I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.

Keane, "Somewhere Only We Know"
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Leaving Simi Valley, I boarded a bus that took me past my old apartment. On the way to the transit center, on a city street, I saw a scantily clad woman in a cowboy hat and two men in front of her, facing her, walking backwards. One held a video camera. Welcome to Chatsworth.

I arrived in Pasadena by way of Hollyweird, passing by Greg and Chan's old apartment in NoHo, which has undergone a bit of development, though still isn't enough to describe it as gentrified. Yet. LA, frighteningly, has room to grow without colliding into Ventura or Orange Counties. Despite all the hemming and hawing, I'll still end up choosing Pasadena because my gut instinct tells me to do so.

Remember, the last time I let emotion dictate when and where to buy a house, I ended up with a sweet deal.

So with a new book in hand, I perched myself atop a rock in the middle of the Norton Simon garden, and proceeded to idle the free afternoon away. When it got too hot, I stepped inside to see if I could decide which Degas is my favorite. And when the air conditioning got too cold, I went back outside to the garden for more reading. Who needs a backyard and gardener when you've got this?

After dinner with Dennis and Caroline, we meandered through shops, including the Metropolitan Museum store. Inside, behind the counter, was a Mole I recognized from Tech, and he, in kind, recognized me. We didn't know each other's names but we proceeded to make shit chat about graduating requirements and what not. Two groups of people weird me I bump into them on the street and I'm forced to interact: Filipinos and Techers. Neither are to be trusted, particularly in large numbers.

35 N. Raymond is looking pretty good. It looks like they're done retrofitting the building to support the addition of two new floors. Should be fanastic.