Santa Monica
6 Jan 2012
Over Thanksgiving weekend, as I was scrambling to revise my dissertation, something unthinkable happened. Our campus email went completely kaput. I suppose it was not entirely unthinkable, since the system had been experiencing some serious hiccups over the course of the semester, but I never could have anticipated the message on our homepage Wednesday afternoon: Calmail will be down until Monday morning. No logging in. No accessing your files. I think many of us felt simultaneously terrified and thrilled: oh, how behind we would get! Oh…how behind we could get! All of my revision notes and emails from the committee were locked away in my email (for the record, steps have been taken to make sure such a thing never happens again), so what could I do? Nothing! I considered it an act of God. A good one. So, what did I do? I went to the beach with my husband!
The weather was insanely gorgeous: sunny, clear, and 75. Sometimes, when you are given a gift, you just have to run with it!
When we arrived, we headed down to the pier, which was predictably crowded, but nonetheless fun to explore. The pier is technically the end of Route 66, which holds a special place in my heart, as does its modern-day cousin, I-40. Oh, I-40, how much time have I spent on you?
The Ferris Wheel looked so lovely against the bright blue sky. We didn’t go for a ride, but admired it all the same.
As were strolling around the pier, Eric noticed this little star painted on the floorboards. So sweet. There is probably only one person in the world who remembers that, for a very brief time in high school, my nickname was Little Star, and that this is a fact of which I was proud. (Besfrinn, I hope you are smiling) 🙂
Since I lived in the Bay area for seven years, I have an unshakable habit of bringing a sweater with me everywhere I go. On this beautiful day, however, I wished I’d worn shorts! For the past few years, we’ve spent Thanksgiving at Sea Ranch with my family, so this is quite a change in wardrobe! But at least I was still at the ocean, even if my family couldn’t be there.
There were even a few brave souls in the water. I will be joining you, say, in July!
I took this shot as we were leaving the pier. I like the happy hustle and bustle. And that pigeon so bravely standing in the middle of the pathway. Perhaps he likes steel drums.
We had just as much fun exploring the city of Santa Monica, and we stopped for lunch at the tiny little Interim Cafe, where I had, hands down, the best veggie burger of my life. I’ve had plenty of doozies in my vegetarian days, but never one so succulent and flavorful as this one. Highly recommended!
When we’d worn our legs out, we headed back to our car, passing this enormous Christmas tree along the way. It was a perfect festive day, full of relaxation. Calmail, thank you for the early Christmas present!

Jan 07, 2012 @ 14:14:58
I love love LOOOOVE all these gorgeous pictures and I am insanely, crazily jealous of how beautiful California is. As much as I love the south (most of the time), I seriously wish I could be in California for stuff like this! And by the way, I love your blog and the academic satire book reviews – I’ll be your newest follower as soon as GFC doesn’t come up with some lame apology about how they are having issues and I should try again later (apparently computer problems abound). Anyways, very excited you found me so I could find your blog and another crafty lady struggling with the academic world! : )
-Mel the Crafty Scientist
Jan 07, 2012 @ 14:25:17
Thank you so much! I am so glad I found you too! I am in the humanities, but my husband is in the sciences, so I can definitely relate! I am actually from the South (born and raised!), so, as pretty as California is, the South holds a special place in my heart, and I’m thrilled every time I get to come back!
Jan 07, 2012 @ 16:35:17
My first thought was: OMG, there was no traffic on the 405/10! My next thought was: OMG, I love Mel too! I live in the south bay & am doing an MD-PhD at UCLA = I’ve been in grad school for ever. Where are you with the dissertation now? Good luck!
Jan 07, 2012 @ 17:21:15
Thank you so much! Yes, it was an amazingly easy trip on a Saturday morning–maybe everyone else was still asleep! I was in an MA/PhD program at Berkeley for…ever, and I just filed my dissertation in December! Hang in there! 🙂
Manhattan Beach | Krug the Thinker
Feb 28, 2012 @ 05:02:27
[…] pier at Manhattan Beach is so different from the one at Santa Monica. Much calmer and quieter, definitely less touristy. And, in direct violation of that aesthetic, […]
Apr 06, 2013 @ 11:03:48
Is that place on a corner of the street? If so, I may have gone to it in one of its previous lives.
The best veggieburger? I’ve gotta remember to ck it out next time I’m out there! They seem to have several veggie sandwiches to choose from.
Apr 07, 2013 @ 22:26:26
I think it was actually in the middle of the block, sort of in front of an office building on Wilshire? But there are so many good veggie burgers! My dad got me hooked on the one they have at The Counter–delectable! I am sure I still have much more exploring to do in this regard:)