terra non firma

The OC: No McMansions, No Traffic

I spent the weekend in san celemente, site of a heated battle over home heights and richard nixon retirement village. I mentioned last week I was hoping we were heading to a mcmansion, since that's all they build in orange county, right? (un)fortunately san clemente's buildings are relatively modest two-story homes, whose size is deceptive from the outside. we were right above a golf course overlooking the ocean, so at least that part fulfilled the fantasy. but dave's home has some great 60s/70s bones, with the requisite sunken living room, stone-covered wall and two decks.

I wasn't able to observe any cougars in their natural habitat, the way we did earlier in the summer in laguna. or sleep in a mcmansion. or even hit horrendous traffic on the 405. instead, we grilled. we drank. we watched the third season of arrested development on dvd. and the first season of miami vice (still totally fucking stylish and much darker than I remember - and did they invent the concept of music licensing or just pay a fortune for tina turner and phil collins?).

instead of mcmansions, there were mobile homes and trailers lining san onofre, where we played bocce by the beach every day. I know I've been living in LA for three years but I still find the surfing subculture this strange, exotic animal. and san clemente, rather than letting you observe cougars in all their disquieting glory, provides ample opportunity to observe surfers in their element, oblivious to the twin breasts of the san onofre power plant adjacent to the beach.

gorgeous, aren't they?

hard to come back to LA, to the heat and the work that is waiting. I feel ready for fall. for cooler weather. for boots. for jackets. for hot soup. for the new fall season. who did meredith choose? what will happen to jack and kate and sawyer and hurley now that they're with the Others? will michael knight win project runway or will we have to suffer through yet another miscarriage of justice? will tim gunn adopt me and become my life coach?

god I love fall.

posted by marissa @ 7:39 PM