First Stop, California

I'm finally getting a breather--a fairly long one--from work and am leaving today for California, to join me hubby. No idea what I'm going to do there, except swim in the hotel pool (it's the outdoor kind, and heated--hooray) and eat a lot of bahn mi and pho in San Jose, which a Vietnamese friend assures me is a really good place for both. Okay, I will reveal a bit of my geekness to admit I've researched where the nearest libraries are and fully intend to luxuriate in all that free English text. That's right people, for two weeks, I will once again be a literate creature, with the capability of reading hand-written menus, the backs of cereal boxes, and Trespassers Will Be Executed signs. It's heady.

Another thing I'm hungrily anticipating is all that unlimited hotel room heating--indoor warmth, I love you.

Persuaded by the dual threat of expiring frequent flyer miles (a family member's, kindly donated to me) and a grandmother who may not see another year--though at the risk of sounding callous, we've been hearing that one for years, interspersed with, "She's going to outlive all of us," which I think is a far more accurate assessment--after California, I'll be flying back to Singapore for another couple of weeks. What a jetsetter I am turning into. Unfortunately, I'm doing this back to back, which means I have to pack two bags: one with my summer vacation clothes and one with winter woollies, as I just checked the weather and it seems sunny old California is colder than Tokyo. And it's going through a... rainy season? Ah well, hopefully I'll find some really good Mexican food to make up for the weather.