Greetings from Orange County

It's the last night of the first leg of this little journey I'm taking.
I'm glad this was the first leg of my trip. My tussle with jet lag and attempt to reset my body clock really needed to happen somewhere relaxed, and I'll tell you, there's nowhere more relaxed than Southern California.

I've been staying with my great-aunt and my second cousins have been visiting too and really we've been up to a whole lot of not much. Out for lunch a few times, a spot of shopping (new jeans! New boots!) and a visit this morning at my request to ihop (that is the international house of pancakes for those of you not in the know) for an item on the menu that they call Rooty Tooty Fresh n'Fruity. This is bacon, eggs, sausages on one plate and pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream on another plate. That's one of the things I love about America. I mean that menu item specifically but also the idea that you don't need to decide between savoury and sweet in the morning, just go both. It's like making breakfast a two course meal. Genius!

I thought perhaps the novelty of being in the U.S. would be diminished since I lived here for a whole year but I'm still finding myself in conniptions at the sound of all the accents, the glossiness of all the food and the way they graphically explain the side effects of every drug they advertise on tv. I found out some things about Cymbalta I didn't even know about and I'm taking it! Did you know it can be used to treat chronic pain but can also cause increased sweating? Wow and ew!

I love seeing all my extended family but I feel a little out of synch here in SoCal. I'm a pasty-white, non-driving urbanite who only wears sweat pants to the gym. And I am perpetually lost as all the streets are long, straight, 6 lane highways and all the buildings are low-rise beige or terracotta stucco structures circa 1970. I can't find a landmark to take my bearings from.

So tomorrow I once again say goodbye to my extended family and make my way to Indianapolis via Denver where waiting for me is my dear dear friend. I can't wait!