Wanderings

Even though I have lived many places over the years, I feel this is the first destination in which I'm investing most of my time in getting to know the area. I'll be in San Diego long enough to make it worthwhile to spend time making new friends, joining sports teams, and acquainting myself with local areas and things to do. It's a totally different kind of living experience which, as you know, is what I live for. Getting around gets a little tricky without a car, but armed with my bus/trolley/train passes, a strong set of legs, and a steel determination, I have done and seen way more than most San Diegans.

I've gone whale watching, participated in numerous Taco Tuesdays, visited the local farmers market, learned how to make crepes with our Guatemalan friends, gazed at Jupiter and constellations in Balboa Park, cheered Natalie on during her half marathon, attended a local soccer game (Go Sockers!), tasted Carruth Cellars wine and boogied to a jazz band at the infamous Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, met an up and coming boy band (Reverse Order), made my way south to Mexico (Tijuana, Rosarito, Puerto Nuevo) to ride horses on the beach, explored museums in the Gaslamp District and Seaport Village, hosted several dinner parties for various couchsurfing friends, explored the San Diego zoo, checked out the Oceanside Surf Museum and longest pier on the West Coast, joined a soccer team (Go Bingo Bongo Changos!), traversed to the Botanical Gardens and Lux Art Museum in Encinitas, and just generally enjoyed life. I couldn't be more thrilled with all I've done, but there's still so much more.

Sleep Walking

Yesterday, during one of our many gypsy wanderings around San Diego County, Natalie and I stopped at the Lux Art Institute in Encinitas. It's not a gallery or museum, but a studio in which artists come and stay for a residency. The artists' previous works are displayed, but the coolest part is that the artist can be viewed creating a new piece of art and visitors can be witnesses to the combination of genius, inspiration, and hard work that is necessary for creation. Unfortunately the most recent artist, Spaniard Carlos Vega, had just left, but we did get to see his new completed project.

In this particular piece, Vega was inspired by a woman who had a near death experience. She claimed that only after death had stared her in the face, she realized how close to death she had always been. Only after this experience did she feel fully awake and aware of all the world had to offer. In the piece, Vega depicts several people, all sleeping contentedly, wrapped in blankets, safe and protected. This represents the woman before her deathly encounter, as well as the vast majority of earth's inhabitants. So many people benignly coast through life, going through the motions that society deems necessary, never once lifting their eyes high enough to see the horizon, let alone anything that might lie past it.

I honestly don't know how I got to the mindset I'm in, or how I prevented my eyes from glazing over into apathetic acceptance, but I know I didn't need a near death experience to realize how awake I am. The past few weeks have again reiterated exactly how strong my zest for life is, especially compared to those sleeping around me. In the words of a fellow adventurer, Everett Ruess, "I have known too much the depths of life already" and I could never settle for complacency.

This isn't the piece I was describing, but another one done by Vega entitled Don't Tell Me You Can't. It depicts a man being burdened by a donkey wearing a false set of antlers. The antlers are filled with pictures of iconic, successful people. The man is bent over, weighed down by his desire for success, but if he only had the courage to stand up, the donkey would fall off his back and he would be free to pursue his dreams.