DAY FOUR – 22 January 2015
Insomnia
aside, I actually felt pretty decent when I woke up. The stomach was
still a little queasy, but a lot less than it had during the night.
Eating an assload of antacids seemed to do the trick. Once the breakfast
area opened, I went down for some grub. That will be the real test of how
it was. Hannah was down there too, but she was getting an earlier start,
so didn’t stay very long. I mentioned that I hadn’t heard anything from
her, and the offer was still open if she wanted me to drive to a place for decent
food. Of course the food I ate last night wasn’t decent, but I omitted
that fact. Again she said she’d consider it. I’m sure she was just
being safe to make sure she wasn’t getting into a car with some creepy
dude. Won’t fault her for that at all.
My first
stop of the day was in Costa Mesa ,
as there was another new dealer contact for me to meet. That went well,
and we had good discussion. When it was time for me to set up my
equipment, he offered me either an out-of-the-way office, or an empty desk in
the middle of the Service Department. Oh, I’ll stay among the Service
Advisors, because it would probably be more fun that way. They chuckled
“Oh, the GM guy is sitting with us today, we gotta behave.” I said just act
no different than they do any other day. It was more fun. They were
getting work done, and handling issues, but there was positive energy of people
enjoying their jobs. And it put in the position if I was needed for any
escalations, I was there. For me, being around that level good vibes was
doing wonders to take my mind of stuff at home.
Once I
was done there, I bid the crew in the Service Department farewell, until the
next time I was here. I hopped on Interstate 405 and then cruised east,
which took me past John
Wayne Airport Irvine ,
I was close to Lake Forest
so I tipped over there to find a place for lunch.
I drove
around in a grid pattern looking for restaurants, but I was able to get great
views of the mountains in the distance. I’m not sure which ones they
were, but as usual the best views came when it wasn’t the best opportunity to
take a picture.
After
looping around one street, I spied a plaza with a place which had a “grand
opening” banner. That seemed like a good place to try. The
establishment was called Java Bakery & Café, and was very much like a
Starbucks, just with a larger sandwich selection. Kind of like Star Co in
Round Rock where my writer’s group used to meet, before the venue changed
hands. The interior layout could’ve been designed a little better, as it
caused people to bottle-neck, but it made for a great amount of outdoor
seating. The BBQ chicken Panini I had was quite good. The place
needed more than one bathroom, because I wasn’t able to wash my hands after the
meal because someone was taking a nap in the loo.
At my
dealership in Irvine ,
once I was set in an office, I had the highlight of the trip. Normally I
don’t mention work stuff, but this merits it. Not only did I do an
escalation call with a customer which took him from being “extremely pissed
off” to “extremely happy,” but an hour or so later the customer came down to
the dealership and we talked extensively, which cemented the situation and
ensured his satisfaction. Since I’ve been doing this gig, I’ve waited for
that “in-person” meeting, that first time I’d get to interact with a
customer. And I always hoped the first would be a good interaction, not
with a rabid and/or crazy customer.
The other
highlight of the week happened between those two customer interactions. I
phone call I received from someone, and the resulting 40 minute conversation,
made me extremely happy. While this didn’t resolve the situation at home
by any means, I could hear the sound of the person who she used to be peaking
through the darkness of her recovery. That gave a lot of hope for the
future. And how the situation had been going, I hadn’t been seeing much
of a future at that time, so I had a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings.
The car shots here are some classic models which were sitting at the dealership. None were for sale, obviously. It was nice when I needed to stretch my legs to be able to wander about and check out some of these vintage items.
My
original plan today was to leave the dealer a little so I could drive to Laguna Beach , and then take PCH back through Newport Beach , to Huntington Beach ,
and then back to Seal Beach .
The idea was I could watch the sunset over the Pacific. But due to dusk
coming earlier because of the Daylight Savings, it’d be dark when I was
leaving. And it’d be rush hour anyway, so while I might be able to see
the sunset, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it (much less take any pictures of it).
The
dealership had some old cars present, and I liked taking pictures of
those. While I was doing that, I noted how beautiful the sky
looked. It’s not over the ocean, but it was going to be the only sunset
I’d get to see this trip. I’ll take what shots I could.
I
mentioned to the receptionist she was missing a great view, and she said that
happened a lot because she was tied to her desk phone. After I snapped a
few shots, I came in and showed her the pictures so she could enjoy it by
proxy.
As I
cycled through some of the other pictures I’d taken, and was telling her about
my blog, she mentioned her friend did a travel blog too (called BKL Photography).
I knew I was strictly amateur, but when I checked this out, that confirmed
it. That’s the blog I want mine to be, considering some of the locations
visited. Well, I work with what’s available to me, and to the best I got
with that. Still, go and scope this site out. Us writers need to
stick together and support one another.
Considering
it was rush hour when I was leaving the dealership, it made the most sense to
return on the 405 the way I came, instead of trying to pick up PCH. A
highway drive, even with stop-and-go traffic, will move faster than a two-line
parkway with lights. I got off in Westminster ,
as it was a straighter shot back to my hotel. I stripped out of my suit
and tie into a polo shirt and khakis, and got some brief work done. Again
there was no word from Hannah if she wanted to be taken to a better
restaurant. Okay, driven to a better restaurant, as I couldn’t pay for
her meal on my expense account. Hope she’s happy with fast food, as I’m
sure as hell not.
My friend
Alexis at Sparkles wasn’t working tonight, but she’d previously recommended Beachwood BBQ
to me (which was right next door). I popped in to see what the wait was,
and I could get a seat immediately at the bar. After I placed my order,
and not getting anyone to engage in a conversation, I people-watched.
There was
a couple to my right who I gathered were business partners, and by the way they
talked they were both attached. And by the way they acted, the level of
familiarity they had with each other, I’m sure whatever happened on this trip
stayed on this trip. A couple and their lady friend came in and sat to my
left, saying they wanted to be able to experience what it was like to eat in
Texas. I mentioned as I was from Texas ,
I was looking forward to seeing how this compared to what I had at home.
Their response was their friends had told them this would put any Texas place to
shame. They seemed rather resistant to conversation, and their lady
friend wanted to keep having a margarita which she never reached bottom
with. I’m gathering she wasn’t having a good day.
I’d
ordered the smoked chicken dinner plate. While this normally came on the
bone, I asked if they could de-bone it, so technically it was “pulled.”
For the sides I got the potato salad and asparagus, with a slab of corn
bread. The chicken was a little dry on the first bite, and then I
released I was blind. There was a tray of five different sauces sitting
in front of me, which greatly enhanced the already good flavor. Certainly
not as good as what I can get at home, it was great meal. After I ate,
then I walked the Seal Beach Pier, as I’ve done every night here. Considering
the big meal I just had, it was better to have the walk afterwards.
For more information on the places visited or mentioned:
Java
Bakery & Café: http://myjavabakery.com/local/home.php
BKL
Photography: https://bklphotography.wordpress.com/
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