I need a vacation from my vacation.

I think that should be up there with "I don't do Mondays," "Hang in there," and "I'm with stupid." (Also, as it was recently pointed out to me: phrases on a mug= witty, ironic humor. Phrases on a tee shirt? Not quite so classy.)

Anyhow, as I've recently come back from *Cali '09,* I thought I'd share some highlights. Highlights, mind you, and not full blown tales. I am EXHAUSTED, after all.

Los Angeles- Met Scott Bakula. (Life highlight, I daresay.) He was superbly kind, generous with his time and not at all fazed by crazies (me and the Peej). Check out my Facebook pic. It is glorious. Met Donald Bellisario (Me: Thank you for creating my favorite show! D.B.: Uhh...you're welcome.) Met Deborah Pratt. She HUGGED me after I won first place for the novella competition.

Oh, didn't I mention? I WON FIRST PLACE IN THE NOVELLA COMPETITION! And had my copy signed by my heroes.

Lowlight: Ended up on a Quantum Leap trivia panel and got SCHOOLED by a lady who knew Sam Beckett's (mind you, a fictitious character) social security number. I told P.J. that perhaps I wasn't a SuperFan. He said that maybe it was okay.

Had brunch with Sonal, a rockstar gal that P.J. went to school with and I performed with years ago...she's currently on Scrubs and is one of the sweetest people in L.A. We went to a fabulous outdoor brunchy place and I perhaps ate too much, maybe leading her to believe that I am one of the gluttoniest people in Chicago.

I cannot help this.

After L.A. we took Highway 1 up to Monterey for about six and a half hours; at night that road can get kinda crazy, so that's EXACTLY when we drove it! (Highlight: dozing with the sea breeze against my face. Lowlight: It was at midnight. Also, I was woken by P.J. laughing maniacally, our car hugging the cliff's edge and my husband exclaiming "This is NUTS!")

Ordered pizza at 1am and had it delivered to our hotel (we proceeded to eat breakfast from this amazing pizza for the next two days. It was that good.)

Another highlight: Monterey Bay Aquarium! With otters and rooms of glowy jellies and sting rays that I could touch (and I did!)

Lowlight: Whatever that horrific smell was that came from outside the parking garage. Seriously. Get on that, please.

More highlights: A fabulous dinner, courtesy of my folks...with lobsters! The Jabberwock Inn, the cutest inn EVER, whose proprietors allowed us to explore the grounds like crazies. The drive BACK down Highway 1 to Nepenthe in Big Sur- treetop dining overlooking some pretty angry surf. The wooden stairs Peej and I found, leading down to a wild area of beach right off of Highway.

Lowlight: Um, how am I still in this car? Are we done with the car? Almost? Okay.

San Francisco! Okay, so there was a bit more driving. About three hours. But then it was smooth sailing. Until P.J. lost his sunglasses. But by this point we had dropped off the car, shuttled to the airport, found our way to the BART (kinda like our Metra) to take us downtown...and had been riding the BART for about twenty minutes. Oh HAH! So...we went back. (Highlight: The BART employees were so kind and helpful. Seriously. It was almost embarassing how good to us they were. Lowlight: WE DID NOT FIND THE SUNGLASSES.)

Highlights: Dinner at the oldest Italian restaurant in America. Ferrying to Alcatraz and taking very serious poses in jail cells. Re-enacted scenes from So I Married An Axe Murderer ("...I love Vicki. She's the best!") Fresh crab rolls by the docks. Renting a bike and riding over the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito. Dim sum in Chinatown (bean paste sesame buns that I cannot pronounce and it doesn't MATTER!) and excellent Middle Eastern in Haight-Ashbury. (I swear we did more than just eat.)

Lowlights: When P.J. said we'd ditch the car for ease of travel, he meant we'd start WALKING everywhere. Also, tandem bikes are not quaint or charming, regardless of what any musical/Golden Era flick may try to tell you. I spent half the time in fear that I'd fall off the back and the other half nagging P.J. and wondering when he'd PUSH me off. Dirty hippies in Haight-Ashbury. If I really needed to get a fix I'd go back to Hampshire [Rim shot.]

All in all a glorious[ly exhausting] trip. I slept for a goodly bit of the next day upon our return, and P.J...began a two-week tech for his new show "The Long Count" at New Leaf Theatre. As you do. We DID get a day together since being back...Easter was superbly relaxed, with a double feature of Bull Durham and Tell No One- the former being an awesome Costner/Sarandon love fest and the latter being an intense French thriller than caused my nightlight to work overtime. It was also a day of multiple naps and various snacky foods and pastel candies being consumed in place of large "meals." (And no worries- we went to the Easter vigil the night before. What good Catholics.)

And now, it's time for my nap.

(Read- more fifty hour work weeks...and perhaps finishing up one of the three writing projects I have going. Sigh. I got to rest on my laurels for two weeks.)

Kind of the same thing.