A Different Perspective

It's funny how one little event can trigger a gush of memories and random thoughts. I found myself doing a lot of that this past weekend. And of course the thoughts weren't of the negative sort, but the kind that put a goofy smile on your face and have your friends asking you "what" every five seconds.

Knott's Berry Farm was the site of my first onslaught of random thoughts. I used to be deathly scared of heights and rollercoasters, but lately I haven't been one to shy away from any thrill-seeking experience. My parents once told me that as you get older, you begin to fear more in life because you know more and risk less. I mean, granted, I still don't have much to lose right now, but I'm definitely a lot less of a coward now than I was five years ago. It got me thinking about how cautious and scared I used to be as a kid. I was very much a law abiding, non-rule breaking, curfew following, goody-two-shoes (sp?) and although I made my parents' lives relatively easy, did I screw myself by not venturing out more?

Albert and I seem to learn something new about each other everyday, and as I hear the crazy rebellious stories of his childhood, I'm just in awe sometimes of how naive I am and how much general life lessons I still have no clue about. I guess that's what makes us such a good pair. We both represent completely different backgrounds and upbringings. Albert grew up in the heart of downtown San Francisco with a natural sense of reading people, an ability to always think outside the box, and this incredible sense for entrepreneurship and business. I, on the other hand, always took the safe route in life, growing up in mainstream suburbia Sugar Land and becoming another posterchild of "the system." Life with Albert is like a rollercoaster. He scares the crap out of me with his risky antics and clumsy behavior, but ultimately, the thrill is always worth the ride.

Day Two of the weekend consisted of a short (and FREE of charge) hot air balloon ride in the new Irvine Great Park Hot Air Balloon. First off, let me say that this orange blob was totally not worth the money that was spent on it and its ugliness will now forever grace the face of Orange County. But back to the subject - so, the old Marine base is going to be converted into a nature reserve that is predicted to be self-sufficient and up and running by 2050. It's just so crazy to see completely undeveloped land before it becomes some architectural masterpiece. It sort of got me thinking to life before driving and the internet. I mean, no transportation and dial-up AOL just seem so primitive now, but heck, we did survive with less than that before, didn't we? Pager codes, payphones, parent pickup/dropoffs...I mean, it wasn't an option, it was the way of life. I remember when I got to use my dad's cell phone one day. It was this huge black, bulky monstrosity that would hardly fit into my purse (think Zack Morris black phone with the pull up antenna, oh yeah baby!). But man, I was just SO excited when I got to use it. And then of course came my green bopper-ed out light up pager with Pochacco stickers all over it! I remember when I wanted to talk on the phone late into the hours of the night, I would page bf or bff and then call movie phone and then click over when I heard the call waiting so that my parents wouldn't be woken up by the ring. Haha. Oh the memories...