RAIN! Glorious Rain!!

Today marks an important milestone in my California adventure. This morning, I woke up, looked outside, and the ground was wet. There was freaking water outside!!

This was a first time in the 4 weeks I've been here I've seen so much as a gray cloud, and to my utter jubilance, there was water falling from the sky! Never in my life have I been so happy to not see the sun.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't that big of a deal. it was lightly raining for about 4 hours, and then the rain stopped, and the clouds slowly diminished so much that I was wearing sunglasses on my way home from work. But damn it, that rain made me happy. It reminded me of home, and the spring showers that turn my yard into mush in April and May.

And then something I think quite unique to Southern California happened. People on the highways somehow forgot how to stay in one lane, brake without swerving, or just overall drive properly.

Seriously? First, kids in Alabama had to sleep overnight at school because of an inch of snow, and now people in San Diego can't even navigate a small shower?? Seriously people, it's not that hard. You don't take hard turns, and you brake 10 feet earlier. That's it. But no, it took me an extra 15 minutes to get to work this morning. Let's put that into perspective. It took me 45 minutes, to drive a whopping 21 miles, on a 65mph freeway for 17 of those miles!

I would therefore like to amend my previous request for a recurring SoCal driving test to include driving through a puddle.

Californians are Like Starbursts, on Wheels

Since I've moved to San Diego, I'm been met with nothing but extremely nice and polite courtesy from most of the people I've encountered, be it at the gym, at work, or even at the grocery store. Everyone around here just seems to genuinely care for each other, and take pride in living in a (relatively) safe, nice, and caring community.

Unless of course, you're on the road! 

I'm fairly certain that California cars have some kind of Jekyll/Hyde gas coming out their vents (part of the smog check, maybe?) that turn California drivers into every character ever seen in the Fast and Furious movies. Spontaneous lane changes, no turn signals, consistent 20 mph OVER the speed limit (not necessarily complaining about that one) make me very leery to want to drive anywhere. And there's absolutely no regard for the other drivers on the road! 

Take merging, for example. I personally make sure I let in one person in front of me, from the merging lane. Apparently, that is a completely foreign concept here! It's no wonder the freeways are backed-up all the time, with nobody letting anybody in until they're 6 inches from scraping the side wall!

Let me make a suggestion. In order to get one's California registration renewed this year, one must successfully allow a car to merge in front of them. Also, they must also demonstrate the actual use of a turn signal. And stay in one lane for more than 10 seconds. That shouldn't be too hard to do, right?

Right?
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Guys?

I Think I've Got a New Habit

This morning, I decided I'd finally get some use out of my roller blades while I'm in San Diego. Last weekend, when I my aunt was showing me around the city, we stopped an awesome bar & grill, called the Pacific Beach Ale House. Great beer (house brewed) and amazing food! And they're pet friendly, which is awesome. I knew I wanted to go there again, so I decided I'd do my roller-blading at pacific beach. Sunday morning is a great time to get acquainted with a new area, there's no traffic and parking is easy to find.

I had never skated along a beach before. Ever. And I gotta say, it was so much fun! You see the waves crashing along the shore, birds flying around, families playing together in the sand, etc. It just puts you in such a good mood! And the great thing is, everyone there is in the same great mood. They've got a smile on their face, and are so polite to one another, it's uncanny. I would've skated for hours, except for my knee starting to hurt.

After my workout, I decided to walk over to PB Ale House. My take from the day: There is nothing better than staring at the waves crashing along the shore, with a beer in your hand, and friendly conversation all around you. I was just so content. 

I think today I finally realized why people love living in San Diego so much.

The Most Interesting Grandma in the World

Today, after getting new goggles, I finally was able to take advantage of the 24 hour pool available to me at the gym I go to. It only has 3 lanes, but I figured on a Saturday afternoon, it wouldn't be too busy. Right.

Unfortunately when I got there, all 3 lanes were taken up. In retrospect, 4pm on a sunny, warm Saturday afternoon seems like a prime time for a swim. Duh. The cool thing is, the gym also has a huge hot-tub. I like this gym.

