Phil Gyford

Monday, I avoided the conference tutorials and headed north, walking 30 blocks to Hillcrest where I boosted my cholesterol levels (in a good way) with a big breakfast at City Delicatessen.

I was in the area for On the Record, a music store a friend had tipped me off about as worth a visit (it’s here). It was good, but even better there were two more CD stores (CD Warehouse and Record City) and three second-hand book stores (on the same block as On the Record) only a few steps from each other. Heaven.

Maybe it’s a sign of age that I prefer bookshops over CD shops these days, and I’m rarely as happy as when browsing an American used book store. My bag is now somewhat heavier and my “to read” list somewhat longer.

Later I met up with my cousin Tom, who moved out here a year or so ago and is now working as a farrier. We went for my first In-n-Out Burger before his appointement to shoe a client’s horse. Standing in the sun, seeing planes come into land at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, watching Tom shoeing a stubborn horse certainly beat sitting in a hotel conference room.

Then, off to Tom’s where we picked up Laura, stopped off at Fry’s Electronics, and went for dinner at Casa de Bandini in the almost Disney-esque San Diego Old Town; it’s impossible to tell if any of the buildings are old or if the whole area’s been constructed to be a friendly old area.

Finally, to the hotel lobby to catch up with friends, before checking out of the Emer3g1ng L0ft and heading to the comfort of a friend’s spare hotel bed.