Bluejake

8am Woke up feeling good, but strange dreams. Have you ever had one of those nights of epic dreaming where it seems to go on for hours? Something like that. Topics: love, friendship, and betrayal. Setting: the New York of Eyes Wide Shut.

9am Talked that dream over with K. Hung out until about 10am.

10am Breakfast- matzoh and margarine. I added sugar, which did nothing for the taste. Watching CNN and tried to figure out a universal remote scheme for their system.

11am Drove to Brentwood and bought new Puma sneakers at this place on Wilshire. They will henceforth be my L.A. sneakers- for hiking, rock climbing, and walking along the beach. Also got some New Balance shorts.

12pm Dropped K off to meet her mom on San Vicente, and then drove down to the 405 and took it south to the 10. Then west until I got to Culver City. Arrived at I's office in one piece, which was good considering I hadn't been behind the wheel in six months.

1pm Lunch with I- good conversation. Positive on the main issues.

2pm With K out with her mom, I took a long drive to collect my thoughts. East on the 10 to Downtown, and then north on the 110 until I got to South Pasadena. Then turned the car around and took the right on to the Hollywood Freeway. Drove on that until I found Hollywood Boulevard. Had a nice slow drive down the avenue watching the tourists. Then a left on La Brea and a right on Santa Monica. Talked to K on the cell without causing an accident. Then a right on Wilshire back to the apartment.

4pm Collecting myself, feeling anxious, as always, but otherwise very good. Meeting K in a half hour or so and then driving down to the beach. Then drinks, and then dinner with everyone at Pan e Vino off Beverly.

5pm K drove us down to the Will Rogers beach near Malibu. The sky was blue with a hint of thin clouds on the mountains north of the city. We got to the beach and paid the $2 to get into the parking lot, and then took off our shoes and walked on to the beach.

5:30pm The beach was empty- there were a few kids running around about 100 yards off, but the place felt quiet and peaceful. We took some pictures and walked to the water, and then I told K that I loved her and asked her to marry me. ("Baby, will you marry me?") She was totally surprised- caught off guard. She said yes right away. Other things were said.

5:45pm We sat on the beach for awhile and looked at the ring, and then took some more pictures. One or two people walked by, but no one seemed to notice us. I was looking out at the water for awhile, at the seagulls circling around. Every few minutes one would nosedive at the water looking for fish. It was impossibly serene.

6:15pm We walked back to the car and called people- K called her parents and some friends, and I called my parents and J. Everyone back in NYC was in on it, so I felt like they wouldn't mind if I called them tomorrow. The sun was setting as we got ready to leave.

7:15pm We drove up the canyon road to Sunset, and then from there all the way down to West Hollywood. We turned on Doheny and made our way down to Beverly, and then parked out behind Pan e Vino. We ordered some champagne, and I noticed Ian Zering from 90210 sitting at a table near the bar.

8pm Everyone arrived- K's parents, E, S, S's cousin, E's friend L from D.C. We took some pictures and I made a toast. The outdoor space behind the restaurant was warm. There was much talking and much drinking- I had a few glasses more of champagne and then switched to wine. K ordered a salad and a light fish, and I ordered the stuffed artichoke and lamb chops. Afterwards we had fruit salad. A few friends stopped by- S from L.A. and J from New York.

11pm We said our goodbyes and D suggested we go to the Hotel Bel Air to scope it out and have a nightcap to celebrate the day's events. We drove up Santa Monica to Beverly Drive, and then up to Sunset and Stone Canyon. The hotel was beautiful and smelled like gardens and smoke. At the bar they lent me a jacket and we sipped VSOP until a table opened up. We talked for a bit and drank some more.

12am We met a waiter, Steve, who gave us a tour around the place. We saw the ballroom and the gardens, and he gave us some information about booking a wedding there. Date to be set sometime this week. K and I returned the jacket and jumped in the car, and drove back to the apartment by way of Sunset and the UCLA campus.

1am Wide awake- happy- going to sleep soon.

Personal, Travelogue