There and Back Again

"As all things come to an end, even this story, a day came at last when they were in sight of the country where Bilbo had been born and bred, where the shapes of the land and of the trees were as well known to him as his hands and toes."
Chapter 19 of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit

The very same is true of my adventure in San Diego! Well.. at least if you change Bilbo -> Angelica, born and bred -> educated and stressed, and trees ->janky apartment buildings.

It's been a week back in the City of Angeles and things are back to normal...but not the same at all. I'm back in my apartment, but missing one roommate. I'm back at work, but tidying up loose ends before I leave for good. I'm seeing old friends, but with the knowledge that each time I do it could be the last for a long, long time.

Coming back has been a 'trip' if you will, but the actual physical trip was something new too. Heading back to L.A. brought my very first Amtrak experience! Many more poverty induced train rides await me in the future, I'm sure...this one was mostly out of convenience. After boarding with luggage heavier than any woman should have to carry herself, I proceeded upstairs to a rather ratty car that seemed to be the unofficial kiddie corral. I peeked into the neighboring car which was tons nicer and quieter, but figured it must be business class because of the obvious difference...it wasn't. It too, was coach. That'll teach me to ride cautiously...dang.

The trip was spent writing graduation thank-you notes (don't judge me for procrastinating), drinking tea, watching 'Uptown Girls' on my ipod, and taking in the scenery...backwards. I literally watched San Diego fade away into the distance. I spent some time appreciating the convenience of a coastline for the directionally challenged. On the west coast, if the ocean is on my left, I'm going north. Plain and Simple. I was thankful for this, knowing that next time I take a train past the ocean, it will probably be on the east coast, on a different ocean, and I'll have to flip the north/south relationship to right/left.


The view out the window coming into L.A. was not exactly picturesque, but Union Station itself is really quite lovely (part of the golden years look to the city that I really enjoy). It's in the realm of buildings built back when people spent long enough in one place to look around and care about what they saw.

Well, old Hollywood or new memories, my days in this town are very limited. I'm excited for the next phase/mid-country move...emphasis on the country. I'll be glad to do it in a plane, not as classic, but much quicker.