Ladies and gentlemen, we are very proud to present our very own Miss March, Marya Figueroa… the effervescent heart and soul of the interweb, known to bajillions as Emdot. She’s the kind of gal who makes you want to make virtual friends because behind the fiber optics is someone very real and very true who sends you real mail to your real mailbox. We love her and we adore this love letter to her beloved SLO.
The Scent of SLO
San Luis Obispo County is like its own bag of potpourri. You’d be hard pressed to find a better smelling place. Now, I understand that that might sound like the strangest thing, “You love the way your town smells?” Indeed I do.
It smells like orange blossoms and jasmine and eucalyptus – everywhere you go. Fresh spice from the pepper trees; salty ocean, bay leaves, and sage. And always orange blossoms, jasmine, and euc. Heaven.
501s
Are you there God? It’s me, Marya. I just want to say God, thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for providing a job and a community that thinks that jeans are perfectly good clothes to wear to work, out at night, and anywhere else I happen to go. In addition, thank you for the Levi company and their stroke of blue-collar genius, the 501 jean.
The 501 jean is like the denim equivalent of comfort food for the body. No, no. More than that. It’s like the denim equivalent of a security blanket. Forgiving. Comfortable. Excellent when frayed.
Living within walking distance
I’ve lived within five blocks of downtown San Luis Obispo for the last fourteen years. And I have kissed my lucky stars every damn day of them. I get to walk to where I need to go.
How much do I love that? It’s hard to express, really. But love it I do. Go get a beer with friends? Walk there. Want to go shopping at whatever boutique? Walk there. Farmer’s market? Local band? Get a bite to eat? Walk there, walk there, walk there.
Pen to Paper
Give me a fine-tip, black-ink pen with perfect ink flow and I am your woman for life. I don’t know what it is. I spend most of my life in front of a computer screen and, truth be told, I’m a pretty good typist and love tap dancing my fingers across a keyboard. But pen and paper are my first loves and no amount of easy delete, cut and paste, or spell check is going to change that.
I love the way ink sits, soaks, or spreads out as it hits the paper. I love making the shapes of letters, strings of words, or ever evolving and growing doodles. Sure, the computer is great, but when I need to figure something out, get to the nitty gritty or really spill my heart, you’ll see me with pen in hand while the computer sits idle.
KCBX, our local NPR affiliate
I’m a bonafide NPR junkie. I’m pretty sure this means that I have officially turned into my mother. The advent of streaming audio on the web means that I could listen to NPR straight from the NPR-horse’s mouth or from any of the stand-out stations in the bigger metropolitan areas – LA, Philly, San Francisco, Chicago. But I gotta tell you: nine times out of ten, I’m turning on the radio so I can hear it SLO-town way.
The DJs live, love, breathe music. And they bring it. Jazz to classical. Blues to world. Early swing to best of bebop. And they live, love, breathe community. And they bring it. From knowing the names of people who subscribe during pledge drive (“oh Joe! Great to hear from you again.”) to putting on the area’s best music festivals, wine festivals, and Mama’s Day celebrations. KCBX: I love you.
Sharing meals at Big Sky Café with Sevens
I’m not sure if this entry is about loving to share meals with my boyfriend or if it is about loving to share meals with my boyfriend at Big Sky Café. But since we eat there more often then any other restaurant and since I love, love, love to split meals with him there, I guess it is the latter. Currently: breakfast. I get a Turkey Joe Scramble and he gets the Pancake of the Day (we both cross fingers that it is the Pumpkin Journeycakes or the Sweet Potato Journeycakes) and we eat half of each.
Maybe it sounds too simple. Too ridiculous. But it warms me to my very toes and starts a Sunday in the most deliciously perfect way.
Highway 1
I’m from California, so highways are important. And none says California more than Highway 1. It runs from San Diego well past San Francisco. In Southern California they call it the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). In northern California they call it Cabrillo Highway. Where I live, we just call it Highway 1 and most people probably take it for granted. Not me.
Highway 1 takes me on those day trips I love: scenic to Santa Barbara or scenic to Big Sur. Scenery so beautiful that people will travel just to see it. And me? I get to travel it regularly; it takes me where I want to go, from visiting my mom for dinner, to getting to work, to most anywhere I need to go that requires a car. And what do I see? Ocean. Sand dunes. Sunsets. Pelicans. Wineries. And more ocean. More ocean. More ocean.
