2011 was an insane work year for Special Ed. After working continuously for most of the year, he got the opportunity to travel to California for a few days to relax. Work was picking up the bill which made the trip all the better.
I left for Santa Monica on the 15th. I headed out of work early and got on the road at a very reasonable time. The drive out was very relaxing as I had no plans when I got there. I arrived in Venice around 10 and acquired the keys to the Beachelor Pad. I was looking forward to some sleep and hit the hay pretty quickly afterwards.
Friday was fantastic. I got up and got moving. I checked into the hotel and got everything set up for the next few days. My watch had died, so I wandered around Marina Del Rey, finding a watch shop and a great Korean BBQ place for dinner. In all of the trips that I've made to the LA area, I've never really spent time at the Santa Monica pier. I jumped in the car and drove over to that area. I cruised the malls and then spent an hour on the pier checking out the rides. It was almost 11 by this time and I knew that I had a big day ahead of me. I passed on partying with some friends and chose to catch up on some sleep instead.
Saturday was the day of the big show. GoldenVoice was having a 30th anniversary party at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and I was going. I got over there around 1 and hung out through soundcheck. Ronnie flew in and got there just in time, missing out of the last few days of the Avenged Sevenfold tour. With the sound checked and everything squared away, Brian, Jay, Ronnie, and I decided to go get some Mexican food. In retrospect, this was a bad choice. We headed back to the venue and did the show. The lineup was great and the bands sounded terrific. We all parted ways. I dropped Brian at his hotel and headed back to mine to gather my thoughts. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to do that as the dinner gave me food poisoning.
Sunday was less productive than I hoped it would be. I slept in as I was up most of the night. I was able to finally get myself pulled together and get over to Ronnie's house. We grabbed a couple of bikes, cruised all over Venice Beach, and then stopped for food/beers at a couple of different spots. Sadly, I was starting to feel kind of crummy again, so I headed back to the hotel to sleep it off.
Monday was a very easy day. I got up but still felt terrible. I was able to make it home and get situated. Once everything was unpacked, I got a little more sleep. Overall, a great trip. I wish that I had been a bit healthier to be able to do more though.
