, as one should, when one is paying $995 a month to be near it. I hope I’m not ruined for Haeundae now. I might be. The sunsets here are the most stunning I’ve seen; every day is like a post card. I have freckles on my nose, despite the cream. It’s hard to believe it’s January.
Some of you have mentioned visiting. You’re invited! We’re weirder now, and our charm muscles are growing lax with disuse, but we’d love to see you and share this beauty with you. The room Joel uses as a studio has an empty swath of carpet that can hold at least three sleeping bags, and if we push the bikes to the corner of the room, we could fit a whole family in there. Come to summer! Come bask in this paradise and sleep in our dream dump. We’ll join you at the beach if we can!
I won’t tell you our address or phone number on here, since I don’t know what weirdos are eavesdropping. I’ll send out an e-mail with that info to the e-mail addresses we have handy. If you don’t get one but you’re someone who knows us personally, don’t feel excluded–just ask someone else who knows us to forward it to you.
Hope you’re all well and happy!
XOXO,
Heather
