ottomyhead

Bought a guitar the first week of this past March.  Beautiful instrument – way beyond any skill I may develop – and I picked up software to use with Xbox for lessons (Rocksmith 2014).  I have been practicing pretty regularly and though I haven’t mastered even one song yet I can hear and feel the progress, and I’m really enjoying the process.

So tonight I’m working on “Sixteen Saltines”  and I broke my first string.  Hadn’t thought I’d ever play with enough enthusiasm to do that.  I didn’t think to buy extras when I bought the guitar (an Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro) so it will be off to the guitar shop tomorrow after work and then home to YouTube to figure out how to restring it.

I had been thinking about bringing a dog into my life for years. I was very fortunate in my relationship with D that dogs were involved – her second youngest daughter had two (a pit bull and a lab mixed breed), and her youngest had one as well (a Chiweenie). They were great dogs, and I really loved being around them. Based on my experience with D’s daughter’s Chiweenie, and the fact that my urban setting necessitated a smaller dog, I had decided to see if I could find one of those. I had seen some here and there, though they were snapped up rather quickly, and I hadn’t had a chance to even see one before it ended up adopted.

On a lark, I looked at the page for the Seattle Humane Society one Friday evening and saw Ruby. Cutest pup ever. She was available for adoption the following Saturday morning, so I showed up bright and early to get a peek at her. Knowing that I might want to take her home, I printed off and filled out the Humane Society adoption application before going in. I arrived 10 minutes before they opened and there were already two people lined up at the door! My heart fell, as I knew they had to be there to see my pup. When the door opened, both of the people ahead of me asked to go to the kennel to see available dogs, and I knew then that filling out the application ahead of time would pay off. I followed the second person in, handed my completed application to the person behind the desk, and said “I’d like to see Ruby please.” “Since you are the first person to hand in a completed application, you get the pick of the litter” I was told.

All three little girls were delightful, but Ruby stood out. I did have some apprehension as they all were a bit lethargic, but after a brief conversation with the staff noting they were likely still under the influence of sedation from the previous day’s spaying, I felt assured enough to leave with Ruby. Well, not Ruby exactly. Which gets us to the title of this post. The instant I saw her photo on the Humane Society website, she was Lola to me. By the time we left less than an hour later, Ruby was Lola and both of her sisters had been adopted as well.

That first day was quite a whirlwind. I had to buy a collar and a leash at the Humane Society just to get out the door, and went directly to Petco to pick up needed supplies – food, toys, poop bags, a kennel, treats, everything a growing pup needs. Lola accompanied me into the store and immediately pooped in the cart. Evidently this is not an unusual event at Petco, as it elicited a chuckle and assistance from the staff member closest to us. It was a window into what was to come.

I ended quarter 3 of my nursing program and quarter 4 doesn’t start until April 1st, so I decided to take a spring break trip. I had thought about Arizona first, as I really like hiking in the desert. I had planned on going to a spa-type resort, getting some sunshine and doing some hiking. Then Cabo entered my mind.

I ended up on a 4-day trip to San Jose del Cabo and arrived yesterday. I had hoped to have D join me (yes, she’s back in my life, though tentatively), but her work schedule would not allow. Same with my friend Christian. But I needed sunshine and some time to relax, so I went ahead and booked.

I ended up at the Hotel El Ganzo, a new hotel with a distinct contemporary feel. I arrived at about 2:30 in the afternoon and fell in love with the place. The beautiful blue sky and 89 degree weather certainly contributed to my quick embrace of the place. Though they are still working through some glitches attributed to its newness, the location is nice, the room is wonderful and the staff is outstanding. Upon arrival I changed into shorts and explored the surroundings. I started off with the pool on the ground floor, which I had to myself, then headed out to the beach. There were dozens of local families on the beach, and I especially enjoyed the peals of laughter coming from three little sisters who looked to be between two and six years old. I watched them frolic while padre and madre fished in the surf, took a swim myself, and returned to the hotel for a swim in the roof pool.

The roof of this place is pretty incredible. A view of the ocean and beaches for miles to the east and west, mountains to the north, and the city to the northwest, with an infinity pool and an infinity hot tub. The sunset was gorgeous, and the moonrise (a full moon) even more spectacular. Words, especially mine, can’t do it justice. After a swim and some time in the hot tub, it was back to the room to shower and off to dinner.

Dinner consisted of a wonderful seafood soup that was chock full of seafood and had right amount of spiciness – reminiscent of a cioppino – and some good but somewhat bland tamales, all accompanied by a jazz trio. From there I left to explore the goings on in the area. What I discovered is that although it is wonderful, this place is really off the beaten path – it is miles from the regular flow of Cabo activity, and it is a $20 round trip cab ride to San Jose del Cabo proper (and three times that to get to Cabo San Lucas). I stopped at a local market for an ice cream, and off to bed.

