Rosa Linda Román (00:29): Hello, and welcome to New Mexi-Castaways I'm Rosa Linda Román, and I am talking to you on a LimeBike, LimeBike. It's a thing, it's amazing. I got to tell you about it, but first, let me say hello. If you're new to my channel, basically, New Mexi-Castaways is my family's audio journal, really my audio journal. And I like to call it Rosa Linda's Ramblings. Basically, I just kind of share my experience, my adventure along the way as my family is now a full-time traveling family. And before this, we were living full time on a 45-foot sailing catamaran called the Dawn Treader. Oh, I'm watching a plane land, WestJet. And if you've ever landed in San Diego, you know, it lands just right over the city. The planes just go right over the city, and then, land on this runway that I would imagine could to be harrowing for the pilots, but it's overlooking San Diego Bay. Rosa Linda Román (01:37): Right here in this spot, I can see sailboats in a marina and a bunch of them are more involved. And in the distance is a military tanker, two of them, actually. I just passed like, the main airport area and now I'm about to pass the U.S. Coast Guard station, which is over here on my right. I got to describe just how San Diego looks. The trees are green. Everything's flowering. The temperature is beautiful. It's the beginning of June, first day of June, and everywhere else that I've been because I've been, basically, across country this whole week. Wow, I have to pause cause I'm looking at a guy on the military base kneeling, actually, a [indiscernible] looks like he's getting either instruction or something on folding a flag with proper decorum, and was very just impressive to look at. Rosa Linda Román (02:48): So, this whole recording intro is a perfect example of New Mexi-Castaways. I basically just share whatever I see. I try to get dive deep occasionally into some of the process of what it's like to travel with three kids now ages 13, 11, and seven, and generally, a German shepherd who is now two, and my husband, Nathan. But anyway, it had been, oh, what I was going to say is the temperature, everything compared to here is hot, hot, hot. I just flew here from Austin where it was like a hundred degrees and Florida was right up there too, where we were before that. And yeah, it's just very hot around the country. But San Diego is cool at night and in the mornings, and even now in the hottest part of the day it's got a nice, cool breeze coming off the water and it's beautiful. Rosa Linda Román (03:51): So, I wanted to check in because I'm doing this thing. I came here for a women's weekend, which I'm about to start the process of heading to in the next few hours. And it's not typical women's weekend. It's like a growth-centered kind of intensive workshop weekend. So, I don't really know what to expect on that. But before I do that, I wanted to explore San Diego a little bit. And it has been so long since I have been in San Diego, at least for any amount of time. Thank you. I know, sorry, I'm riding a bike while we talk. So, every now and then I have to make sure I don't run anyone over. Anyway, San Diego has been a city that I've just adored since back when Nathan and I probably were dating 20 years ago. His parents used to have an apartment here in San Diego. Rosa Linda Román (04:54): And we used to come here on weekends or for a week or two in the summer and loved it. That was a guy coming on a bike very fast, very loud, but that's good because I would hate to veer into his path and kill us both. And anyway, so San Diego just really was their home away from home because he's from Tucson where it's super-hot in the summer, obviously. And so, his folks would always come to San Diego and just being here has brought back so much of the joy of this city and those memories. Losing his parents was just one of the hardest things we've ever had to endure and still haunts us daily over the loss of two of the most important people in our lives. And frankly, when you lose a loved one, especially, the way both of them passed on when battling a disease, it's really, really hard to get over the fact that they are gone, number one. Rosa Linda Román (06:05): But also, you can't wipe your mind of the ending of their… you can't get over the loss, and the last part of their life tends to be very sad because they're sick, cancer, or whatever other diseases. And so, that's what's in your memory when you think about them and it just breaks your heart over and over and over again. But I knew them for many, many years before that, before they're sad, before the loss. And I have so many happy memories and just being here makes me realize that a lot of those happy memories are here in San Diego where we used to just come and go to great restaurants and, you know, ride bikes around. Sorry, sorry again, I just came up