As Kenny Chesney said, "I went out last night."

. . . which explains why I haven't posted in a while.

My friend and roommate JoAn, her daughter Randi, and I went out for drinks and dinner Thursday night at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion. Seating was limited and we had to sit at the bar. Many hours later, we closed the place down and had sampled most of the beverages on the drink menu. Randi had to return her rented bike so, at midnight, I rode on her handlebars back to the rental location. We then went with our new San Diego friend to another watering hole. Needless to say, it was a late night and I took a few naps yesterday.

Arne Duncan & Rockin' Baja

After our morning caucus (7 -9 a.m. & I worked out first-feel free to leave comments about my dedication), the NEA had a town hall meeting with Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. According to estimates, about 5000 teachers attending the conference were in attendance. Duncan spoke well and listened to those in attendance as much as he spoke.

In a little over an hour, author of Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson will be speaking at the conference and I will be going to hear him speak. I greatly appreciated that book and have recommended it to many. Since I had just a little time to eat, I walked down the road from the convention center to Rockin' Baja Costal Cantina. I am enjoying a mango margarita as well as the salsa buffet al fresco and have some dirty tacos on the way. The music here is fabulous and reminds me of family campout-a mixture of Johnny Cash & Tone Loc. It is a gorgeous day in San Diego and I may spend the remainder of the day at the hotel pool (very upscale) or at the nearby park. Or I may spend it at this table researching how many mango margaritas I can drink.

Surfin' Safari

Like my dad, I have a habit of getting sick when traveling. This trip is no different. On the flight out yesterday, I felt a cold coming on. By last night, it had fully manifested and I was all stuffed up. We also had an extra gal in our room last night who I had to share my bed with. We didn't go to bed until after 1 a.m. and I did not sleep well. When 5. a.m. rolled around, I couldn't fall asleep anymore. I got up, showered, and headed to the local CVS. Without thinking, I threw on a pair of regular shoes with no socks and had busted open blisters (or blizzards, as my nephew says) by the time I got to CVS. So along with the Dayquil and Excedrin, I got some Band-Aids. After a great breakfast at Buster's Beach House, I was ready for the day. And the event of the day? Surfing!

With my friend's daughter, it was time to surf at Pacific Beach. We took lessons from Pacific Beach Surf School. I cannot speak highly enough of this establishment. The instructors and other employees were extremely helpful and friendly. The owner, Randy, was kind enough to match a competitors coupon and thus our lessons were half price. If you are ever in the San Diego area and want to surf, rent a bike, rent a chair, or anything else, go to the Pacific Beach Surf School.

As for the surfing, it was EXHAUSTING! I knew it would be difficult especially with challenges related to all forms of coordination. I did not expect, however, that it would be so physically exhausting. Getting the board out to the area of the water of appropriate depth while getting pounded by the waves. It turns out that carrying a giant foam board against a current repeatedly for an hour and a half takes a fair amount of energy.

So, am I a surfer now? Hell no. I do feel like after a few more lessons in the future, I can get a better handle on it. On my second to last try though, I was able to get up, stay balanced, and ride the wave into the sand. Success!

I didn't have time to blog last night so . . .

Yesterday after arriving, I took a cab to our hotel, the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Grand it is. It is a very nice hotel and directly on the harbor. After checking in, I went to the local Seaport Village and enjoyed a fish taco and a margarita. I then did a little walking around and decided to take the ferry across the harbor to the peninsula of Coronado. My mission was to try on a pair of Five Finger shoes that are stocked at Island Birkenstock. These shoes are somewhat difficult to find and I've heard great things about them. These shoes look goofy but are supposed to be extremely comfortable. After trying them on, I decided they looked too much like swim socks to spend $75 on them. The walk around the peninsula and it's beaches was nice and by the end of the day, I walked three hours.

Tomorrow we begin our meetings. We have a 7 a.m. morning meeting with all the people from Indiana and then I may attend a town hall meeting with Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

A Seat with a View

I write this as I am flying over what appears to be Arizona. The land looks barren and there appear to be few houses. Previous to this, we were over Colorado. The view of the Rockies from above was spectacular. I must get to Colorado and do some hiking ASAP. I need to link up with a good traveling buddy who likes to hike and try new activities. Kev is a good travel partner but we’ve discovered that he likes to look at the sites where as I like to physically do something at the sites. For example, last fall, Kev and I were in Los Angeles visiting our friend Zeck. We took a cruise to the Hollywood sign. Kev enjoyed looking at the sign and surrounding scenery; I, meanwhile, wanted to hike to the sign. In our visit to the Pacific, we enjoyed a leisurely break at the beach and watched the boats, birds, and strange folks. I would have preferred however, to experience the Pacific by kayak. So Kev likes to see and I like to do. We continue to be good travel companions because we compromise. If, however, you’re a do-er and would like to travel, let me know. I’m always looking for adventure.

As the flight continues, it has now become very clear that we are over Arizona or Nevada. The land is not only dry but has turned the distinctive red color associated with the desert southwest. I am seeing little vegetation. My view is not limited to Arizona, however. I also have a great view of the part of the jet that propels us. I forget what this thing is called. I’m sure my good friend Shop Teacher Bob can tell us. It’s that big round thing that geese get sucked into. I chose to sit in the back of the plane because I had read that you are more likely to have open seats in the back. Unfortunately, this proved untrue on this flight and it is extremely loud back here.