The acclimating.

       As a local, I decided we should be doing the things that locals do. I mean, working a day here put me in the category of local, right? Regardless of the fact that I had been here a whopping five days, I was going to do all things native. With a little guidance of a more "long-term" local from work whom I had badgered to find out what us inhabitants do, Mom and I found a fun pizza place with quite the inspirational wall: Pieology. Think subway for pizza with just as many toppings and a great price. I've learned that a positive sign to look for is the packed restaurant at lunchtime, and this one definitely met that criteria.
       After lunch we found the beach again, which I've since learned does not have waves because of multiple small man made islands outside the Port. This was followed by a restaurant recommended by our AirBNB hosts called Belmont Brewing Company. It is on the beach with minimal parking, which required an experiment to see if my car would be the noble recipient of a wrong-way-parallel-parking ticket. It wasn't, luckily. But the view from the restaurant was stunning. This view inspired Mom's suppressed instagram talent and produced this beauty.

 The next day we got to move in to my home for the next twelve and a half weeks. The apartment isn't gigantic, but definitely all I need to be comfortable. Plus, it has a separate living room and bedroom, which was a luxury we took for granted until the Extended Stay and my-early-to-bed-for-early-mornings routine versus Mom's stay-up-late-because-why-not routine. We made a Target run as well as Best Buy (I have Netflix and an HD antenna in lieu of cable) and I felt like I was getting settled in. This ended with a token In-N-Out Burger run which happens to be located entirely too close to my apartment to not become a staple.

 The rest of the week was completed nicely with a good couple of days learning about the hospital and eating some great Mexican (not Tex-Mex, I think) and an adventure called Green Field's. Technically, Green Field Churrascaria, it is a Brazilian Steakhouse which means all-you-can-eat which means they have way lots of meat which means you are going to get all the protein you need for the next five seasons of your life in a super fancy setting. If you every have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it, but proceed with caution. Certainly a great end to an awesome trip with a spectacular mom.