Bubbles & Beans

Bubbles & Beans is the name of one of the laundromats in town. Aaron and I have been there a couple times but it is ridiculously over-priced. We go to another place that always has people and I was thinking that the when people are looking for a good laundromat, you should drive by them numerous days a week and see which ones are busy most often. A good sign indeed!

There was a family at the laundromat and the three kids did a good job of entertaining themselves. The little boy could not have been more than 9 years old and he and his mom came up to me and asked what a word on his worksheet meant. The mom had a heavy Spanish accent and I give them kudos for asking. I think that most people in that situation would be too proud to ask for help. The word was "scrub" and I agree that it is a pretty weird word. A little while later the boy came back, this time by himself and said "excuse, me but I don't mean to interrupt you, but do you know what this word means?" It was the word "pasture" which I could definitely understand not knowing. Some words out of context just don't make sense and other words, when you don't hear them used, I can totally understand not knowing the words.

At the end of the night, he was over by us as we left he said goodbye and thank you. So sweet!!

Bums

I know that there are a lot of homeless people in the world and it makes me very sad. I remember when I worked in downtown Seattle (right by the Space Needle), being followed by the homeless guys and it is so uncomfortable! In downtown Santa Barbara, dang, there are so many homeless people!! It's very different now for me because I see these people EVERY day as I live extremely close to my office. I see them in the morning as I go to work, on my breaks, and at night when I go home or walk around with friends. It's sad because I know most homeless people here are mentally handicapped and are/ have been addicted to something. I don't give them money anymore except for the (maybe twice a year) occasion, where I get this pulling feeling from someone and then I do and it's just a dollar.

Viva La Fiesta

Every year, Santa Barbara puts on Viva La Fiesta, a tribute to "Old Spanish Days."
http://www.oldspanishdays-fiesta.org/new/index.php

There are usually a lot of tourists and foreigners in Santa Barbara but this weekend is crazy. On the Friday of Fiesta, there is always a parade. Locals put their lawn chairs and blankets out to save their spots, and even after 5 years (holy bananas how has that much time gone by!!??) I think it is weird. I cannot imagine that in most towns these items would last long without being stolen. A friend mentioned that to me today and I am glad I'm not the only one who finds this an oddity.

There is a custom with Fiesta that people buy confetti filled eggs and I wish I knew the story behind it. All over State Street (and side streets) there is confetti and parts of egg shell strewn everywhere. I saw the cutest little girl today trying to crack one on her slightly taller brother and she wasn't coordinated enough to do it. She finally stretched as tall as she could, crushed the egg in her hand, and pushed it into his hair. I actually LOL'd.

Phinny Mills

The awkward encounters of Phinny Mills. This will be my sur-name.

I hate it when you're trying predict which side of the street someone is going to favor and yet it does not work, you end up, at last minute, each trying to avoid the other and neither succeeding. I get very annoyed in these situations. 

Yesterday, I watched a little girl run after her sister, not understanding that she was just going to the restroom and will be back shortly. It was so cute!

There is so much movement throughout cities. I love watching it, I wish I could get paid to write or observe. It's crazy how many things you can see while driving from Santa Barbara to LA. The drive is not bad at all, especially when traffic is good. I drove to LA on Saturday and I saw a large truck hauling flammable containers. They seemed somewhat secure but I have to say, seeing an open-bodied truck with that many containers was not comforting!