on my left but didn't any warning. Anyway, it's so funny to see all these, good morning, I guess afternoon, to see all these boats in the harbor and think, wow, seems like so long ago, but it was only two weeks that we were on a boat like that, not in San Diego, but in Florida. Rosa Linda Román (07:24): Anyway, so it's just so nice to be in a place where I remember them vibrant, and alive, and happy, and healthy and exploring the way that they, I think, would definitely want to be remembered. So, yeah, just that feeling of being here and sharing that thought instead of the feeling of sadness and loss that sometimes haunts us. It also happens to be the Rock n Roll marathon and half marathon this weekend. So, there's lot of fit people running around town and it's always a fun thing to watch. So, let me tell you about LimeBike. You can hear all the noise of the traffic and whatnot, but I've already gone 1.6 miles since we started talking. LimeBike is such a cool idea and there's other ones besides LimeBikes. So, it's not just that brand, but basically, everywhere I go in San Diego you'll see like on the side of a walkway or in the bike rocks, you'll see bikes. They're in this case lime colored green and yellow, and they have a little lock on the back tire that locks through an app. Rosa Linda Román (08:52): So, you basically download an app, and you find a bike, you scan a QR code, which it basically takes you to the, I mean, in the app, you scan it, and then, it unlocks the bike, and then, you take the bike. And you ride it wherever you want. The first couple rides were free for me because the first one is free, plus they gave me a dollar-off coupon and the first ride only cost a dollar. So, I ended up paying nothing for the first, actually, three times I used it. So, then I just rode all the way from downtown San Diego to the airport. And now I'm on my way back, but all that riding only cost a dollar, which was awesome. And so, I get to explore San Diego, and see the sites, and enjoy this lovely city before I head to my weekend and I'm getting to exercise to boot. Rosa Linda Román (09:54): So, yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. I don't know if the audio's going to work on this because of the wind noise, especially, here on the on the bay, but I'm going by the area where the Southern Pacific Berkeley, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, there's a submarine, several, like, what looks like a pirate ship, several old vessels, and then, a big, big ship with massive sails and old, old [indiscernible] the star of India. And those are boats that you can tour. So, it's a very touristy area. So, I probably should pause so I can rewind my way through the tourist and I will get back up in a minute, standby. Rosa Linda Román (10:48): All right, I'm back and I had to take the requisite photo of the big ship. And now I'm continuing and it's interesting. I'm riding on the street now, which I don't love doing with no helmet. That's the downside of this whole movement is I don't see helmets anywhere. I see people with helmets, occasionally, but mostly not. And I don't love that. So, next time I come here either with my family or just by myself, which Nathan and I are talking about coming here when our kids are in summer camp at the end of July, I think I will definitely make a point to bring our helmets with us because it's not just the LimeBikes, but they also have… I'm getting back on the sidewalk. Hopefully, no one… it seems like most people ride on the sidewalks, which I would rather with all the heavy traffic and there's two sidewalks. There's more of a pedestrian one by the pier and by the area of the boats and I'm on the outside by the street. Rosa Linda Román (11:57): So, that's what I'm going to, hopefully, not cause too much trouble for anyone. But yeah, the helmets, I think that it's not just the line bikes. I see I'm passing one right now called Oso, O-F-O, which are yellow, and discover bikes I'm passing as well, Discover bike which are gray. And then, there's also scooters. They're like powered scooters, electric scooters that have, the company is called Bird, B-I-R-D and you basically do the same thing. You hop on a scooter and power around town? And they go really fast, so I definitely would want, there goes two right now, two guys on the scooters in the street going very fast, obviously, with no helmets or anything like that. So, yeah, I'm not in love with that idea, but you know, it is what it is. I'm going to make sure to bring helmets next time we come. I'll have to make a mental note of that. Wow, something smells really good. I think I might have to go find myself something to eat. But yeah, I love San Diego. I'm happy to be in a place where it is where it's brings me back to happy memories, feeling good, and it's not too hot, and it's just, ooh, a great