“Oh my gosh, you’re home already,” was the comment from my San Diego landlord, whose name is Mom. I was gone a total of 49 hours, of which 12 were spent driving and 14 sleeping. (Although I was alone, some part of the sleeping hours may have occurred during the driving hours, so total hours are approximate.)

My 23 hours were mixed. My trip had for its primary purpose visiting someone who’s ill. Our visit was delightful, but there’s no pleasure in seeing someone suffer. Alas, I’m glad I went!

The balance of my 23 hours was spent walking, reading, eating, drinking, shopping, and getting a haircut, mostly in that order. Here are some highlights:

Saturday dinner was at Ironside, a hopping seafood restaurant in Little Italy. (There’s nothing Italian about the place but Burger Lounge has a Little Italy location, too.) Anyway, I started with a cocktail called a 50/50. I don’t recall its contents, other than gin, and I’m no fan of coupe glasses, but it was more than fine. Then, I had Fried Oysters with citrus gremolata, saffron aioli, and pine nuts. Accompaniments were Roasted Baby Beets with chimichurri, and Fried Potatoes. One fine meal.

The night before, I wandered a bit, and ended up at Dobson’s, where I enjoyed a decent martini.

I have been to Dobson’s several times. First visits related to bankruptcy hearings in San Diego, associated with a major land fraud scam in Arizona. (Private responses only, to explain why an Arizona case had hearings in San Diego.)

Then, I was in San Diego for Sir Michael Fay’s boat party in 1988, after he lost the America’s Cup to the catamaran which Dennis Connor skippered. A client and friend had to deliver a silver bowl to the America’s Cup loser. I was along for the trip, but I did meet then Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.). Anyway, we sat down for dinner at Dobson’s at midnight (after enjoying plenty of fine food and wine on the boat). It became evident, within moments of our arrival, that the visit had as its purpose providing cover for one (married) member of our party—not my client/friend—to bump into a much younger lady friend at the bar. Imagine how such a coincidence could have happened!

More recently, Dobson’s served up a fine lunch during what ended up being the first in a series of meetings which resulted in my becoming General Counsel for Pima Medical Counsel. So, definitely worth a visit!

Dinner was at home, with takeout from The Kebab Shop, an excellent min-chain in Southern California. Grilled salmon, with Greek and Cucumber Dill salads. Fine food!

Oh, I enjoyed my only lunch at barleymash. One Blue Moon, hold the orange slice. The perfect vacation lunch, right touch after a fine haircut at Floyd’s 99 Barbershop.

I know this post is out of the ordinary for MRW. Frankly, I’m out of words right now, after Friday in Paris. I sense a reckoning, with too many decades during which the Western World has ignored too much, but I need to do more research and crystalize my thinking. So, for now, I think those of us who do not play a role in deciding how the world works need to take pleasure in our blessings, and give lots of hugs.