How backwoods do you think I am?

I'm working on a project about a "redneck Christmas" which reminded me of a conversation I had with the lady I live with, Delia.

Within the first few weeks of living in San Diego I mentioned to Delia that I'd like to go to the store and get some things for my bedroom. I suggested Target since I had a gift card for the store. Delia looked at me and with the most serious look on her face asked me if we had Targets in Kansas. I was completely shocked. Is there any state without a Target? I'd be very, very surprised if there was.

Long Boards

I have never seen the draw to skateboards so there is a good possibility I understand nothing about long boards. An extra long skateboard does what exactly? Some one tell me, I really have no clue.

Safety Patrol

I was shocked the first day I went to help at a local elementary school that there were a troop of kids in white and red standing on the side of the road as school started and got out. As a kid even when I was in the city all we had was an adult crossing guard but I had only seen a Safety Patrol in movies. The one time I had to stop for these kids I was on my bike and they stared at me first like I didn't see them (yeah, cause they're so hard to see) and second like they were better than me. I was annoyed because as soon as I actually stopped, which required me getting off my bike, they pulled up their signs and blew their whistles. I can't help the feeling that the little buggers just wanted to see me stop, since their intersection was quite clear before I got anywhere near them.

Driving in the rain

It's been raining. A lot. Yesterday we got an inch and it even snowed in the mountains.

Rain in SoCal tends to mean accidents. Why's this? It isn't just because it rains so infrequently here that people don't understand hydroplaning. It's also because the lack of rain keeps streets from being cleared of oil. It is actually more slippery here when it rains than back in the Midwest because of the combo water & oil.

So if you're driving in SoCal in the rain take extra precaution by watching out for your own driving and for other people's driving who don't know what they are doing.

Figuring out the weather

I had no idea what I was in store for when I went to check the weather on a local news channel last August. I didn't know that just because the temperature is warm in North County that it wouldn't be the same in La Jolla. I remember watching the news and seeing one weather forecast with 4 different "climates."
These climates are Desert, Coastal, Inland and Mountain. You can get any of those in San Diego county. So remember to wear a tank top and shorts but bring your pants and jacket no matter what the weather is like at your house!

Eating Fast Food- Part 4

If you, a Midwesterner, see a burger joint that looks familiar but you can't quite place it you're probably staring at a Carl's Jr. We in the Midwest still know it as Hardee's. The give away (besides the $6 burger) their creepy little star mascot.

My whole family was more than a little sad when Carl's Jr. took over Hardee's. The menu changed so completely it became a whole other restaurant. Hardee's used to serve endless biscuits and gravy and plenty of different types of chicken sandwiches. Then after the take over, beef, beef and more beef! All I could think was ick!

More wind

My internet has been in and out the past few days, thus why I've missed a few posts. Turns out Santa Ana winds aren't always hot or just in the autumn. Earlier this week on Wednesday we had serious winds, with gusts up to 30 mph in the desert and even higher in the mountains. But these Santa Ana's were cold, not warm like before.
Let me tell you how strong these winds are. The warm winds earlier in the year would blow around the plastic barricades the YMCA has at the satellite campus. When I went to teach my class there on Thursday the wind had blown the barricades around like normal. But they were so powerful that the wind was pushing the barricades and the metal picnic tables around too! I was shocked, I thought that stuff like that only happened when there was a tornado around. :D

High Speed Car Chases

I was talking to two friends of mine from Cali who are currently residing in Florida. One asked me if I watched the high speed car chase today through LA. I, of course, had not since I wasn't watching TV at all today. So she told me about the Chase Parties. Apparently it is an impromptu party unless you are privy to the criminal mind behind the wheel. As soon as the chase is featured live on the news, you set up, call all your friends and take bets on when it will end and how.

Oh the Joy of the big city.

Drugs

Hard drugs. Cali's got them. Yeah we have Meth and Pot in Kansas. We really have all the drugs but those seem to be the big two. I don't know how many of my friends have told me about their hard drug phases. Phases, like everyone goes through them. I had a roommate who was a meth addict, a close friend who was on pretty much everything, another friend who sold pretty much everything.

Clothing Color

With my recent trip up to LA and interview for a job with the Center for Student Missions I was give a list of clothing that I was not allowed to wear. To my dismay as I was looking through all my t-shirts I realized that I only had 3 or four that met the requirements to it's fullest. At CSM you can't wear red, blue or bright purple because of the gang presence. And it just happens that I went to school at the University of Kansas, where the school colors are Crimson (red) and blue! One friend told me that I should just give away my clothes or dye them. I hope it doesn't come to that but I'll have to do something soon because I start at CSM in February!

Slang- Part 6

I didn't get this one until some one "cut the cheese."

California barking spider: Noun- a fart. "Oh man, did you hear that California Barking Spider?"

*Shakes head in defeat*

Healthy food

Health nuts, yay! Or not.

I have one mom in a class of mine who won't let her kid drink Juice. Juice! Can you believe it? Organic is SOOO big here and of course expensive. Von's has a lot of organic produce but I just can't get enough food to make it worth it. And really non-organic foods don't bother me very much.

One of my darling (he is literally the most adorable kid I know) brought me Horizon organic vanilla milk while I was working today. And while I was very touched, I am just a little scared to drink it. Maybe I'll use it to cook with since I don't drink straight milk any more.

Missing the rain

It has rained an awful lot the last few weeks which is unusual here. San Diego is pretty much a desert and the only way things stay green is by watering them a lot. Last year it really only rained 4 or 5 times. Twice it rained so much that my bedroom in my apartment flooded while my roommate and I were out of the country. That was fun to come home to! The few times it's rained since I came back to San Diego in August I have been almost ecstatic to open the windows and listen to the sounds.

I miss the rain so much! I love the way it cleans everything and you can smell all the plants around you. Maybe I should move to San Fran for a bit?

Christmas

My "family" just put up all their Christmas decorations and it got me thinking about last December and how different my Christmas was from the ones I've had in the Midwest.


First, I wasn't with family but I was with people who cared for me.
Second, our group was very small, there were 7 of us.
Third, we had beef stroganoff and croissants for Christmas dinner.
Fourth, it was at least 60 degrees outside.
Fifth, we ate outside on the porch.
The sixth and the final straw in my outlandish California Christmas- an ice cream truck playing it's little ditty drove by while we ate.

I laughed for quite a while.