California and other things

Update
Tuesday mom and I met up with her friend Vikki who was at the conference with her husband. We went to the San Jose textile museum and the SJ museum of modern art. Both very inspiring and facinating places. At first I didn't really want to go to the textile museum because I thought that it would be boring, I thought we would learn about how flax and wool were produced. Not that that isn't interesting but it isn't facinating....do you understand? Anyway it was as I said before very facinating. The Artist on display was a California artist by the name of Jean Ray Laury, she is a spunky women who has been making amazing quilts for years that pioneer women's right. She is def a feminist! Her spunk and creatively were made apparent in her work. After my tour of her amazing works of art I looked in the gift shop to see if I could find anything to bring home to show you (my friends) but the photo's of her work were of poor quality and just didn't do justice to her pieces. I found a photo of her in one of the books, she (lol) is this cute trendy old lady with mamoth red rimmed glasses with a cherry shaped mouth. As I was looking through her book this women of the same features walked directly through the door, it was a very surreal experience! It was her! So I went and said hello and told her of my appreciation of her work. She was just as sweet as her picture depicted of her in the book I perused.
So then we moved onto the SJ museum of modern art. Tres cool! They were displaying a private collection of Chicano artists. These are artists who are activists for the rights of American Mexicans, so I recieved a history lesson with my viewing. The upper half housed ceramic scultures and multi media images. I liked it a lot very experimental images.
Wednesday
I had the day to myself. I welcome relief! Dad gave me the car and I went to the huge mall up the road. I really didn't want to road trip on my own for fear of getting lost by myself in a foriegn land. I panic when I get lost. Anyway so I went to the mall and was sickened by the sense of materialism within. I really don't like malls anymore, God is taking me to a new level of simpler living. I'm begining to really be content with what I have already and to desire only what I need. I think being broke has helped me to understand how to not spend. While I was at the mall I was assaulted by the innocent intentions of two younge sales men trying to do their job and make a commision. I blushed and giggled with embarassment as they petted my ego and tried to cop a feel at my wallet. Afterwards I came away with the feeling of being robbed of my dignity and the air being too thick for me to breath into my lungs. The world was spinning from these two forward gentlemen who used charm and fast one liners to lure me to buy some of their products. Urgghhhh I have such a bad taste in my mouth still thinking of it.
To rid myself of these experiences I went and had lunch at whole foods, their I was surrounded by eco friendly goods and envrio concience college students for clerks. After lunch I then went to Barnes and Nobles and lost myself within a book I did not buy.
Yesterday (Thursday) mom and I went to Carmel. This was a good and bad experience. Everything started off okay but then soon escalated out of hand. Urgghhhh I hate remembering but want to tell it. So in the car I began to get very lethargic and tired. I really had no desire to go to Carmel. Carmel is a very wealthy town filled with beach side houses that are quaint but elaboratly designed to out do their neighbours (I before e except after c or as in neighbour and weigh?). So needless to say I felt out of my element and out of place. Mom was sooo excited to be their and in her excitment her voice became even higher than it usually is and her chatter increased even more. I began to get agitated and started using my 'don't bug me' tone of voice. She became irritated with me because of my lack of enthusiasm and began to get even shriller in her tones, and was calling attention to us even more. This increased my agitation more because I was trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. I was getting bossy and mom was getting hurt by my curt answers. Well things erupted in a photo shop over buying fuji film.
This ended in mom and I confronting each other on a street corner. Mom told me to sit down for fifteen minutes and pray. This agitated me more....but I did it knowing I needed a breather from her. I then felt this cloud around me slowly lift, the migraine I had went away as well. I realized how big of a bitch I was being and felt shame and remorse. I really felt like some sort of opressive spirit had settle on me. Mom came back and I apologized, I explained how I didn't like the materialism of Carmel and that I felt awkward in the town. We made up and the day went much smoother. I really felt like that encounter is the begining of something new for me. Oh God help me to be more sensitive to my mother and to express my feeling better rather than lashing out.
Today (Friday) we went up along the coast to Big Sur we had half a day of sunshine and half a day of rain. We saw some great ocean scenes and some decent sized Red Woods, we returned back to Carmel briefly and showed dad around. Nothing too eventful other than I had the best burito in my life outside of Pfieffer national park.