Half work, half vacation.

After guzzling coffee in order to be conscious for work at the crack of dark,  our crew managed to over-achieve and get 10 hours worth of work done in six. Coffee shakes make wrapping cable go much faster.

When we found ourselves done before noon, most of the crew dispersed to go home and nap, but one of my co-workers and I decided to go to the beach.

Despite the fact that it’s currently hotter that my oven’s ‘broil’ setting here in Los Angeles, the beach was relatively empty. Mostly locals mixed with a few brave off-season tourists.

Because the Santa Ana winds blow east to west, the beach was just as hot as downtown (usually, the winds blow from the ocean east, which makes the beach areas 10 or 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the city), but since the break’s currently about 300 yards offshore, it was like swimming in a lake.

No giant rouge Pacific waves (they sneak up on you and sucker punch you), and clear, cold, extra refreshing water.

We even found free parking.

After walking in the sand for a while (gotta get in that leg workout), we just floated in the water and looked at the sky.

Eventually, I went numb from the cold, which felt extra wonderful even though the ocean stole my sunglasses (I forgot to take them off my head).

Sadly, beach time ended and we crawled through rush-hour traffic in the parched, sweltering city, still brushing the sand from our shoulders (hey, I wasn’t in *my* car) and regretting that we had to leave the ocean at all.

Filed under: crack of dawn, life in LA, locations, Work