place. So, I am going to pause again so I can figure out where I'm going, and then, I'll continue after that. Rosa Linda Román (13:41): All right. Well, I am back. It should be somewhat quieter now because I'm in the car. And I have my rental car, and I'm just going to be driving. So, hopefully, that'll make it easier for you. Hang on. Somebody is coming to my car. Hi. Speaker 1 (14:04): Sorry [crosstalk]. Rosa Linda Román (14:05): No, it's fine, yeah. Speaker 1 (14:06): [indiscernible]. Rosa Linda Román (14:05): Okay. Speaker 1 (14:09): [indiscernible]. Rosa Linda Román (14:10): It's not updated? Speaker 1 (14:12): No. Rosa Linda Román (14:13): It may just be a bad spot, sorry. Speaker 1 (14:16): Okay. Rosa Linda Román (14:17): Is it on Google Maps? Speaker 1 (14:21): Oh, because we get the navigator from the rental. Rosa Linda Román (14:24): Oh, you did. I see, but mine doesn't have that. Speaker 1 (14:27): This is your phone? Rosa Linda Román (14:28): This is my phone. Yeah. Speaker 1 (14:29): Oh, I see. Okay. Rosa Linda Román (14:30): They may know the people. Yeah, I'm sorry, mine doesn't work. Thank you. Okay, so that was someone clearly from another country who is trying to figure out about the sync function of the GPS that the car rental company gave her. And I don't use that. I'm using Google Maps. Rosa Linda Román (14:57): So, hopefully, she figured it out. I was no help whatsoever. But I'm on the road now. Okay. So, let's back up. I rode my bike all around town and loved it. I super love the idea of that LimeBike. Had a great time riding around town. I definitely have to come back to San Diego with Nathan and with my family, but for now, I'm in the car heading toward the mountains. Well, actually I'm just leaving the airport. I have a rental car and I ended up taking, so the way my trip went so far is I went to, I flew from Austin to San Diego, took the 992 bus from the airport over to downtown San Diego. And then, I walked quite a ways and not too bad, but I walked down fifth avenue to my hotel, and it felt great to… Rosa Linda Román (16:07): Oh, I have to go straight. So, if this guy lets me in, thank you, sorry, I'm doing what Nathan does when I'm talking to him on the phone. And he gives me a play-by-play of his driving challenges. That's what I'm doing to you guys. Anyway, so took the 992 and loved the availability of public transportation to get around town. And so, I got to my hotel and that's when later that day I discovered the LimeBike and fell absolutely in love with this idea of bike sharing. Oh, look at that. I have the phone on a little tripod. I'm sorry, this recording is a hot mess. I have the phone on a little tripod because it doesn't fit on my dash, which I hate. It's just a, a poorly designed dash, which should allow you to put your phone there so you can look at GPS. Rosa Linda Román (17:12): And when I turned the corner, it fell into my lap. And so, yeah, I hope I'm still recording. Anyway, so I used the LimeBike several times. I started from the Seaport Village to my hotel, the Hilton Gaslamp, and went maybe a mile, a mile and a half or so, and that was free. Then today I got another bike and I went from my hotel down all the way down to… I want to say it's Embarcadero or something like that, but anyway, down toward the airport and sat a little bit, oh, I also went to Office Depot, because I I've been thinking about the fact that I'm not allowed to bring tech to this retreat or this intensive workshop that we're doing, but I really want to write because when I'm actually alone that's the time that I want to write. Rosa Linda Román (18:14): And if I haven't mentioned it before, I am just starting work on a book, which people have been bugging me for a very, very, very long time to actually write a book and I have written screenplays, but have never really put anything out into the world because I have an issue with actually releasing anything into the world. So, the fact that you are hearing this in its terrible disjointed form is a miracle, or maybe someone later years from now when I'm dead are going to go back and listen to these recordings and say, "Wow, she never did anything with them." And that's possible too, but let's hope I'll be optimistic that I actually finally released something and you're listening to this this recording. But anyway, so I'm starting to write and I didn't want to bring my brand-new computer because to get to this… when we go to this camp or intensive weekend there's no tech for two days and you're supposed to leave anything that you can't bring in in the car. Rosa Linda Román (19:24): Well, I don't know what the circumstances are and I don't feel comfortable leaving my brand new laptop computer there. But now here I am with this time on my hands and I could get some writing done. So, it was driving me nuts and I thought, well, one