i've been working in seattle for a few weeks as a salesperson. apparently, i'm not bad in sales. i was able to sell italian steamers to guests of the mall who don't even know what a steamer is, leave aside need one. usually i'd sell them two.

but then there was an incident; somebody broke into the apartment i was staying at. i and four of my coworkers were tied up and assaulted by the villain, before he got away with all of the cash. ambulances, police, media, helicopters - it was a mess. we all decided to get away for a week, to catch some sun and absorb good energy.

san diego, california. the nearest place with good weather and nice beaches. i booked a flight for myself and a fellow companion, and off we went. since my camera was compensated by the police (i tried to take some pictures of the bad guy once he left the apartment after i freed myself from the duct tape), i borrowed a new excellent camera from my dear friend Costco. he said i can have it for as long as i want, as long as i bring it back with the receipt when i'm done.

it's all about alcohol, pot and free games - said the local happy-faced san diegan at the bar last night. just like the other locals i've met, this guy in his early 40's seemed to focus his time on relaxing, feeling good and enjoying life. why should we spend our time any differently?, we thought. so our agenda was to make no agenda. just beaches, good food, alcohol and tobbacco.

ofcourse, we had to get around somehow. for a certain fixed price, i could have got either a lousy car from a well known rental agency, 3 camels from the local beduin, about 25 hours of taxi time, or a sexy 2005 convertible mitsubishi eclipse spyder. hmmmm.. tough choice.

obviousliy, with a car like that, we had to keep our high life standards. after all, we didn't want to disappoint the curious eyes that followed us as we stepped in and out of our four-wheel space ship. we enjoyed good meals; either self made in the hotel room, or out at high spirited restaurants and bars.

old town, san diego, is a lovely petite area just north of downtown. colorful markets, good restaurants, vivid green parks. and best of all, lots of parking space. many of the market stands sold handmade artifacts originated in central and south america.

pottery..

lil brown men..

and much more..

we visited an navy aircraft carrier which was converted into a museum. during our stay, we snuck up to a higher view point on the ship's higher restricted levels. apparently those well trained wrinkled up x-navy officers had yet to loose their intrusion radar abilities. we were spotted half way up and accompanied down to safety. i bet half of their heart pacers had been upgraded the following day as we made this low life dull museum into a wild dare devil high risk circus. we would become the talk of the day. hell. the talk of the month!

the east coast may have pretty ocean view sunrises, but they are the Mikey or Abibas of shoes, the Bolce Boyce or Mitsibushi of cars - a lame excuse for a substitute - when you weigh them side by side against the magnificent sunsets of the califonian beach. whether if you're out by the water to lay back, surf, play with your poiz, jump off a cliff, or knit a welcome mat for your nuclear power plant back in russia, you're going to get a taste of divine sensation as you watch the sun take its turn to dip into the water.

play...

absorb...

and grow.

as you may have noticed from my previous posts, i have a thing for screaming. every where i go, i have this need to scream. i scream and i sceam. i scream. for ice cream.

if new york city has central park, balboa park is san diego's playpen. in the size of a town, the park contains golf courses, tennis courts, beautiful old architecture, lily ponds, trees, trees and some more trees. thousands come around to enjoy the greens, play some sport and mingle with the nature. exotic women dance peacefully to the soft tunes of a mexican guitar.

folf, or frisbee golf, aka disc golf, is a real hit in the northern part of balboa park. for whoever is unfamiliar with the game - as i was until yesterday - it is played just as golf is played, but with a frisbee instead of clubs and a ball. from a variety of frisbees with different weights and traits, you can choose the one you would like to play next, just as you would choose a driver, iron or putter in traditional golf. i'd recommend coming to play with a helmet since those 19 holes are distributed with high proximity and most of the disc throwers aren't all that accurate.

so its back to seattle to fill up those bank accounts!! rainy.. cold... dark.... seattle. where you have to work hard to make a living... and there are no nice beaches... and you drive an old, dark, run-down mercury (which doesn't even remember those goddamn radio stations you set it to)... mmmm... oh well. i have some unfinished business here - there is a bad guy to catch. it's time to set things right.