No More Beer

Said good-bye to everyone in the lab today. It was kinda sad to go knowing I will never come back. Many cool people here I will definitely miss. In the evening we went out drinking beer for the last time with the rest of the Germans - "the rest" because one went back to Germany and two are traveling to see other parts of USA. Actually it's no longer fair to say I was out with Germans because it was me (Estonian), Katrin who is German and one guy who is Dutch. Three people from three different countries - basically this time I was out with the international group. Was fun like always but unfortunately this was the last time I'll see them in San Diego.

Nice Mexican style place

I tried eggnog. It usually has alcohol in it but I got the non-alcoholic kind. It tastes like warm egg-vanilla cream (keedukreem) commonly used in Estonia with certain sweet pastries. I suppose it's like a cross between that cream and regular cream liqueur (eg. Bailey's). I kinda liked it. I understand why people would drink that but it will be a while before I actually try making that in Estonia.

I found a new book! Third now. After I finished the first book, I went to the bookstore and carefully selecting something else. I then bought the second book. After 2 pages I was feeling hesitant, after 20 pages I was rolling my eyes and after 100 pages I decided that staring out the window playing with my hair would preserve more of my brain cells. I talked with my husband about it and he has read it. It's only the second book in a 7-book series and that's why the main character is such a pointless whimpering wussy. I would have started with 6th book had I known that sooner. The book got 4.5 from 5.0 max points and I hated it.

Cover reminded me of Assassin's Creed which I liked to play on Xbox

Well, I went back to the bookstore and took A LOT of time to find a book I would actually enjoy and I found one - The Way of Shadows! The 11 year-old main character who is mostly scared and helpless is more of a man than the 20 year-old main character in the previous book. I've read 30 pages and I'm hooked! If I can't get the remaining two books of the trilogy here I'll order them from Amazon the next time my husband is ordering books online.

Will Miss vs. Not Gonna Miss

Will Miss: The amount and selection of fast food restaurants. There's ones for those who want meat and beer (FuddRuckers. PS! If you initially read it wrong, you're not the only one! ), there's the ones that serve pancakes (IHOP), then there's Chinese fast food (Panda Express), Mexican fast food (Taco Bell), decent quality burgers (Carl's Jr) and the really bad cheap burgers (McDonald's). If you think it's the entire list, you're mistaken. The real list goes on and on.

Many good random restaurants that I visited later turned out to be a part of some fast food chain. Remember my really cool burger experience in down town during my first or second week - well that was FuddRuckers. Wednesday me and Rachel seeked rain shelter there and I had a buffalo burger. "What's in it?" - "Buffalo meat" - I thought those were on the verge of extinction and strictly protected by law. Oh wow, they actually sell buffalo burgers here. "Yes! That's what I want to eat!". Tasty stuff. Tasted similar to beef.

Not Gonna Miss: people assuming I will eat things with my hands. I mean, I'd love to follow the local table manners but if they bring a huge burger that will collapse just after looking at it then why should I also try to lift the entire thing. My mouth isn't big enough to take a good bite. Oh I did get some weird looks for eating a burger with a fork and knife. Some eyes just said, "Weird European!".

Will Miss: Palm trees and flowers. Ah, the smell of fresh nature! Real nature, not the thing hidden under snow or cold mud. Walking in an Eucalyptus grove always makes me take deep breaths of sheer enjoyment. Some of the decorative flowers in random gardens have a sweet fragrance when you walk by. Here everything smells almost like late spring in Estonia - everything's blooming and oh so sweet!

Not Gonna Miss: Megastreets. Here it's 6 lanes minimum, usually more like 10. And the streets are so empty! Seems like there's about the same amount of cars as in Tallinn or Tartu, but the cars have more room. Honestly, I think I'd love to drive on a street where I can choose between 7 lanes all going in the same direction but being a pedestrian crossing that street is not half as nice. Especially with the other direction also having 7 lanes.