Return... and planning

I'm back in Seattle! I drove in almost a week ago, and then promptly got very busy getting all my stuff moved and sold and re-boxed. I found some letters from long ago that made me remember, I found some pictures I can scarcely believe are of me, and looked at all the things I've done long long ago, back in High School and before...
On my way up the coast from LA, I stopped at my sister's place in Marin county, near San Francisco. We went out on bicycles and had a good ride out in the headlands and the city, and then we went over to Angel Island, the only green island in the San Francisco Bay, where we climbed to the top. Its amazing up there, with the wind and fog whipping around, and the city poking out occasionally. There was a race we watched go around the island, fast sailing boats sliding past and popping their spinnakers made for exciting (but cold) watching...
After that, I drove up to Oregon, then to Olympia, then to Seattle, and it rained the whole time. What a bummer.
But I've become accustomed to the weather up here now. I didn't think I would be able to, but I guess its not that hard.
As for the pictures, well, there are still Elephant Seals on the Big Sur coast (south of San fran) and then Rachel let me borrow a superman suit to ride in, so I had to get a picture, then there are some from Angel Island. Rachel took the flower picture and a few others. Angry is cool, right? Unfortunately I didn't get to keep those glasses.
Oh, and as for the future...
I plan on leaving Seattle soon. I'll get everything moved to a good storage place in Bellingham (my parent's place) and then get on the boat and sail around all summer. I'm going to leave my moorage April 15th, so I'll start then.
I'm going to go up to Alaska. I thought about it last summer, but didn't have the guts to actually do it, but I feel much more confident now. I'll start to head north in the beginning of May, and get up there in June. Then I'll spend most of june and July sailing around the inside areas near Juneau and Petersburg and then sail back south in August. Maybe I'll continue south after that, but I am not sure yet. I also got a lottery ticket today, the first one I've ever had. I was going to buy it, but Alan bought it for me, so I still haven't bought a lottery ticket. So if I win, then I'll get to do this kind of lifestyle for a lot longer.

LASIK

I just got laser eye surgery, yesterday. I spent $3,390 on it (no tax) and I'm not quite sure yet, if it is worth it.
Here's how it worked:
First I went in for the consultation and they tried to convince me that everything was grand and going to be perfect and fine and such. They did a really good job of it all, so I was convinced, and I just had to find the money. Then I went in, they made me sit about 30 minutes and have eye drops numb my eyes and I go into the operating room. There are two tables, two machines. One is the flap cutter, it works by making small bubbles in the eye so that the doctor can use a spatula to open up a flap. Perforations. El Doctor takes a thing and shoves it on my eye (owch) and it sucks onto my eye, making that eye blind (as in dark) because it changes the shape of the eye, then it locks to the laser machine and makes the perforations. They do both eyes, and I am feeling ready for a break, but we're just halfway done. Its been about 10 minutes now, and a total of about 30 seconds of laser on time.
Then I get up and they walk me over to the other machine, the cutter machine. I line up my eye with a green laser light and the doctor holds my eye open and uses a little spatula to tear open and lift the flap. It sounds painful, but my eye is numb, so I'm not supposed to feel it. Except my left eye wasn't so numb, so I could feel it. Then they tell me to hold REALLY still and look at the green beam. DON'T MOVE!
14 seconds of laser on time, I can hear it and smell the burning, its a high power laser for sure. Then they eye is done, they drop some drops in under the flap for antibiotics and lay the flap down again. Then he checks the position of the flap, apparently it sticks to the eye like velcro, so there is no need for glue. It will heal in a few weeks.
The other eye, same story.
By now my eyes hurt a lot, and when everything is done, I go sit in a room waiting for Jeremy to come get me and take me back to his place, where I try to sleep with these eye gaurds on to keep me from rubbing my eyes. Now I can go around and do most anything, but they want me to keep sunglasses on when outside and "no-rub" things on when I sleep and take these eye drops for two weeks. I have an appointment today to see how the flap is healing and if its still centered (I think).
My vision is perfect. Better than I can ever remember it to be. It is like a brand new pair of glasses I haven't gotten used to yet, where everything is crystal sharp. I feel like running around and going surfing, but I won't be going in the water for 7 days, on risk of infection under the flap. Bad news, that would be. I can do most anything, but I think I'll take it easy for a couple days, and try to keep dust and anything out of my eye.
Here's a close-up shot my brother took, as well as one yesterday, try to see the flap if you can...(he's a pro, here's his website, if you're interested. That is his wedding page, his other one is jeremylloydphotography.com)
So tomorrow I will leave this house and drive north up the Big Sur coast toward San Francisco.

More pictures

I forgot to put these up in the last post. The order might be skewed, but I took one on the bus ride back to San Jose (where I flew out of) then one in the airplane looking at LA. The city looks very small from the air. Also I included two pictures of myself surfing, taken by a friend in Pavones. The second one, where I'm looking back, thats because I'm WAY out in front of the wave, thats why its so small. The break is funny like that, it is small until its barrelling over you.

America!

I'm back in the USA, and I am cold. Man is it ever cold here. I got back and shivered for a day and then got some clothes washed so I could put them all on. The Poof- my down vest, is my best friend again. Why is it so cold here?
I also went into a supermarket yesterday, and it was exciting. High aisles stacked with all sorts of goody goody food. Millions of choices, everything something that I cannot get so easily in other places, but the prices! A little steep, wouldn't you say? I probably can't get on spending nothing anymore. Cash is a funny thing. Its wierd having money that is green. And everyone reveres the American Dollar down in central america, so when I see it I think expensive. I haven't been in the ocean here yet, but for sure I will be saddened by its frigidity.
In the line at the supermarket, I spoke to the cashier and she understood me, and that is a wonderful thing. My spanish isn't that good, but I can understand some things, but speaking in english makes me so happy now. In fact, there are a ton of things that make me happy about this country. I was in line behind someone who didn't seem to see those things, and I imagine that I was similar, and will be again. But we have so much. We can go into a store and get things that people in other countries cannot. We can pay convienently, without having to bring a huge bucket of money around. People don't try to steal things when we aren't looking (at least not as much). I have a Car! Holy cow is driving a wonderful feeling! The smurf rocket is chugging along wonderfully, I can put stuff in it and nobody takes it out, I can go places far away on roads that are paved. I can buy a new hard drive for my computer, then connect to the internet easily. I can listen to music. So things are wonderful here, when you look at it a little closer. Cold, but nice.
I will stay with my brother in LA for a few days, I think we'll go diving on saturday, and then get into the smurf rocket and head northbound up the coast.