Well, I was nearly born there, and definitely raised and schooled there, so some of these are so true, some less so. My notes, as relevant, are (hey, and just some fun here, so dont get upset): #1: You’ve never called it “Cali.” The only people who call it “Cali” aren’t from California. -- Ah, so definitely true. I literally cringe whenever anyone says it, just in the way that Oregon people go into conniption fits when outsiders say Or-re-GONE rather than Or-re-GUN. As the author put it, calling California is like calling your mother by her first name. lol #2: Burritos are a constant topic of conversation while abroad. -- Is this true? Maybe now, I guess, but seems to me California expats are always talking about trying to find the best Mexican restaurant rather than obsessing over just burritos. But as I said, who knows. #3: Other English speakers don’t understand your English. -- Well, I barely understood the example, so maybe so. lol. I always thought that Californians had the universal English - the dialect that anyone could understand. Definitely better than those NBC Nebraskans and Hoosiers. ;) #4: You’ve asked someone, “Why do you live there?” -- Well, this is definitely a California trait I have witnessed, but for me I never could understand it. I was always eager to move somewhere else - for the adventure if nothing else. #5: Living somewhere rainy makes you seriously depressed. -- Well, many folks say so, but I have always disliked excessive sunshine. I mean everyone gets all leathery and dresses up rather lazily. Its also when everyone brings out their rich boy sun toys, and I end up feeling poor and depressed, so opposite effect. #6: You’re the best effin driver around. (Sorry, I had to censor that a bit. I am not an Australian, after all) -- But em. . hmm. Dont know that I agree with that. I do know that Connecticut has the worst drivers in the world. No contest. I think Osaka drivers are the best, actually. They are wild, they push the limits of the law, they race three cars through the intersection after a light turns red, they zig, they zag, they exit driveways by just stickin their cars out in the street to make you stop - BUT THEY let you change lanes, they let you pass, they show you some courtesty. What a great combo. #7: You act all tough whenever there’s an earthquake. -- Definitely true. LOL. I think you actually do become tough, not just act it. I almost slept through the big Northridge quake in 1971, waking up only because my mother rushed in to tell me there was an earthquake. I was also in Japan for the Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake in 1995, and although half of the water (and fish) in my aquarium ended up on the floor, I had no idea it was a bad quake until I got out into the town and saw what had happened. #8: Snow kinda freaks you out. - True for lots of folks, but thats true for folks in any non-snow environment. I didnt even see snow until I was 16 years old, and I didnt see falling snow until I was 26. In fact when I first saw falling snow I was on the Osaka Loop Line near Kyobashi station. I at first thought that there must be a big fire somewhere for there to be that much ash floating around. lol #9: You’ve got a special PCH playlist. - Ha. I dont know if I had that. I dont even think I had anything to play a playlist on in the days Id drive along the Pacific Coast Highway. #10: You have an incorrigible avocado habit. - True. But of course it was a bigger craving when I was in Japan during the early years and avocados cost almost $7 a piece! Prices later went down to the relatively normal prices point, so I didnt think about them as much then. Paying for them always seemed weird though, at any price, since as a kid wed get them for free from my uncles tree. I mean the tree was so big and cover half of his flat-roofed garage in back, so all you had to do was climb up a ladder to the roof, and just pick them up and drop em in the bag. #11: In-N-Out, dude. - There is great truth to this. In-N-Out are tasty thing indeed, but I grew up in the urbs (not the burbs), and we didnt have a car, so In-N-Out was not a part of my growing up experience. The burgers are Fosters Freeze were the burgers I craved. :) I feel as if I am writing my memoirs. Hmmm. What is going on in my head. Ha!
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 14:48:45 +0000