I love her like a day at the beach

My niece is here!!! Yippee!!! Yesterday (Friday) I left work in the middle of the day to pick up Lisi at LAX and then came back to work. Poor thing was bored, I'm sure, but got to see me run around like a chicken without a head to get stuff done. We came home and were so tired we both zonked out before 10pm.

Today was gorgeous. Did you go outside? It was perfect. So instead of my exciting plans (laundry and returning a bra in Burbank) we headed to the beach. I took her to Zuma because I like it there and, quite frankly, it's fun to say. Say it with me, "Zzzzzuuuuma." Right? Anywho, I'm challenged in the distance-judging department. I'll tell you something is two blocks away and it's more like five. I thought Zuma Beach was a lot closer to the Sunset/PCH intersection. I thought it was just up the street from Gladstones. I kept saying, "it's just around the corner. No, that's right, the next corner," until we passed Pepperdine and I finally admitted to Lisi, "clearly I don't know where I'm going." But we eventually found Zzzzuuuma and got ourselves a nice spot where we could do what girls do at the beach--watch the menfolk and get a tan. The water was icy but we weren't there for the swimming. This guy and his daughter plopped down in front of us while weren't watching. He had really bad back acne (bacne if you will) and this attractive pose.I think the pot belly is my favorite part.

Since Lisi is vegan these days we decided to stop at the grocery store and not risk the local restaurants. There's a Pavilions right down the street from Zuma. Yep, right down the street. Around the next corner...Okay, truly, I should not be allowed to navigate. We ended up at the Vons on Santa Monica Blvd in West LA and got some salad fixin's and various sundries. While shopping, an older woman looked at Lisi and said, "oh, I'm freezing. I just want to pull your shirt down." We laughed but as we turned up the next aisle, Lisi said, "That's Mom speak for 'you're dressed like a whore.'" I love this girl.

We were starving (we hadn't eaten breakfast and spent hours in the sun) so we got some baby carrots to eat on the way home. Then, on the next corner, I saw a fruta stand. "Fruit Guy!" I shouted and whipped around the corner pissing off everyone behind us. The fruit guy was not at his stand so I pulled into the car wash there and asked all the guys if they knew where he was. They just kept trying to get me to wash my car or move it. "But I'm waiting for the fruit guy," I told one man. "You have to move," he replied. "How 'bout you kiss my ass," I shouted back. I told Lisi to wait for the fruit guy and I pulled out to find nearby street parking. Why did I do that? The girl is a man magnet. I mean, just look at her--Suddenly the fruit stand was the place to be and by the time I got back there was a line. We got our fruit with everything--salt, chili, lemon--and ran back to the car to chow down. Two bites in Lisi said, "Oh My GOD, why have I never had this before?? Now I understand why you were so insistent." Ah, another convert to fruta. We finished the whole bag (the $5 size) in about five minutes.

Tonight I took her to a movie premiere! It was for my friends' movie [Movies 101--hopefully coming soon to a theater near you], but back in Illinois it will be a huge premiere. Thanks Jax and Chris! It was fun! We zipped back home so she could get ready and now, as I type this, she is out with her friend Dani (I'm assuming the spelling) who lives out here but goes to school in Illinois. Is it wrong that my parting words were, "Remember, I don't have bail money"?