Staycation

Hello There My Babies,

As you know, I am visiting my dad and grandparents. It's been very peaceful and relaxing so far, with a lot of food involved. Last night my grandpa invited us out to a nice restaurant called The Cliff House here in Mendocino. Beautiful view, and we had pasta with calamari. Delish.

This morning my dad treated us to the Chinese Buffet. We are in a small town, and this is one of the few Chinese restaurants around. Basically it was in an old Burger King, and it reminded me of the Chinese restaurants back in the eighties with no upgrades in the restaurant whatsoever. But the food was okay, and I ate a lot.

One of my favorite things to do here is frequent the bookstore by the headlands called the Gallery Bookshop. I know the books are a little on the expensive side, but I don't mind, because it's a cozy bookstore and the staff are friendly and will offer their recommendations if asked or just write their recommendations and post them in front of the books.

A couple of months ago, I bought a couple of other books. One of them was called The Devils, The Lovers and Me by Kimberlee Auerbach. Basically a woman in her thirties got a tarot card reading to seek out answers. I really liked the book and felt like I could relate to the author. She didn't get the answers she was looking for, but things worked out. Many people don't believe in it, but I am still undecided. I think that there is some truth to it, but that the truth is hard to find. You have to work for it.

This time in the bookstore I bought: In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I was going to see it in theaters, but I decided I will give the book a try first.

I spent a fair amount of time in the travel section of the book store. I don't really believe in the travel guides. Most of the recommended places are too expensive, and I find that some of them are out of touch with the customs of the country. I read a fair amount of books and websites online before I lived in Barcelona. But actually meeting people in Barcelona was different. A lot of the way people live over there, I had to see for myself and experience it first hand. Plus, given the economy, how do you even know that restaurant you read about is still in business ? Speaking of which, I was saddened to read that the school I attended to get my TEFL certificate just closed up shop in Barcelona this past spring.

While I don't believe in travel guides, I go believe in reading about the adventures of others. Everyone who travels has their own unique experiences. It's interesting to read about them. While I read these books, I wonder why I never wrote a book about my travels. I blogged about it, which you can fine in my archives from 2004-2005. But then again, I wrote a lot about my hard times and struggles. Actually, I held a lot back, as I had a couple of sticky situations I got into. Now I remember why I didn't write a book, I spent a lot of time crying and writing about my homesickness. Who wants to read about a negative nancy? But the interesting thing, is now after almost 5 years of being back here, I don't really remember the bad. What stands out is the fun I had and the things I did and saw. Because not only did I learn a lot, but I did have a lot of fun as well. Not a day goes by that I don't think about my year abroad.

As far as other books I have been reading, I have been slowly reading The Alchemist along with The Sociopath Next Door. I find both very interesting and I have a lot to say about those books. Especially The Sociopath Next Door. The book makes you think, and it makes you question not only the people around you, but yourself as well.

We'll be heading back home tomorrow since I have to work.

Ciao for now........