Coming up for air

WE'RE BACK- not because the renovation is over or we finally have some time to breathe. (Don't be silly!) No, we're back because it has been two weeks since the last entry, and if I don't write something now, this black hole may just swallow us up completely.

Looking back at my last entry, I pity my 2-week-ago self who, with charming naivete, actually believed that the computerless haitus would only last a few days. Instead, one debacle has followed the next, each week our contractor Wally assuring us our kitchen would be functional by the weekend, and each weekend passing without this actually happening. So, here is a glimpse of our lives at this moment: picture a dust bomb, the new hard wood floors covered in paper, all of our belongings strewn out randomly in boxes and teetering piles, the kitchen half-finished with the refrigerator bulging out of its nook (the drywall, that I had woken up early one morning to paint, torn out because - surprise! - the nook was built too small to house the fridge), all of the bedroom furniture pushed into the center of the room since last Sunday in preparation for Monday's installation of the trim that hasn't yet happened, the office (finally finished) now serving as the werehouse for all things we hold dear (protection against the workers, who believe that any horizontal surface - whether clean or beautiful or labeled fragile - is a suitable table for greasy old pipes or anything else they wish to set down.)

Despite the continued chaos and clown circus back at the homestead, life has pushed forward. We've managed to continue to enjoy this amazing city despite a few lost opportunities due to home improvement. This entry will be too bloated if I try to cram in everything I want to share with you, so I'll forecast the entries to come: Soon, I will tell you about the night that Jess and I decided to take a dinghy with a massive air and water leak to the Pink Martini Concert at Humphrey's (which is on the bay). I'll also write about how we went on a 32-foot sail boat and watched the Red Bull Air Races with Jess and her friend, an ex Naval Pilot. I'll show you pictures of the daredevil aerial pilots who weaved their planes deftly through pilon obstacles, coming within 10 feet of the water. Hopefully, I'll also find time to tell you about the rain shower (a small miracle, since it was San Diego's first since April 22) and about the strange way that autumn has heralded its arrival in this place famed for everlasting springtime. And, if I can stomach it, I'll tell you more details our extreme home make-over.

(There are some things that I won't be able to tell you about, though. Because of our roles in this renovation (painting, moving, cleaning), we also missed some amazing things - a huge beer-tasting festival that we completely underestimated from our friend's description (which ironically occurred on the same day as our favorite Brewgrass Festival in Asheville, which we nearly flew home to attend), the Old Town Art Festival, and Street Scene, a huge outdoor music festival where Spoon, one of our favorite bands, played. Hopefully we'll be able to tell you about these things next year.)