of the things I could do is get a little wireless keyboard. So, I went down to Office Depot and I got myself a wireless keyboard, which I love, I didn't get to do much writing, but I will on the back end of this trip. And I synced it through Bluetooth with my phone. And by the way, I just merged onto i-5 south and just north of downtown. So, I'm just merging onto I-5 south, and holy traffic. If this was my experience with San Diego, I would not have loved San Diego. Rosa Linda Román (20:15): Luckily, I did not have to do this. Most of the trip I got to go from my little hotel down to the port area, and bike around, and get some exercise, and feel good. Because if I was sitting in traffic, I don't think I would enjoy this city very much at all. And right as I speak to you, a Southwest plane is going right over my head. So, that was cool. So, I've got about a 47-minute drive, which is interesting. Apparently, I'm in the wrong lane, which is also interesting. And I'll just give you that play-by-play as we go. Thank you. Anyway, so I got my keyboard. I'm going to do some writing after this workshop, which is kind of funny because my mom when I described to her what it is, which it's very vague. There's a lot that I don't know about what the weekend is going to entail. Rosa Linda Román (21:16): When I described it to her, she's like, "It sounds like a cult. It sounds like they, you know, no tech, they've cut you off from all communication." Even my brother-in-law who is staffing this weekend, I'm not supposed to really talk to him or hug him, or I don't even know. So, when I was telling my mom all this and it's for personal growth, that's the idea is, I'm going there seeking growth and learning more about myself, hopefully, and hopefully, not be totally tortured and hate it. But my mom's like, "Are you sure that they're not going to ask you to join a cult?" So, that's been the joke all weekend. I've been like, "Okay, I'm just a few hours from checking into my cult and I won't have any tech. " Rosa Linda Román (22:08): So, I didn't want to bring my computer, but I do want to do some writing when I'm done with the cult weekend. And so, this keyboard is perfect, because it synchronizes with my phone or pairs up with my phone, and I'm able to type, and I have this little tiny tripod, the one I'm using right now, which it's so cute because it came from a Stikbot Studio. Now, if you have kids, you may know what this is. If you don't, you have no idea what a Stikbot is. They're these little tiny plastic characters that you use and you pose in different positions and create stop motion animation with, and they're super cute. And we've had them for a few years now and have made some cute little videos with the kids, but the company has grown. And so, now they have like a little green screen kit that you can buy with a tripod. Rosa Linda Román (23:05): And I found that that tripod is the best tripod for all of my selfie, not selfies, what do you call it? Timed photos and anything that I want to do. Like, right now, I've got it propped up on the dash, and assuming I'm not going to slam on the brakes, it seems to be perfect spot to be able to see the navigation and be hands-free. So, that's cool. So, the whole reason of me telling you this is I use that tripod, set that on my phone, on the tripod, on the table, and with my little keyboard, I've got like perfect little typing set up. So, now I have no excuse not to work wherever we travel, even if I don't have my laptop available. So, all of this to say that I think that when I'm done with this intensive, I will, hopefully, do some serious writing. Rosa Linda Román (23:59): I won't be staying in the Gaslamp downtown district. I don't think, it's a little bit farther away, but that's okay because I think I'm going to want some time just to process whatever is going on this weekend and not necessarily be all social in downtown San Diego. And then, we'll come back. Nathan and I will definitely be coming back. We have to because I just love it here. All right, I'm still kind not moving in traffic. I'm going to pause to just make sure everything's recording and then I will be right back. Rosa Linda Román (24:44): Okay, I'm back. I checked my GPS. I know where I'm going. I also had a conversation with the person who I am actually picking up which is a woman that is participating in this workshop as well that I don't know, but my brother-in-law, a friend of his, who he brought from Arizona with him, and because Ari is staffing, he needed to go do whatever the work part of it is. And so, she needed a ride from the hotel. So, I'm picking her up. I'm on my way. I don't know who she is, but that should be interesting. And I'm just kind of wrapping up my alone time before I go into this weekend or whatever you call it, workshop. So, what can I tell you? I guess it's a long