The End is Near

My downstairs neighbor moved out on Friday. I was sad to see him go. I was very very sad to see his wireless internet connection go… for months I have had his strong, secured, signal… now I am stuck roaming through the house, laptop in hand trying to figure out where the strongest signal could be located. I was without the internet almost all weekend, and I am beginning to wonder what exactly I did prior to having my laptop…

I fully realize I could pay for my own internet connection, like a good upstanding citizen would, but at this point I feel like it will be more of a sunk cost. It is official. I will be returning to Portland May 1st. Now that I have given my roommate notice and told my friends and family this is truly occurring, I am now in the in between place of finding those "frivolous" things such as "a job" and "a place to live". I have no fear that these things shall indeed be accomplished… as they must be…

It has really been hitting me that I won’t be here much longer… I have begun to think of all of the things that I will miss… I know I will miss people too, but thanks to the power of the www and digital cameras, I won’t feel so far away. It’s the Coffee Nazi in the morning that I will miss… seeing the ocean and the beach every day… the sun. I have a feeling that for the rest of my life I will refer to my time when I lived in the Penthouse in Laguna Beach. I will miss that this summer… and every time it rains in Oregon, I fear.

So I have been attempting to do what I can to appreciate the time I have left. I went hiking up the hill behind my house yesterday. I went to the beach to read yesterday afternoon (oh that’s what I did prior to the www) I took some pics (because I need more of the ocean?) and of the cutest little boy. I am just really trying to savor every moment I have. However, I was reminded yesterday of one thing I won’t miss. Tourists.

While sitting on my blanket this loud, rude and morbidly obese family came down and set up camp right next to me. I am not too accustomed to seeing tourists at my beach. Although not private, there is no public parking available, and it isn’t pointed out with any signs. For the most part, even in the height of summer, generally I don’t see anyone down there but the families that live nearby.

As they shouted at one another, yelled at their children and were just horrible, another family member came down to join them wearing a t-shirt that said “I’m Shy, but I have a big cock”. Had he had a tattoo across his forehead reading “White Trash” it couldn’t have been clearer. After yelling for a few minutes at one another, I gathered my things and moved my blanket about twenty feet away.

This family proceeded to yell at one another so much, and so loudly, that the half a dozen families that were on the beach sat and stood staring at the Klumps. Even the kids gawked, this was a spectacle that we don’t often see. It took everything I had to not ask them to please tone it down. When your child is standing ten feet from you, and you are screaming any words pouring forth from your mouth… including “HOW COME YOU AREN’T HEARING ME?!?!” I just would like to point out that everyone down the length of the beach can hear you… it is your poor parenting skills that have caused your child to drown out your incessant howling and no longer listen to you. I returned home (as most of the families on the beach did) shortly thereafter.

Throughout the remainder of the day I worked on a mental list of the places that I haven’t yet been to while here. I still really want to see Joshua Tree National Park… I also have a new motivation for going running on the beach every day… how much longer, and when again, will I be blessed with that opportunity? Not unlike my now lost internet connection… how we take for granted those things we become accustomed to…