Aquarium

Friday night of the Dental Convention the CDA members were able to buy tickets for a night of music, food and fish tanks! My friend, Dr. Scholler hosted a speaker at the convention and was given two complimentary tickets to the event. I had no intentions of going out Friday night, but my friend Monique thought she would volunteer me to go to the Long Beach Aquarium when I had excused myself to the restroom. Let me explain...


Friday morning I got up at 4:00 am to get ready to head down to Anaheim for the California Dental Convention. I picked up my friend Monique at 5:00 am and we embarked on the 2 hour drive to Anaheim. Once arriving at the Convention Center I attended classes with Monique on exciting topics such as gum disease and dental implants. (note the sarcasm) These lectures were loaded with color slides and charts and graphs. In order for the slides to be viewed in graphic detail the lecture halls were dark. I did everything I could to stay awake, but I was caught on my friend Heidi's phone snoozing at one point. After 6 hours of classes we met up with a doctor that Monique and I have worked sub hygiene work for. Monique had arranged to meet for drinks with Dr. Scholler after he was done being a host for one of the classes. I was ready to fall asleep in the hotel lounge while we waited for him. Shortly after Dr. Scholler arrived I excused myself to go to the restroom. When I returned my friend Monique was shoving a ticket in my hand and told me that Dr Scholler and I needed to go catch our bus to the Aquarium! Monique insisted that I go and that she would be fine back at the hotel. So off I went to go get on the shuttle bus with Dr Scholler.

I've never been to the Aquarium in Long Beach before. It was a really cool experience. It was a little odd looking at fish with Dr. Scholler, but the fish were amazing and you couldn't help but get excited about it. I kept thinking this would be really fun with my family. When we got to the dinner part of the evening we sat with a few other people and one couple did assume that we were married. I think they were really confused when they asked where we lived and I said Ventura and wasn't sure where Dr. Scholler lived. He later explained that we were not married. I said "well yes, we are married, just not to each other." Dr. Scholler and I thought it was funny but the other couple just looked really confused.


When I got back to my hotel I found out why Monique was so willing to have me go to the Aquarium... Her husband, two daughters and a friend had driven down to join her in Anaheim! They were going to spend the weekend at Disney Land while Monique and I were at the Convention. I was a little put out by the situation but tried to make the best of it. The only positive thing regarding this arrangement was that the hotel room had a private bedroom and I got the private bedroom. The down side, only one bathroom and I still split the cost 50/50 with her. UGH!
Regardless, I loved exploring around the aquarium... watching the colorful fish, discovering the camouflaged ones, marveling at the prehistoric looking fish, and appreciating the dangerous ones, all in all it was an incredible evening.