So I decided to sit in the hot-tub to wait for a lane to open up. But I was not alone. There were two older women, enjoying the hot-tub and carrying on a conversation. I got in on the other side of the hot-tub (it was a big hot-tub) and minded my own business. However, I obviously couldn't help but overhear their conversation...

Woman 1: "DOS was so nice, because anyone could change any program to suit their needs!"
Woman 2: "I agree, programs these days are so walled-in, you can't change any freaking parameters in them, not like you could in DOS, for 4tran..."

At this point, I really couldn't help but join in on the conversation. Here were two women, one roughly in her mid-50s and the other well into her 60s, maybe 70s, and they're talking about COMPUTER LANGUAGES! I was floored. I have never experienced a blend of the 'when-I-was-your-age' and nerdy 'my-programming-language-is-better' outside of perhaps a couple discovery channel documentaries! Needless to say, they are now my two most favorite old people.

I'd provide more dialog, but my memory sucks and it's easier to summarize. Basically, the older woman was some sort of computer programmer back in the day. She was talking about how bad she feels for kids these days because they A) have no idea how to create their own programs, and B) can't change the deep parameters of existing programs to suit their needs. And the younger of two recently switched careers (for what to what, I don't know), and was having to learn how modern computer languages are written and used.

Eventually, I did get to get my laps in. I sincerely hope they are there next time I go to the pool. A guy could learn a thing or two from these incredibly intelligent women!

At a Right Angle

Get it? 90 degrees? That's difference between the temperature in San Diego this afternoon, and my school back in NY. And I really don't know which end of the spectrum I'd rather be at.

I miss the cold. I miss those days we would just have to find the warmest, biggest blankets we had, and cocoon ourselves in them. Soooo comfy... 

On the other hand, here in Cali, I can actually go outside in the same clothes I wore inside, which is handy. And I got to watch the sunrise over the mountains on my way to work this morning. That was cool. Although I suppose I could've seen the sunrise in Potsdam too, if I didn't get hypothermia waiting for it.

Good News, Bad News

My last couple of days have been a whirlwind of elation and stress. Here's recap on the good news/bad news see-saw I've been on:

Good News: I got my car this week!
Bad News: My Uncle noticed something leaked from it overnight...

Good News: I finally got to socialize with some of my co-workers after work at bowling!
Bad News: I drank just a little too much, and had to sit at the bar, sobering up for an extra couple hours so I could drive home...

Good News: I upgraded my Galaxy S3 to Android 4.4 KitKat (by modding it)!
Bad News: I stayed up WAY too late flashing the software, and got only 4 hours of sleep. Also, I lost all my apps and data on my phone...

Good News: I figured out what the leak was!
Bad News: It's motor oil. There's a rust hole in my oil pan. That is out of my skill level to repair, and should be wonderfully expensive to fix.

So essence, when it rains, it pours. Except it doesn't rain here in San Diego, so I need to find a new metaphor. I do realize that many of these bad happenings were my fault entirely. And I will, however reluctantly, accept that. That's life. I really don't like however, when things entirely out of my control go wrong at the same time I'm being stupid. That, however, is also part of life. 

The Automobile...and Frickin' Traffic

I originally planned on driving to California. True story. 3000 miles, 40 hours of driving, and 4 days of country-crossing bonding time with my father (Needless to say, I was thrilled). But then we looked into the costs associated with doing this drive, compared to flying. $400 in gas, $500 in hotels, $200 on food, and $300 in Vegas (bummed I didn't get to do that) led to the conclusion that it was just about the same price to fly across the country and have my car shipped by truck. So in the spirit of saving time, and ruining my first chance at Vegas, I decided to fly.

Today, I finally came to regret that decision. Because today, I FINALLY received my car. An entire month after we ordered it to get picked up! Here's some advice: If you want to ship your car across the country, be sure to tell them it will be ready at least 3 weeks in advance of when you actually want it shipped. Sure, the company will say they can get a driver in less than a week. They are lying to you. I wanted my car shipped here before Christmas! Also, the price they quote you is NOT a guaranteed price. I ended up paying $300 more than I was quoted. That's about what my plane ticket cost!