Cream in my coffee
Pour it in. No really. More please. Yes. Perfect. Delicious. Thank you.
Barefeet
First thing that happens when I get home? Those shoes get kicked off. At work? Kicked off (don’t tell my boss). In the car? Kicked off.
The Perfect Keychain
I could only wish that the letter M would make such a mighty fine keychain. One, I love the loop. And though there is only one key here, you can easily see how it could comfortably hold a pocketful of important door openers. Two, it is the perfect size. Three, it is the perfect weight. Four, it just looks cool.
So, as a person who does not have a K to my name, why do I have a K keychain? It holds the key for the kitchen at work. And not everyone gets a key to the kitchen at work. Problem is, everyone needs the key to the kitchen at work. So I share my kitchen key. And my very cute K keychain.
19 comments
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March 27, 2007 at 8:42 am
jandazza
Perhaps the singularly most brilliant intro ever, “Are you there God? It’s me, Marya”
March 27, 2007 at 10:10 am
meeralee
I want to give your whole entry a big hug, Marya. Hug your town’s smell. Hug your windy Highway 1. Hug your keychain (ouch). Hug breakfast at Big Sky with your boyfriend (:-)). Hug YOU. Hug hug hug.
March 27, 2007 at 11:35 am
emdot
you guys are awesome. thanks! 🙂
March 27, 2007 at 11:36 am
:10 Things « house of emdot
[…] out my 10 Things contribution over at the 10 Things web site. Posted by emdot Filed in […]
March 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm
mennogirl
Great list, I love your descriptions of the smells of your town. Maybe its because I have never had a very good sense of smell myself, but I love the language of smells, “Fresh spice from the pepper trees; salty ocean, bay leaves, and sage” ah lovely!
March 28, 2007 at 5:33 pm
jandazza
Mennogirl, ain’t this post the greatest? Love the way you described it, “the language of smells.”
April 4, 2007 at 9:22 pm
maureen
one of the best … no, probably the best written thing to go with your 10-things i’ve read. your photos rock; the stories make the pics even better. thanks for sharing those 10 things.
April 10, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Carrie
Mar, I miss you! Thank you for reminding of so many ways to love SLO. This week in the news there has been a black panther spotted in my hood of Squire Canyon. A black panther! The large cat kind (200+ lbs), not the ’60s equal rights kind. How’s that for something to say about your hometown 🙂 Lunch. Or coffee. We must. Soon.
April 10, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Mark G
Marya… nice piece of work… sounds like you are still enjoying the SLO life. Still miss you at WA. Hope to run into you soon.
April 11, 2007 at 1:24 am
Chester
m. (!)
Yup, all of us at the dub-ass caught wind of your feature here.
Very cool. I love reading your stuff. You have that indescribable thing about your words that put me right there, where you are for just a moment, and a moment more.
Toodles!
April 11, 2007 at 12:28 pm
emdot
I love you guys!! 🙂
carrie — lunch yes soon no sooner.
grande! latte! yea! 🙂
chester… aww. you dubbers… 🙂 xoxoxo
April 12, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Liana Harlan
Ahhh, I miss those smells in SLO. You describe them perfectly!
May 1, 2007 at 8:06 pm
marya
My name is Marya too
May 1, 2007 at 8:07 pm
marya
How do you pronounce your name?
May 2, 2007 at 11:17 am
Greg
My great aunt and uncle used to live in SLO. We would visit them every year in December, and I can still remember that smell from 40 years ago. It didn’t smell like home to me, it smells like Christmas.
June 12, 2008 at 7:22 am
Cara
Wow…I love this post, I’m going to link it to my blog. It has been almost 9 years since I left SLO to live in Ukraine and you hit the nail on the head! I LOVE Big Sky! I would add to it, Gus’s Grocery Sandwiches, Del Monte Cafe BLTs with avo, Lineea’s tea with a game of Scrabble…and SO MUCH MORE! Also used to live with in walking distance…and worked at the Creamery at the old Foods For the Family, for those who remember…..anyway…WONDERFUL writing! Keep it up! 🙂
September 13, 2009 at 7:24 pm
kelly
do you know where you purchased the k key ring… i love it and have been trying to find it everywhere!!!
July 17, 2010 at 4:22 pm
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[…] The whole article is over at the 10 Things web site. Also, check out the 10 Things Flickr group. Join and share the little things you love, too. […]
December 29, 2012 at 1:41 am
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