Wow, it’s been a crazy few days! I’ll try to remember everything, but I make no promises.
Well, the day before yesterday, Jonny and I spent a few hours at the zoo. Am I really a zoo person? No. However, it’s the San Diego Zoo; it’s a big deal, and an experience I couldn’t get anywhere else, so I went–and it was a great time. Grandma Lois drove Jonny and I there around 10, and got a picture of the two of us in front of the entrance.
Jonny wasn’t horribly inclined to get a picture taken, but I was, and he was a good sport about it. =)
I ate a bit as we walked, intending to see all the big cats, because come on! Sure, with one swipe of a paw, they could pretty much tear your face off and they’re large killing predators by nature, but KITTY! A kitty that looks like it’d be really soft and comfy to cuddel with, provided it wasn’t trying to maul you to death. How could we pass up a chance to squeal like loons over them? Tigers and panthers and mountain lions…oh, my! I’m very happy at the prospect that, in heaven, I’ll get to pet them and play with them.
We saw tons of animals, which is fitting and not surprising, since it’s a zoo. It’s hard for me to remember all of them, especially since some of them were animals I hadn’t really heard of before (seriously, how many people have heard of a tapir?). But we did see the polar bears, and an alligator (or was it a crocodile?), and a turtle. Jonny’s favorite exhibit is probably the elephants, because it’s very large and well-planned, and he thinks that capybaras are really cute. I think they’re the ones that look like large beavers, and they are sorta adorable. Of course, Jonny and I have somewhat differing ideas of what “cute” means; he believes large snakes qualify, while I think they are somewhat unnerving and definitely impressive. I’m willing to concede that far smaller, more colorful snakes do look somewhat cute, like they’re smiling almost, and now Jonny’s intending to one day get a snake and name it something atrocious (his word, not mine, though I agree), like El Diablo. ~facepalm~ Oh, well.
Because, yes, I did go into the Reptile House. I wasn’t intending to, but I figured, why not? And some of the snakes weren’t actually that scary.
We did see giraffes, zebras, and kangaroos, now that I think about it, and reindeer. That one was a bit of a surprise. There were also various monkeys and birds.
Sadly, I only got two other pictures from the zoo, one of which was for Tugboat. I just didn’t think about it while walking around. Partly because I was concerned with finding shade, drinking water, and not burning to death because of the flaming fiery death orb in the sky, usually called the sun. The zoo was surprisingly shady, but anyone who knows me (I think) knows that I don’t hold up well in heat and sunshine.
I got a picture of the turtle I saw for Poppa. I hope it wasn’t in the tank for the alligator’s (crocodile’s?) food. Poor turtle. Live long, little dude.
And the polar bear picture was for Tugboat, because the man has a thing for what he considers to be dogs, but are really small bears. Okay, really, they are dogs, they’re just huge. Jonny and I like to tease him about this, so both of us ended up taking pictures of the polar bear, knowing Tugboat would probably be very happy to see one. Tugboat’s response when I posted the picture on Facebook was, indeed, enthusiastic, which made me happy. Tugboat is a great dude.
Grandma Lois picked us up around 1-1:30, and when we got back to the house, Jonny and I both decided it’d be a good idea to take a nap (I think), so Jonny went out to the trailer. We got up in time to head over to the Hills’ (Steve Hill is Michelle’s cousin) for dinner. They live somewhere on the other side of town, they have a pet hedgehog named Nigel, and they’re a family with two daughters, one of which is a year or two older than me, and the other, a year or two younger. Very nice people, though I’m still hazy on names (which is not due to them–I just struggle with names in general, and I haven’t found a good way to remember them all yet). Dinner was pizza, and it was tasty, except there were more mushrooms on my slice than I realized, and afterward, we all went out back to the fire pit and talked for a long time. One of the things I really like about everyone here is that conversations are always interesting, or usually interesting, about things like philosophy, ethics, and politics.
That’s the view from their living room. I spent a good several minutes just staring out at it. Can you imagine just being able to see that from your house? All those lights, all those people that must be there? What possibilities, discoveries, and adventures? It’s all such a mystery, and it’s fascinating–not to mention pretty.
Eventually, Michelle, Jonny, and I left to go to the airport to pick up Ben, who could be spotted from a few yards away with a car between us, because the guy is, like 6′ 6″ or 6′ 8″. He’s also very much Jonny’s brother, which so far has always taken me by surprise when I see him–not because I forget they’re brothers, but because I’m not used to seeing brothers very much. I mean, I see my Dad and Poppa, but I guess I’m used to them (and Poppa always seems more like Selby, while Dad might seem more like Mike). But Jonny and Ben are brothers. They’re like complete opposites who are exactly the same; as Ben later put it, they’re both gingerbread houses, but they’re decorated as opposites. Ben is tall, energetic, prefers lighter colors, and can quite possibly talk even more than Jonny. He barely stopped talking from the moment we picked him up to the moment we got out of the car back at the house, and I started to wonder how much he ever took a breath. But, seriously, the dude is great and I decided I liked him about right away. True to what I’d been told, one of the first things he started talking about was Abigail, his girlfriend, and it’s totally obvious that he loves her and she makes him happy, and I completely ship them. One of the other first things he said, turning around to face me, was that he’d only been in the car for, like, three seconds, and already he can tell that Jonny and I are perfect for each other. Something about me essentially being his female counterpart, except not quite, but counterpart certainly, and something about chaos. I got a good laugh over it, appreciating the sentiment, and finding it an interesting point of view. I’d never really considered myself the counterpart to Jonny–we’re certainly similar in many respects, which is partly how we get along so well, but “Jonny with different anatomy” was never how I’d think about myself. Still isn’t, but hey, it just goes to show we understand each other well. Ben also, later, told me that he’s never really known me, just heard about me from Jonny, and now is realizing that I could be his sister one day, that he’s never had a sister, and it’s cool. And I had to smile, because it was occurring to me that Ben could totally be like a brother, so I agreed. I asked if I could meet Abigail, wondering to myself if that was okay to ask of a near stranger, and he said that yes, absolutely, he hoped I’d get to meet her.
