I always love it when friends come to visit me here in Ocean Beach and totally fall in love with it. My co-worker Bryan and his girlfriend Annika came on Sunday, hungover from a wedding. We spent Sunday sitting on the cliffs drinking wine and then we went to The Vine. I also met my good friend Cheryl and another slowtalker, Trish. It was a fantastic day. Bryan and Annika and I came back to my apartment, danced to Arcade Fire and then fell asleep to Sigur Ros. It was a fun, fun day. Bryan and Annika LOVE Ocean Beach. Now I am trying to convince them to move here.

Yesterday was a little tough at first, what with the 700 bottles of wine we consumed on Sunday. But it turned out to be a mellow, lovely holiday. It wasn’t so crowded on the beach this year. I went over to my friend Danielle’s house and watched her dip strawberries in chocolate. Eventually Danielle and I, along with a cool, funny architect, Jennifer, went and fetched Jennifer’s also cool boyfriend, Nick, and went to the beach.

It was beautiful down there. There was a red tide. I can’t seem to get a real answer out of anyone as to what causes the red tide. I tried to take a picture of Danielle and Jennifer running to the water, but it didn’t turn out too great.

Oh well.

After the beach I went to The Vine, where Brian was grilling meat for an assortment of employees and uber-regulars. Some people got on surfboards and paddled out to see the fireworks, and the rest of us scattered. I ended up on a deck on top of my friend Andy’s building. It was quite mellow and I didn’t have to worry about bottle rockets being launced at my neck. I HATE when that happens.

Today was totally mellow. I had the day off, and meant to do a bunch of writing, but instead went and sat in the window at South Beach Bar & Grill and ate a shrimp tostada and merely thought about writing. Then I went back to the beach. Yes, it is true – I am an obscenely lazy person. And Ocean Beach is such a great place to be totally lazy.

I know this is really boring but if you have made it this far – there are two kinds of people in the world. Dickheads, and everyone else. Thankfully there are more non-Dickheads than Dickheads. I always strive to be a non-Dickhead, even if I am a fucked up and lazy person. I am glad I live in Ocean Beach, where being a Dickhead is kind of verboten. I’ll always love my last home – Venice, Italy. Yet, Ocean Beach is Better. It really is. Really! For me, at least.

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