But damn, am I glad to see my car. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I took Route 67 to Poway (essentially up a mountain, for non-locals) and DIDN'T have to beg my car to make it. The rental I had for the past week was a Chevy Sonic. I think most lawnmowers have more oomph. That car was tiny.

But I will give the Sonic credit where it's due. It was so small, I could easily navigate traffic. Which is a big thing here. My Subaru Legacy wagon is a boat comparatively. I HATE the traffic here. Absolutely abhor it. Every highway has 50 lanes and no one knows what a turn signal is. I may be exaggerating, but you get the point. I'm used to two-lane, windy roads and being able to get more than 20 miles in a half hour. Today, I had to leave work at 5 instead of 4, because of having to go receive my car. From now until I leave this city, I will do everything in my power to avoid driving at 5 PM. It took me 20 minutes to a whopping 2 miles on Route 125. I thought I was going to fall asleep just sitting there. And I have one request to San Diego-ans: Learn to let somebody merge in front of you. If everyone lets just one person in front of them, these jams would last half as long.

Booze. Booze Everywhere...

In New York, we have a law that prohibits stores from selling liquor, unless they obtain a permit. I'm sure California has a similar law. I do not think however, California knows how to NOT give out these permits. Which, for the record, I'm not complaining about, just observing.

In New York, if we want to buy liquor, we must go to the liquor store. In California, if one wants to buy liquor, one must go pretty much to any supermarket, grocery store, or mini-mart. Or they can go to the liquor store, I suppose. Every place I've shopped for groceries sells liquor. Target has liquor! I had to do a double take when I walked past the wine & liquor aisle there the other day. Californians, I'm not saying your alcoholics (THIS article does that for you). I think you're practical, actually. Why should we have to go to a designated liquor store on top of going grocery shopping? Answer; we shouldn't. I think its cool you can buy liquor at any grocery store.

But here's where I get confused: There are also actual liquor stores! I mean, how do these guys stay in business? If any Californian would explain that to me, I'd appreciate it.

So. Warm.

While the rest of the United States is looking like the never-ending winter of Narnia, I've been experiencing my first week in San Diego. Sunny, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky San Diego. I'm so not used to this constant blue sky thing they've got going on here. In Potsdam, NY (where I go to school) even when it's not snowing, it's cloudy. Those rare days where we get a peak of sunshine are few and far between. Am I right Clarkson students?

And I almost miss it. Well, mostly, I miss the shade. There is none here, at least not near me at work. Every day I've gone for a walk around town during lunch, and each time I kick myself for forgetting my sunglasses in NY. I'm not used to the constant barrage of sun rays beating down on my face. And the lack of trees is particularly unsettling for someone whose grown up within a quarter mile of some kind of wooded area at all times. And no, palm trees don't count. Sorry.

I know I shouldn't complain. I'm in the warmest part of the country right now. People are actually DYING from the cold right now. Which brings me to my next point...

CITIZENS OF SAN DIEGO: You are NOT cold. You do not need to stay inside to keep warm. It is 60 freaking degrees outside, with a slight breeze. That is beautiful weather! I absolutely love going for a walk during the day. And driving with the window down. And wearing SHORTS again! I can get a glare off my pasty-white legs, but I don't care. Because I'm not getting hypothermia wearing them. But I see people in town wearing pants, long sleeves, jackets, sweatshirts, etc. I even saw a woman wearing a ski jacket inside CVS last night. I barely wore my ski jacket when I was actually skiing. Ya know, in snow? That white, cold thing you don't get here. I think I'm little homesick. I want to make a snowman.

Seriously, I've seen more sun this week than I have in the last year..

Just last week I moved from cold-as-balls New York to sunny, never-rains southern California. The day I left, there was 8 inches of snow on the ground, and it was in the single-digits. When I landed, it was 65 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, nor flake on the ground.

It was the first time I'd seen asphalt sans ice in over a month. Yes, even with all the palm trees, flip-flops, and Carls Jr.'s(everywhere), my attention was toward the ground. It was just so WEIRD! If you're from upstate New York, I think you'd understand. In the winter, we just assume and accept that there is absolutely no traction on that white, unforgiving surface we call a road. My brain just could handle switching to 'summer' mode so quickly. Even now, a week later, I'm still braking WAY before I need to before a stop light.