one month gone

This past Wednesday marked the one-month anniversary of my relocation from the NW to SoCal. So, in the tradition of end of the year recaps, slambooks, and clip shows, I thought I'd run down a list of the highs and lows of the past month. From great trips to the beach to the horrors of apartment hunting, here are the best and worst things about my first thirty-four days in Orange County.


WORST:
(Besides missing all of you terribly)

10. The overly-perky kickboxing instructor who shouted so loudly it actually made my ears ring for hours afterward.

9. Listening to a pair of radio DJ's gripe about how their Hummer H2's are too tall to fit into most parking garages AND their abominable suggestion that current garages should be retrofitted to accomodate those ugly, hideous, earth-killers.

8. Finding out that $1200/ month apartments in California don't necessarily come equipped with a refrigerator.

7. No more free car washes when it rains.

6. Lack of restaurants catering to vegetarians/ no one understands my "Hail Seitan!" T-shirt.

5. The additional $30/ month "pet rent" demanded by the $1,200/ month apartment community. (Looks like Heidi is going to have to learn how to flip burgers...)

4. IT'S CALLED TURNING IN TO THE NEAREST LEGAL DRIVING LANE, YOU HUMMER-DRIVING SHITHEAD!

3. Getting your strip malls confused and ending up at the gym instead of the Target.

2. Toll roads.

1. Styrofoam.


BEST:

10. Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and covered in nuts.

9. My governor can beat up your governor.

8. You can drive a minimum of 45 mph on any street.

7. The Thai restaurant in Irvine Spectrum with wasabi mashed potatoes.

6. The "severe weather warning" broadcast using the actual Emergency Broadcast System which alerted Orange County residents that (gasp) it might rain.

5. Zipping down the rainy streets past all the freaked out California drivers in my Oregon car.

4. Hearing "Girlfriend in a Coma" (and other great songs) played on a commercial radio station.

3. Learning Californian: "You should totally go to Trader's to get some snacks for your trip back to Lumberjack Country." "It's tough getting up early, you can flake out on that cot if you want." "Are your friends crunchy granola too?"

2. Sunny, 70 degree February days where you can ride your bike down Huntington Beach and watch the surfers.

1. Scoring a job with the a company as awesome as PADI and meeting all of the very friendly and down-to-earth people who work there.





Congratulations to Karen Martwick for being the winner of the dream interpretation contest I especially enjoyed her observation that "Mike Tyson is a deeply disturbing cultural figure who haunts us all on some level." Thank you to all of the fabulous entrants for your participation, and I hope to offer another fine contest to you all very soon.

Have a great week!