Spent a lovely weekend in La Jolla where I spoke to a group as part of the San Diego Jewish Book Fair. Yes, New Jersey was having an unseasonably mild November, but the same temperatures over there seemed so much nicer. (Shows how spoiled they are out there: they thought it was cold.)
For logistical reasons, it was easier for me to spend two nights there than just one, so I went up early Saturday and a few hours later was basking in the California sunshine. Since this was an event arranged via the Jewish Book Council, everything was prearranged. I was met at the airport by David B., who treated me to a little tour of the area before bringing me to my hotel, driving by the beach and various points of interest.
During the afternoon, I took a walk over to the lovely shopping mall across the street. Actually that sounds closer than it was; because of construction in the Mall’s parking lot, I had to circumnavigate quite a bit to get to my destination. I was wearing my Mets cap and fell in with a couple and their infant son who were attending a Christian marriage seminar at my hotel. The husband commented on the Mets’ season and we spent the next 20 minutes or so talking baseball, which is obviously a connection across human spectrum (at least in La Jolla).
The next day, Raquel C. whisked me to the venue, Temple Solel, a lovely reform synagogue in Cardiff by the Sea. She had made her home in the area in the early 1960s, immigrating from Mexico; take that, Trump. I spoke to a small but enthusiastic group (perhaps 7:30 on a Sunday night wasn’t the most ideal of times for a larger audience) with the able partnership of Dr. Shira Oretzky, a sports psychologist who works with young and professional athletes, and Ami Strutin Belinoff, a former Maccabiah athlete who also works with young athletes. It was back-and-forth discussion, my preferred type of discussion,rather than a more formal presentation/lecture followed by a Q&A.
A book-signing where I had the opportunity to meet some real sports fans. One woman was a relative of the late Pierre Gildesgame, an Englishman who was instrumental in the establishment of the Maccabiah in Pre-Mandate Palestine. Small world. It was a kick to see they not only had The Jewish Olympics on hand, but my previous project, 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die.
The next day, I was driven back to the airport by Mark S., who, like all the other drivers, was a transplant to California. A former resident of Brooklyn, he was a big baseball fan (see above, re: connection) so between the Dodgers and Padres we had that to talk about.
Speaking of Padres, I did break a streak of sorts when I passed on the opportunity to buy a team cap at the airport. One of my hobbies is collecting such items when I visit a city that has a major or minor league team. But as I’m trying to de-clutter, I figure this was as good a time as any to give it up.
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