Today I got up and determined that it was much more convenient and cost effective to rent a car rather than taking taxis all over. The front desk arranged for a company to drop off a car at 2, so I grabbed a workout and then lunch at a little cantina across the street. Great fresh fish (served vera cruz) and authentic corn tortillas. I then headed for the beach at the hotel’s boat club. I got a chair next to a woman (Paula Clarkson) and her son (Lee Clarkson), who it turned out was on leave from the US Navy. As I was alone, I struck up a conversation with them and asked if she would put sunscreen on my very pale back where I couldn’t reach. She noted I needed it, then asked me to join them under their umbrella. Turns out the two of them were there under less than ideal circumstances. There’s actually 5 in the family, with Lee being the older of the three siblings. The family arrived at LAX for the trip and it turned out the two younger of the kids had expired passports. So Lee and Paula headed to Cabo, and dad and the two younger kids stayed in LA.

Paula and Lee were actually staying at the Westin in Cabo and had taken a taxi to El Ganzo to rent bikes and check out the sculpture garden near here, with the idea of going into downtown San Jose del Cabo afterwards. As my rental car was due to arrive within the hour and I too wanted to see downtown, I invited them to join me and save the cab fare. What a wonderful afternoon! Paula is a wonderful storyteller – one story involved sharing Aretha Franklin seats with Sharon Stone at the Hollywood Bowl while her husband was still feeling the effects of a vasectomy and on Percocet, another involved a friend who fought cancer and gave her the catchphrase “it’s only money and it’s not cancer” (which I have decided I’m going to co-opt), and a friend who was present when two small children were swept away by a rogue wave, among others. The three of us headed into San Jose del Cabo and had a spectacular time. We had a great lunch at a sidewalk café and then did some shopping.

Paula was an old hand at negotiating at the markets, so she and I teamed up to get a deal on some earrings, her a pair of black onyx and me a pair of red coral for D. As I lost my sunglasses I needed another pair, and she threw me out there to negotiate on my own. I ended up with a pair of Oakley knockoffs for a few pesos. She then insisted, due to my lack of color (pigment-wise, not personality-wise), that I get a hat. So the three of us set off in search of a hat. And we came up with a pretty good one – wide brim, white, fedora-like I guess you could say.

And with that, we were off. I dropped them off at their hotel in Cabo and made my way back to my hotel. A quick dinner, another ice cream, a soak in the soaker tub in my room, and here I am, on the roof and blogging away before bed.
So that covers the activities. Kind of a diary entry I guess, and boring to anyone but me I’d also guess. Anything deeper? Well, as much as I needed sunshine and warm weather after a long Seattle winter, I would be enjoying myself much more if I were with a traveling partner. I would especially love to have D here. I’m a bit of an extrovert in that I like to have people around, and though I mix well with strangers, I really like to have familiar folks among the mix. So many tours and adventure-type activities to do here, but most of them for me are much more compelling when shared – today’s junket is a great example. I had so much more fun with Lee and Paula than I would have by myself. And so, I’m spending much more time here in introspective pursuits. Time at the beach watching the waves and the people. Lounging on the roof enjoying the view and the drinks. Soaking in a great soaking tub. Reading and blogging. I’m having a great time, but am looking forward to getting back to Seattle, getting some time in on my bike, and hopefully getting some time with D. It’s not just about what you do, it’s about who you do it with I guess is the best takeaway. We all need alone time (some more than others), but very few of us would prefer to be completely alone I think.

I read again this morning an assertion (this one by a filmmaker) that people don’t change.  He uses the parable about the scorpion and the lion as “proof”.  The parable goes as follows: A scorpion asks a lion to carry him across a river on his back and the lion declines, concerned he’ll be stung.  The scorpion promises this won’t happen, for then they’d both die.  When the lion begins to cross, the scorpion stings him anyway, sealing both their fates. When the lion asks why, the scorpion says it’s simply his nature.

Human beings are not scorpions or lions, nor are scorpions or lions human beings (anthropomorphized as they may be for the sake of a parable).  Human beings are complex animals.  Yes, we have primal instincts that drive us, but we also have reason, as well as complex personalities.  Most of the bad of us have some good in us, and most of the good of us have some bad in us.  Yes we have personalities that determine who we are and how we behave, but those personalities are complex, and we have free will to shape our behavior.

I fully believe that in the richness and complexity of any individual, a shift can be made.  If someone is essentially bad (moody, tempermental, self-centered, arrogant) with the good (caring, empathetic, generosity) present but taking a back seat, I believe they can use their ability to reason and free will to change, to amplify the good and retire the bad.  And really, if someone decides to embrace their better self and cast aside their less-savory self, is that really a change?  Or is it just another possibility, just another of the many choices to be made in a lifetime, for anyone willing to embrace it? 

Here’s a brief article that asserts personality change is possible: http://www.livescience.com/9507-study-personality-change.html     

And another from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainstorm/second-acts