Fish Tales

I am sitting here this morning keeping a watchful eye on a matching pair of gray Hon brand steel four-drawer filing cabinets that were orphaned in the alley overnight. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I have a penchant for all things container. And they must also know that the fact that I do not have a hand truck at this moment is not dissimilar from a stoner with a pound of pot but no bong (Yeah, yeah I know the toilet paper roll and apple workarounds. I’m just trying to make a point … Shut up!). Anyway, so these filing cabinets are just sitting there taunting me with copious holding capacity free for the taking. Yet I have no metaphorical shovel with which to uncover the treasure chest. Fate is such a harsh mistress.

Oh man, I could totally use a treasure chest.

Wow. Has it really been weeks since we last posted?

Hmmm… the last few weeks in a nutshell:

1. Eric was hired full time at the company where he has been temping. Let me get a “woot!” for stability and a “woot! woot!” for the benefits package.

2.  I have been studying my tiny, firm behind off in a desperate attempt to keep up with the tremendous amount of material my classes cover. Grades are good. I am preparing to register for next semester which I am looking forward to.

3. We paid $4.39 per gallon of gasoline earlier this week. The prices are as high at $4.50 in some areas of San Diego.

4. I rode a bike for the first time in ten or fifteen years. I rode it all the way to school and back. Take that oil gurus!

5. Eric is a carpooling machine!

6. We discovered the beauty of the local Asian food market. We love you pickled ginger!

7. Someone stole my ONLY bathing suit off our back porch along with a $40 pair of board shorts. Why? Who the fuck knows! Did Eric’s bathing suit disappear as well? No! Lucky bastard.

8. I woke Eric up at 2:30 a.m. a few weeks ago and had him drive me to the emergency room because I thought I was having a heart attack. I wasn’t having a heart attack, just serious indigestion. Oh, good times.

9. We have been checking out the local housing market. And by checking out the local housing market, I mean drooling over houses we can never afford. Apparently, I am supposed to be impressed that a 1,300 square foot home with an ocean view is ONLY going for $995,000 instead of $1.2 million.

10. We acquired a grill thanks to the generosity of our friends. Its a long term loan that won’t go to waste. Oh yeah!

So…

I’m alive. We’re both alive, actually. It’s just that the Fish Bowl has been turned upside down now that school has started. I’ve spent the last three days studying during every waking moment in which I was not seated in a classroom. Literally. I have never study so hard in my life. And this is just the first quiz of many quizzes to come.

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to doing the laundry because, for me, it means I’ll be doing something other than memorizing the 80 bones in the axil skeleton. Hell, maybe I’ll cook a meal instead of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner out of a Wheat Thins box.

After the movers carried the last piece of furniture into our new home on Saturday afternoon, one of them looked around and asked, “Did y’all move the TV by yourselves?” We explained that we did not own a TV. He laughed and then told us that such a thing wasn’t that unusual these days. Why he said this, I don’t know. Was he trying to make us feel better? Should I be distraught over the fact that my house is missing this vital piece of furniture? Should I be ashamed that we fall into the “not so unusual” category? Or relieved?

Either way, I don’t care. Tonight, Eric and I dined on our back stoop so that we could watch the sun set over the ocean as we shoveled delicious, organic food into our mouths. This morning we sat in the same spot sipping coffee and chatting about the future. This afternoon I walked the length of the beach barefoot. Personally, I’d trade a TV for such opportunities any time, any day.

The move went well. The unpacking when smoothly. Give me a few days, maybe a week or two and this place will feel like home. Already, I love it. My door is always open as are my neighbors. The people are friendly. The atmosphere relaxed. Ocean Beach is not just a neighborhood, it’s a state of mind. I am looking foward to embracing it.

Everyone,

I have a problem. It is called Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I’ve been eating them like candy.

Also, I have a pain in my ass. It is called Clueless Leasing Agent. I had to educate him on landlord/tenant law today. Imagine that. Here is how our conversation progressed:

Me: Blah, blah, blah. I want to clear up this misunderstanding.

Him: Well, Aubry, it is written in your leasing agreement blah, blah, blah.

Me: Acutally, sir, I read the lease word for word prior to calling you. That is not written anywhere in the lease.

Him: Oh, but blah, blah, blah.

Me: Acutally, I spent the last hour researching California landlord/tenant law. According to the State of California, a landlord cannot collect rent twice for the same unit. So, we are entitled to a portion of our money back.

Him: Oh.

Folks, this is why it is important to know your rights. It might be a pain in the ass to do a little research or part with $100.00 of your hard earned cash to consult with an attorney for an hour, but in the the long run it will pay off. Most of the time, the people who are telling you you can’t are as clueless as you.

Dear Internet,

It was hot in San Diego this past weekend. A scorching 85 degrees with no humidity. The people of San Diego were devastated. They bitched and moaned like it was the end of the world. As we know it. On Sunday, Eric and I brunched at a pub in Little Italy called the Princess Pub. Yeah, it’s a British pub in the heart of the Italian district. Don’t ask me. I don’t get it either. Anyway, our waitress stepped outside to check on us and commented that it was “hotter than a witch’s tit.” I had no choice but to throw my drink in her face, grab her by the collar with one hand, and smack the shit out of her with the other. “Hot! Fool! This ain’t hot! Hot is Baltimore in August!” That is what I said to her before I released my grip. As she crumpled to the ground crying, I kicked her in the ribs just to get the point across. Oh, Southern California!

Speaking of Southern California, here is the view from the new house:

Yeah, now imagine this photo in a panoramic format. Yup, that’s what I get to look at everyday. Hey, how’s those cornfields?

Love,

Fis(her)

I dropped Eric off at work this morning. I kissed him goodbye and let him get a few paces from the car before I peeled wheels and hauled ass to the beach for a three-mile power run. Then I returned home for a shower, sweatless clothes, and breakfast. In just a few moments, I am going to gather my iPod, head over to the storage unit, and begin moving our things into the garage (or, as Eric insists on calling it, “The Man Cave”) of our new home in Ocean Beach.

I must admit that I am thrilled to spend the final two weeks of my seemingly endless vacation before school starts busying myself with moving. I am actually looking forward to single-handedly hauling heavy boxes around today. It beats the hell out of sitting at home being useless. There is a certain exhilaration that stems from the knowledge that I am free to move about the city at will, even if it means I must labor for most of the day. It takes my mind off the boredom and the anxiousness. It redirects my inner eye so that I don’t spend the next two weeks focused on the failure my life appears to be at the moment. I welcome the distraction, any distraction for that matter.

Moving Countdown: T minus 13 days until its official. Expect photos.

I love yoga for the same reasons everyone loves yoga. It is a great physical and mental workout. It is challenging, energizing, and way cheaper than a fitness center membership.

When I practice yoga at home I spend a lot of time intimately close to the floors of my apartment. And, thanks to yoga, it is there that I can see every crumb, every hair, every piece of dirt that has settled since I last cleaned.

Damn you yoga!

If you have not been able to tell from the marvelously boring posts as of late, not much has been going on in the Fisher household.

Eric goes to work. Eric comes home from work. Eric complains about work. Eric goes to bed.

Aubry watches Eric go to work. Aubry occupies herself during the day. Aubry makes dinner. Aubry goes to bed.

A riveting drama, eh?

But boring is not necessarily a bad thing. It is the calm before the storm. In two months, I will be busier than hell with school, the weather will be more consistent, and the beaches will be calling our names.

I can’t wait.