Weekend Travels

I made a quick trip to California this past weekend. I visited friends in Palm Springs and then on to Long Beach for a 66 2/3 birthday party. It was a great trip. I've possibly recruited 3 couples for my African Safari trip next year. My friend Bill and I have been planning to go for some time and now my other travel buddies might be interested. Don/Diane and Jon/Barb were with me in Vietnam and Don/Diane and Louis/Carol were with me in the Caribbean.

In Vietnam (2012), from left: Bonnie, Roger, Diane, Don, Barb, Jon, Sheri

Palm Springs was lovely. It's just about to get too hot, but the mornings and evenings are wonderful. They hold a Thursday night festival that was fun. Most of my time was spent with Jerry because Bill was working out of town. Jerry doesn't like plane travel so he won't go with us to Africa. 

Jerry, Bill and Savannah

Thursday night market

Savannah

Relaxing with coffee and a newspaper

Drinks before dinner

     I drove to Long Beach on Saturday for the birthday party. Sunday was the day I set aside to visit with Don, Diane, Louis and Carole. Louis let me drive his 1955 T-Bird that he's restored. It's won several medals in car shows. He doesn't let many people drive it. I was a little nervous, but it was a really cool car to drive. Don gave me the nickel tour of Long Beach. It's much nicer than I expected. I'm not a big fan of Southern California normally.  

Cinco de Mayo Breakfast

Cinco de Mayo Dinner

Louis and his baby

My flight back on Monday was uneventful for the most part. I was almost late for my flight from LA because of the rental car bus and I was almost late for my connection because my LA flight ended up delayed. Thank goodness for CrossFit - I only had moments to spare. I was doing my best OJ Simpson Hertz commercial at O'Hare getting from terminal B to terminal C. 

Sightseeing in Long Beach

MALS

For the longest time, I've been wanting to get a Masters in Liberal Studies (MALS) degree. Just before I decided to leave California, I found a program I really liked. I moved before I could start the program. After I moved back to Florida, I researched programs. There were none in driving distance and limited options online. Most online programs are geared toward getting an MBA or some other degree that will help you make money. My goal is to learn interesting things. 
I've had it in the back of my mind to sign up for a class for quite awhile. I took an online class with UNC-Greensboro a couple years ago. The class was great, but most of their offerings at that time were not interesting - at least not the online options. They had plenty of great MALS content, but most of the best options were in-class rather than online. That has changed recently and I thought about applying to the program. As an out-of-state student, the cost is pretty high. 
The degree itself is not what is important to me. I'm interested in learning. I don't need a structured program. In fact, structure is the antithesis of what I want. 
I periodically receive an email from Coursera.org because I looked into their classes when they first announced their website.The first group of offerings weren't that appealing. Most of the classes were technology-related or medical. Neither of these were really what I wanted. I'm looking for more psychology, literature, global issues, etc. Subjects that will make me a more well-rounded person. I've signed up for two classes. In my next post, I'll discuss my choices. 

Silly Stuff

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?............nope

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?............I cry at everything, so probably this morning

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?............... sometimes

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?........ salami

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?........... nope

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?........ yes

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?..........not as much as I used to

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?..............yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?............ Probably

10. FAVORITE CEREAL?...........Frosted Mini Wheats

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?..........nope

12. SWEET OR SALTY?...........yes

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?............Cold Stone Creamery Vanilla with extra cookie dough, walnuts and chocolate syrup

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?........hair

15. RED OR PINK?.........blue

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?.........ignoring the loaded question

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?........my grandmother

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?....didn’t tag anyone

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?............jeans with white(ish) running shoes

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?............Creed – “Arms Wide Open”

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?...........blue-green

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?..........fresh air at the beach

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?...........Mom

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?...... Iron Chef

27. HAIR COLOR?.........dark brown

28. EYE COLOR?.............brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?............no

30. FAVORITE FOOD?............ a nice 4-cheese polenta with a side salad

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?.............happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?.........That’s a very good question

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?.......... light teal

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?...........no contest – summer

35. HUGS OR KISSES?.............hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?...........flan

37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?...........”Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage” by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher

38. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?...a mouse

39. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?..........Sanctuary

40. FAVORITE SOUND(S)?....... silence or any type of flowing water

41. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?............Stones

42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?..........Alaska

43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?.........I listen well, when I’m not distracted by the voices

44 WHERE WERE U BORN?............Jacksonville, FL