2001-12-03 - 6:33 p.m.

The California Chronicles -- Day Two in San Diego and Implements of Torture

Welcome to part two of the California Chronicles.

For easy navigation, here are all the chronicles:

• The California Chronicles Begin -- San Diego, casinos, and BarkingMan
• The California Chronicles -- Day Two in San Diego and Implements of Torture
• The California Chronicles -- Two Theme Parks in Two Days
• The California Chronicles -- Oh What a Night
• The California Chronicles -- Coastal Highway, Winchester House, Alcatraz
• The California Chronicles Ends -- A Rainy, Rainy Day in the City By the Bay

Sunday morning we hooked up with eRoomate's sister (let's just call her SD), and her hubby (the aforementioned MD). They were kind enough to play tour guide. We did hang out for a bit first, watching football, and the Gravity Games ("Dude, he just pulled a triple inverted front-side nosegrind with a reverse can-can. Awesome." It's amazing the lingo that grows up around sports, aint it?)

Here's a direct excerpt from my dead tree journal.

Coronado Beach. It's trying to decide if it wants to cloud over completely. The wind is coming in from off the ocean and the breakers are rolling in. It's too cold to be out there in shorts and a T-shirt, but I am undeterred. Three seagulls are standing between us and the surf, amidst piles of stinking seaweed. I'm contemplating dipping my toes in the surf, just to say I did it. MD is offering to take us to the PB (I have no idea what it stands for) to see the head shops and hippies, or maybe over to Hillcrest to see Gay Mart.

Life is good.

I'm reminded of when I was five-ish or so, and we saw the sea for the first time in my life. We were in Main, I think. Fully dressed, I pulled off my shoes and socks and waded into the surf, my pant legs rolled up to avoid getting wet. I'd promised Mom I wouldn't get wet. Staring down at the moving water between my feet, I had a bout of vertigo, lost my balance, and fell over. Fully dressed.

Mom was so pissed.

Later that day we went into Balboa Park, which is this beautiful area of parks, and museums, and really cool looking buildings. We went into the Museum of Man, where they had an exhibit on torture devices. Ummm...sobering to say the least. It was only one room, but that was *more* than enough. I am almost ashamed to admit that I was familiar with most of the devices, and their use. (Thumbscrews, a replica of the Iron Maiden on Nuremburg, the rack, etc.) There were also some things that I'd heard of but not fully understood (like the wheel, and the water torture), and then some things that I'd never dreamed of, and now wish I hadn't heard of.

All of it really adds up to one thing, though. People suck. Humans are amazingly innovative at finding new and more effective ways to be inhumane to other humans. I don't suppose I need to expand on that thought.

One more thing, though. I was saddened. I was shocked. I was literally sick to my stomach. But at the same time I was fascinated. I'm not sure what to think about that fact.

Anyway, that night was just us eating T-Giving leftovers, and hanging out. eRoommate and I hopped on the internet and did some more planning for the rest of the trip. We sat in the hot tub. It was a good time.

The following day we slept in a bit, chatted, and just took it easy. Around noon or so we did the drive up to LA. It took us much less time than we expected it would. We arrived at our hotel in Anaheim (right, and I mean *right* across the street from Disneyland) around 3-ish. We had a lovely McDonalds meal and a nap.

That night, we went to the House of Blues and tried to recreate our Vegas experience. We each had a hurricane, and an Elwood (blackened chicken sandwich). Both were as good as I remembered. Then we sat and drank beer for a good long while.

We wandered over to the ESPN Sports Zone, played some incredibly over-priced video games. eRoommate and I both became addicted to this fishing game they had.

Then back to the House of Blues for some more beer and the Cirque de Soleil Acrobat Show. It turned out to be two guys who did some really cool tricks, but had to do them in tight yellow pleather pants (sponsored by Bacardi Limon). They looked pretty bored.

The next day was Disneyland, but that's in the next chronicle.