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