Nixon Library and Birthplace

I make Chris take a lot of stupid pictures of me. I can't help it.


Honestly, Reagan has a better part of the Berlin Wall.

Butterflies

You cannot see any butterflies but I promise you that they are there.





And just so you know...



Of course, they're not on they're way to Mexico. They live in Pismo Beach. Why would they want to go anywhere else?

Happy Holidays

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometimes I cannot believe that I have actually been living in San Luis Obispo for the past year. I think this mainly has to do with the fact that since I arrived here back in August 2004, it has felt like September in Indiana. It is hard enough for me to keep track of the passing of time with all of the seasonal changes that those of you in the Midwest get to enjoy four times a year or, if you are lucky, four times a day. When the weather throughout the year fluctuates between 65 and 85 during the day and every night year round is between 45 and 55, suddenly life becomes a little harder to keep track of for this naive Hoosier.

For the first time since I left for college in 1997, I have lived at the same address for two years in a row. This is a miracle. A bigger miracle, however, is the fact that I am actually looking forward to spending the holidays in Indiana because I will get to see snow. I have spent so much time around all of these crazy Californians that I actually think that snow is this great novelty item and I cannot wait to go home, see some, and come back to the warm 75 degree weather and brag to everyone I know about how I got to see snow while I was home. I might even make a snow angel if I can find a nice patch of snow in my parent’s backyard that I am not afraid has been tainted by Holly. Of course, when I get home, I will realize this is a ridiculous idea since I will not have any clothes warm enough to wear during this task. In all honesty, I will probably tell my friends here that I made a snow angel no matter what I do since they will not know any better. Obviously, California has made me a liar.

This year my travels were fairly limited since whenever I leave California I tend to journey to the Greater Indianapolis and/or Chicagoland Areas. However, I did finally have the chance to experience the glory of San Francisco and, to say the least, I was not impressed. I also made several trips to the beautifully smog filled areas of Los Angeles, Orange County, and the glorious San Fernando Valley. Other than that I traveled around the Central Coast and visited such exciting places as Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, the spot where James Dean died, and Nitt Witt Ridge. I also spent a lot of time attending local festivals, street fairs, and art fairs. By the end of the summer, I realized that avocados were more exciting than garlic and that I was fascinated with art.

Once the school year started up again, I decided to start experimenting with hobbies. I spent October as an artist. You can see my not-so-good attempts at art here (http://michelleclemons.blogspot.com/2005/10/not-artist.html). In November, I decided to celebrate National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.com) and finally sit down and write that novel that I have been talking about writing since undergrad. It is probably one of the worst things that I have ever written but I met my goal of writing over 50,000 words during the month of November and I will worry about if any of it is salvageable once National Novel Editing Month rolls around in March.

I hope life is going well of all of you and that your holiday seasons are filled with many joyous moments. Although I am really bad at staying in touch, I do think of all of you often and would love to hear about what is going on in your lives.

Love,
Michelle