Low Rider - War

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Los Angeles - June 3, 2007

Back home in the USA, or a previous home anyway.  I lived in this wacky town for nearly five years a while back so I suppose it's fitting I include it on this world tour of mine.  This stop also officially let's me say I 'visited' the six main continents but let's be honest, I didn't do a single touristy thing.  Not a thing.  What started as a relaxing slow down in Australia became a full brake pit stop here in LA.  It was all about taking it slow and doing nothing.  To steal Paul B's travel Modus Operandi and the greatest work movie ever made, 'It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care'.

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Don't care about missing the tourist sights I mean of course.  What I do care about, what I absolutely did want to do, was to catch up with old friends and make up for lost time with that incredibly wonderful (and patient) girlfriend of mine.  I met Nicole at the airport a few hours after I got in from Oz and I'm so happy she flew out to meet me.  I missed her so much, I'm afraid to put amounts on it here on a public site.  She has supported me through all my selfishness with this trip in a way I don't think most people would understand.  Having her always there for me, be it to write to, call, or just knowing she was waiting for me got me through some really lonely days.  Seeing her again has been a highlight of the trip.  Okay, I'm getting too mushy now but it needed to be clearly stated in this journal and there's no better place.  Besides, I need the brownie points.

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So Nicole and I did some nice drives, including a great dinner with Kimmy and Max.  Thanks for the Longboard chow guys!  Next one's on me.  It was great to see them both again.  Unfortunately I forgot the camera that day so no pics of the Huntington Beach compadres or the drive up PCH in the OC on the QT.  Dont ya just hate acronyms?  Anyway, I actually forgot the camera almost every day.  Did I say it wasn't laziness?  Well, maybe a little lazy.  I did remember it the day up to Hollywood though.  Nicole graciously avoided the Rodeo drive shopping trip thank goodness.  Otherwise I'd be ending the trip today.  She also got my watch replaced by REI.  Amazing shopping skills that girl.  So after 4.5 months apart we had 8 days together.  Not nealy enough, but I thank God for it.

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To end the LA experience I went back to my Couchsurfing methods (that fancy hotel stuff was making me soft) but did so this time with someone that wasn't a stranger.  Old friend Bob S was the host and I got to share the floor with three other ex-IRIers, Paul B, John M and Michelle C.  Throw in Kevin T (I'm really not protecting their identitities even though I forgot to take pictures that night too.  I just dont feel like writing last names) and you have a full on former co-worker beer and laugh extravaganza.  Six hours of old stories and Bass Ale.  We were laughing so much we forgot to actually leave the apartment to go out.  We're all too dang old (and cool) for the LA bars these days anyway.  It was a blast meeting up with everyone again and I really hope we can do so again soon.  Maybe Halloween (yes, an inside joke).

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So, that's LA.  A lovely lady, old friends and not a tourist trap in sight.  Pit stop completed.  I think I'm ready for the final leg of this shin-dig, a month in South America.  Bring on the Incas!

Thanks to Nicole and all,

Love - Bill

PS - Well, the cheap, little laptop I brought with me on the trip finally crapped out.  It went through deserts, snow, monsoons, 15 flights and over 10 countries so I guess I can't complain too much.  Unfortunately (or not for some of you and maybe even me) that means the posts will be far slower getting posted with a lot fewer (and cleaner) pictures getting uploaded.  But hey, 5 outta 6 months aint bad.