I just emailed a proposal for two books to my agent. I'm hoping she thinks it's absolutely perfect as-is and that I'm shopping for my private yacht by the end of the week.

Today's office was the Ocean Beach Pier Cafe, which is that little white speck at the end of the pier.



I was able to pick up bunches of wireless signals, even a couple from Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, miles and miles away. I wonder if all that open water with no buildings in the way makes the signals bounce or something. Anyway, I couldn't actually sign onto any of those networks, not even the one for the cafe, but it was just as well, because it meant I spent less time websurfing and more time watching the surf.

They weren't really set up as a coffee joint. More as a quaint and salty breakfast/lunch joint. The waitress wasn't quite sure what to do with me in the nearly empty room. She even offered me a refill of coffee, which is so unlike a coffee joint that I'm afraid I stared at her for a while in utter confusion. Ultimately she brought me some water, and I think that satisfied her.



And apropos of nothing, man, I wish I lived on this street in Dana Point:

Starting a new book!

Just tippy-typing some notes so far, actually.

I'm at a very pleasant coffee joint in Pacific Beach. I like this neighborhood. It's far enough north from Garnet Ave. that it might not be full of bar-hopping knuckleheads at night. And I can see ocean when I look down the street. Definitely an area to check out when the current lease runs dry in a few months.

Not liking the writing much this morning, but no complaints about the coffee joint.

Getting back on track with the book after several days away. I've been working at home instead of coffee joints, mostly in the interest of saving money, but made an exception today. I'm up at the E Street Café in Encinitas, which has nice, big tables, free WiFi, accessible electrical outlets (mainly because I brought my own extension cord), and a beach.



A few of the beach, with giant shelled ocean bugs:

Encinitas - March 20, 2008

The Venice Boardwalk has a freakshow again!

I mean, of course, it's been a freakshow for a long time, but it's been many a decade since it's had a freakshow. Well worth the $3 admission to duck in, check out the exhibits (shrunken heads, a chupacabra, two-headed raccoon, some sea monsters, one of which looked very much like the alien the Russian fishermen ate [pic below]), and chat with the proprietor. She said they're hoping to get a bigger space in which to feature some live performers, but I actually prefer my gaffs and curiosities locked up securely in glass cases, thank you.

I tried to sell them my dad, but no takers. So instead we kept walking the Boardwalk with my parents. Nice time. Mom seemed healthier than she's been in a long time. Dad bought three baseball caps for $9.95. He almost picked one with a cannabis leaf, which would have been awesome, but then he went in a different direction and I was spared the shame of being caught getting a cheap laugh at my visually impaired father's expense.

I think my next novel project is going to be my weird beach YA, and visiting a seaside freakshow just amped up my enthusiasm for it even more.



***

megmccarron had recommended Venice Grind as a comfortable Westside coffee joint with free WiFi where one might get some writing done. Worked out nicely.