This Is The Way Things Are.

dear whoever rules the universe:

thank you for allowing my brain to go on vacation, for the first time since I can remember. not only is my body relaxing in the California sunshine, but my mind is taking a break as well.

Lionel's apartment complex houses many interesting creatures, such as the large black woman who softly sing-songs "Lionel!" as she walks past the screen door. The young man who teaches himself karate from a book in the courtyard during daylight hours, and reads in the cafe across the street at night.

The pool is lit up in the evenings, beckoning, even though there's a sign that says "No Pool Use After Dark". What, then, is the sense of having the pool lit at all? So offenders can be caught?

I go for walks in the afternoons, where i can smell every kind of blossom and rose bloom, citrus trees and the Santa Ana winds from the desert. Palm trees and hemlocks. I sun in the courtyard, and now that the pool is open, I'll be swimming. After that, I'll head to Starbucks and get a Grande Iced Green Tea Latte With Soy. And then maybe I'll head to the Mexican Phone Company (Taco Bell) to get some cheap eats. But only because I'm here.

I stay up late. I think about hardly anything, and I am so grateful for this.