summer

Every few months or so, I get this feeling, or this urge to leave Southern California. Not leave permanently, but just take a break or a quick trip. I am not unique here; most people who are not from Southern California get a similar feeling too. It's an urge that SoCal natives really don't understand or experience. But what's really interesting is that even though I get the urge to take a break every few months, I'm always ready to come back. You might even say that if I'm gone too long, I miss California. Just a little bit.

I've been back now for 2 weeks, and even though I haven't been to the beach yet, I'm settling back into my daily routines. And let me just say that I am really enjoying the weather. There is no humidity, the temperatures are in the 70s, and it's always sunny. I loved the thunderstorms in Beijing, but I would gladly sacrifice those for no humidity. I haven't eaten any Chinese food yet, but oh how I have missed Mexican food. And pizza.

For now, it's been a quiet August. I'm working on my dissertation prospectus and a paper. I'm resuming yoga and running. I'm reading voraciously. I'm finishing up a baby blanket (and then I'll start another), and I'm going to channel Martha Stewart and try my hand at canning. Drew and I will be in D.C. for a political science conference, and then we'll swing down to southwestern Virginia to see his family. So the summer traveling is not over yet.