Yeah, he’s cool. I love the guy. Seriously, I like everyone here. Do I always know how to talk to them or what to say? No. I even have that problem with people I’ve known for years, though. It’s nothing about them. I like them, I just don’t always know how to have a conversation with them. So, yeah, I like everyone here, and I hope they know that.
Yesterday was Christmas 2.0, which initially took me by surprise. I didn’t know we’d be doing Christmas-y things during this trip, really, so I hadn’t gotten anything for anyone, but I was assured I didn’t have to. So, what ended up being a surprise was that people got me stuff. Again, since I’m still not really known by them, and they probably picked stuff out, for all I know, before they met me (hence, still a complete stranger), I wasn’t expecting it. I mean, this is a family thing, right? So, now I really feel like they like me and want me around, which is a really, really nice feeling.
Big hugs! ~beams~
I got some art supplies, which was really nice, and a poetry book, along with some candy. I also got a hat (!), and, as you know, I like those. I do think it’s fair to say, though, that my favorite gifts were from Jonny, since he’s my boyfriend.
Am I one for cat ears? No. But it’s really comfy, and Jonny got it for me, so I’ll wear it happily. Plus, it’s the right color, and check out the decorations! There’s a little heart, and some chains, and a skull and crossbones, and safety pins! I’ve been wanting to get some safety pins (or find them somewhere…) for a while. They’re an anti-fascist symbol. Also, come to think of it, he sometimes calls me “kitten”, so I guess the cat ears are fitting. And how am I ever going to pass up cool skull earrings? Yeah, Jonny did good. I never doubted him, even for a second. Like I said, he gets me pretty well. For him, I’ll wear cat ears. Who knows, maybe they’ll grow on me; I hope so.
Jonny, Ben, and I watched cartoons upstairs for a while afterwards, and Lucas popped in and out. One thing I’m glad I’m learning is that cartoons really aren’t bad; I mean, some of them probably suck, but I got into the mindset that they’re just for kids. And then you watch something like The Amazing World of Gumball (or whatever the heck it’s called) and it deals with parenting and censorship, as well as related topics, and the paradox of the future (if you know what’s coming, can you change it or is it set in stone, so that any action you take to prevent it will result in that future happening?), and you realize that it’s actually pretty adult. It may not look like it on the surface, but some cartoons actually deal with lots of ethical and philosophical concepts.
At a little before 2, Jonny left to go meet some dudes he’s talked to through TV Tropes at Balboa Park, and Ben told him that he was going to go shopping, and I was going with him. I agreed, despite not remembering actually being in on any such plan (it may have happened the evening before, when I was, like, half asleep, for all I know), and he quickly added that I could go if I wanted, but I could help him pick out something for Abigail. I was totally cool with it, so we left, and walked down to the shops. Humorously enough, one of the shopkeepers asked about us, and we had to clarify that I’m dating his brother and was just helping him pick out something for his own girlfriend. He ended up finding a messenger bag for himself that I don’t know if he’ll get, and a grey knit beanie that he went back and got this morning for her. He thinks she’ll like it, but he’s hoping she’ll actually wear it–I guess she’s not flashy–but I think she will. I mean, I don’t know her, but speaking for myself, I’m wearing the hat with the cat ears. We do things for the people we love.
I myself picked up the pins and the scarf. Here they are:
Told you they were awesome. Or, well, I think I did–it doesn’t seem like me to forget something like that. Looking at them, it’s obvious, at least in my opinion. Now, I just gotta find a good place to put the buttons until I can get them on my sun visor….
After that, we walked back, and it was naptime, at least for me. I’d actually been up really late the night before, even for me (oh, Google….and writing…..), so I really needed it, especially if I was going to be with a lot of people later. I rested for a while, not sleeping, and then I think I did actually sleep (that moment when you wake up and you realize the weird things happening to you were a dream, not reality….). And then I pretended to sleep because I was comfy, and, shortly before dinner, let Jonny believe he woke me up by knocking on my door.
Dinner was good, and eventually, Jonny, Michelle, Mike, and I sat out on the front porch and talked; Ben joined us a little, and then went off to text Abigail (shipping!). Seriously, talking with these people is so much fun. They talk about ideas. Mike ended up trying to convince Jonny to turn one of the games he’s writing into a novel, something I support wholeheartedly.
This afternoon, some of us (not sure exactly who) are going to go see Moana. I think. Yeah, until people come over tonight for New Year’s, I’m not actually sure what the plan is. I do know I need to fill out some stuff, like the FAFSA, though I’m wondering if it’ll be easier to do once I’m home and can talk to my parents directly about taxes and stuff instead of trying to do a video call or whatever. I’d probably get less money if I waited, but it might be better that way. Not sure yet, but I’ll figure it out.
Gosh, tomorrow, I’ll be in Seattle, won’t I? Weird. I’m excited, though, because as much as I’ve enjoyed San Diego and I’m going to miss everyone here, I really like Seattle.
Trial By Refiner's Fire 