Training Day

As mentioned previously, we took a day trip down to San Diego on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. The train left Irvine right on time...and arrived in San Diego one hour late. It turned out for two reasons to be more of an ordeal than we had planned.

The first problem cropped up a few minutes after we left Solana Beach. As we headed up the winding Miramar Hill the train came to a stop for what we assumed was a red signal. That part was correct. What we didn't know was that the San Diego Northern Railroad, which operates the tracks in that area, had suffered a nervous breakdown in their computer system which resulted in every single signal on their tracks turning red, and thus stopping all traffic. They finally figured out that it would be safe to proceed, but because of the computer problems, the train crew had to manually align every single switch we came to for the rest of the trip into downtown San Diego. That involved moving the train very slowly, stopping at each switch so a crew member could hop off the train and work the switch controls manually, and then proceeding slowly further down the track. That must have happened 10 or 12 times. It was a slow crawl to Union Station.

The second thing which made the trip seem interminable was the conversation we had to listen to from two morons behind us. One was a UCLA English major who had boarded in Los Angeles, and the other a 20-year-old Marine PFC from Iowa who got on in Oceanside. It was a match made in imbecileville.

Now, let me just say that I have a tremendous amount of respect for the military, but this kid was a total loser. The entire extent of his conversational ability revolved around drinking - all the times he'd gotten drunk, places he's passed out, how much Jack Daniels he could drink, etc. She wasn't any better, asking a series of questions or making comments that would have embarassed and UCLA alum.

The topper came when Mr. Iowa Marine complained about California liquor laws, and then proceeded downstairs to try and buy a beer. He was carded, of course, and turned down.

No problem. Ms. UCLA went down and bought it for him. Two-two-two misdemeanors in one! I was glad to get off that train.

We walked down to Seaport Village, had lunch, shopped around a bit, and on the way back took a route we hadn't taken before and came across some interesting sights.

Here's the USS Midway, now a floating museum. We visited the Midway a couple of years ago and you can read about that trip here.

Right across from the Midway is a small park with a couple of interesting memorials. First is a giant statue dedicated to "The Greatest Generation" and features a recreation of the famous VJ Day photo from Times Square of a sailor planting one on a nurse:At the of the park overlooking San Diego Harbor is a unique memorial to Bob Hope. It shows hope standing up at an old style microphone entertaining a variety of troops who represent the various theaters and wars where Hope traveled.Well done.

The trip home was uneventful, except for another moron who was bragging about his latest drinking spree and was on his way to see his "ex" in Orange County. On the way there he argued with her on the phone and almost got off the train at one point. How do these people get so screwed up?

We'll have July 4th at home, and then it's off to Vegas, baby!