enough episode, not too much meat here, except to say that I have rekindled my love for San Diego. I mean, there's no substance to this episode, just me kind of rambling and talking about traffic and riding on a bike. Rosa Linda Román (25:49): But it's been really… it's a great town. I definitely will come back and that's kind of what's on my mind anyway, just where are we going now? My family is still in Austin, and they're doing their various sports and various activities. Ahava is training intensely now at a gym there called AcroTex that has welcomed her and she's been doing a really good job training there and making good progress on her gymnastics Ziva has been participating in Project Serve volleyball and that's been going really well. She was really nervous. It's been interesting watching as the kids get older, the moments that they get shy or embarrassed because one of the plus sides, I think, of living on a boat and being a traveling family is that you get to learn how to adjust to new situations and you accept that change happens. Rosa Linda Román (26:55): And I just think that's a very positive thing. You're not totally devastated when something changes in your life, but there's also the moment just like any other kid where they feel shy, or self-conscious, or hesitant. And Ziva experienced that when she came back to Austin. She very much loved her volleyball team, but then, we said goodbye and said we were leaving. And she just wasn't sure she wanted to go back, but she did go back. And yesterday, last night when I wasn't there, she was her first day back and it went really well, so well that one of the girls that she… one of the ones that she really enjoys her mom said, "Hey, we there's a tournament this weekend, would Ziva like to team up with Sydney and be her partner?" So, while I'm gone, Ziva is going to be playing in a volleyball tournament, which, whether she wins or not, she loves doing. It's super fun. Beach volleyball is such a great sport. Rosa Linda Román (27:56): And in my fantasies, my two girls would be playing on a team together. But of course, that's not Ahava's sport, so I never push that. But you know, in an ideal world that would be awesome because then they can play together. Like, every tournament our go-to would be watching both of them. But that is not the case. Right now, Ziva is playing volleyball, Ahava is doing gymnastics, and Samuel is still searching for his sport, which of course is a little bit more challenging because we are on the go all the time. And I don't know, I don't know what's coming next. Whether I'm going to leave this women's weekend with a better sense of clarity and focus. I don't know. I hope so because I have so many questions and there's so much that I just really haven't been able to figure out what I really want for this next chapter in our lives. Rosa Linda Román (29:03): It was interesting seeing the boats today. I have to say it I wasn't feeling all devastated or heartbroken as I thought I might when I looked it at boats in the harbor after having moved off the Dawn Treader. I miss it, but I'm okay. I'm kind of embracing this full-time traveling thing and I've enjoyed exploring and especially, coming to a city that I really enjoyed has been really fun. So, I wouldn't have been doing that if I was on the boat. The other thing is we have some interesting, a potentially interesting development. The gentleman, the couple who bought the boat from us, Doug and Susan, they have asked us or offered for us to come sail up the coast with them in a few weeks because they don't know the boat yet. Right now they're getting work done on it at the place that we had it. Rosa Linda Román (30:04): And so, you know, there's a lot of systems on the boat that they're unfamiliar with and they're going to have to learn about. And so, kind of jokingly when we were selling the boat during that time, Nathan said, "Well, you know, you should have me come and sail up with you to help you learn all the systems." And he said, "Yeah, that's a great idea." So, then we thought, okay, it's going to be just Nathan and the couple. And then, they said, "No, we'd love your whole family to come." Which is super exciting. The timing may not work out, but I love the thought that we might get one more sail on the Dawn Treader, and with such a sweet couple would be even better. So, we'll see if anything develops from that. For now, I think I'm going to say goodbye, wrap this up, and focus on maybe listening to some podcasts myself before I get to this workshop. I hope you guys have a growth-filled week and wherever you are, whether it's joining a cult or doing a weekend, you are enjoying yourself and you're in a city that you love with people that you love even if those people are just you by yourself. All right. Take care. And I'll talk to you soon, I'm Rosa Linda Román.