I’m back. I’m tired. But it was fun. I’d really like to write about a life lesson we learned the hard way: never get sick when you’re out of town (out of state!) in a strange city and don’t have a car, especially when it’s the night before you have a really early flight home. But telling that story requires pictures and I haven’t even begun to upload the nearly 400 photos I took. So for now, I’ll share some impressions instead:

My impression of airlines: Not helpful at all these days. Remember when they used to want to help you out, maybe make things a little easier while you travel? At one time wasn’t there such a thing as “distressed passenger” assistance? Yeah, not anymore. You are nothing but a boarding pass to them. Accept that now and you’ll be better off.

My impression of the Phoenix part of my trip: It was the best idea ever to have Brad come with me. I loved having him there.

My impression of the Scottsdale Hospital Emergency Room: Pretty decent. Except for when they put a six-and-a-half foot man in a bed that must have certainly been made for a child because no adult human could be comfortable in that thing, then gave him a blanket that couldn’t possibly cover his ankles and shoulders simultaneously, and finally forced him to use his sweatshirt as a pillow until his girlfriend scrounged around the makeshift linen closet without permission and wrangled him a real one. Other than that, it was as good as an emergency room experience can be.

My impression of southern California: So diverse! The people, the places, the landscapes.

My impression of Hollywood: So commercial. I guess that’s to be expected of a place like Hollywood, but I’m getting pretty sick of having iconic places and landmarks ruined for me by cheap commercialism and smelly tourist crowds. Yet somehow I’m always drawn to those kinds of places. I guess because I want to put them on my Been There Done That list. But visiting Hollywood didn’t feel like visiting Hollywood—it felt like visiting Anytown, USA, only there were stars on the sidewalks and all the shops sold the same plastic magnets and picture frames and cheesy t-shirts that had “HOLLYWOOD” painted all over them. I’m still glad I went though.

My impression of San Diego and the surrounding area: very cool. There was so much to see and do, and we crammed as much as we could into four days (look for pictures coming soon).

My impression of Erica and Noel as hosts: Possibly the best ever.

My impression of Ronia, their baby: Possibly the cutest (and most edible) ever.