Wow, hard to believe that it's been a year since we moved from Indianapolis to Los Gatos. In that time, Christy has settled into her new job. Check out Champions Online to see some of her work. Most of the website content is her writing, as is everything attributed to Kestral, her online handle for Cryptic.
Oddly enough, Bakers Square, the place where we had our first meal in Los Gatos, has closed. The good news is that there's plenty of other places that are better.
I'm still looking for a job, but at least I've been getting interviews. In Indianapolis, I wasn't able to even get one interview in multiple years of job hunting, despite having a degree from a major university, never having been fired and with no criminal record. That's still an improvement. I'll find something eventually.
We were unable to sell our house in Indy, so it'll probably going onto the foreclosure market soon. When we bought our house, we had $10K in equity. If the best offer we received had closed, we would have had a $20K loss. That's a 21% loss of value over seven years. That's for a nice 2000 square foot house on a prime lot in one of the best school districts in Indianapolis. I expect that if/when it finally sells it will be for about half of our purchase price.
I could go on ranting on the state of the economy but I won't.
In any case, it seems our new adventure has become our life. We have a decent place to stay, it's smaller than what we had but we don't really need bigger with it being just the two of us. Over all, our life just isn't that interesting - hence my less than frequent posts here - but it's a happy one.
Thanks for following along with us over the past year.
Best wishes to everyone.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Spring
As Spring rolls in, here's an update on us.
We're still trying to sell our house and have a highly interested potential buyer. Sadly, things are complicated by the discovery of pipes damaged over the Winter. This makes financing almost impossible without fixing the damage first. We don't have a spare $8K to make the repairs but the potential buyer is interested in doing so. We're still waiting to see if and how this might work out.
Christy's job is going well. Anyone interested in seeing some of her work can check out the Champions Online website. Like any job, it has it's share of complications and problem people but things are much better than what they are at her previous job. The positives can be seen in the company sending all it's employees, with a guest, to Las Vegas later this month for a weekend.
I'm still looking for employment, though in the past few months I've had more interviews than I had in four years of job hunting in Indianapolis. I did apply for a Content Designer position at Cryptic, took the test and made it to the Phone Interview stage. Sadly, I didn't pass muster there. I guess I still need to learn more about the industry and what makes a good designer. I still have a possibility or two and I continue to look for others. Hopefully something will work out soon.
On a brighter note, this past weekend we went to Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. The place is beautiful and was fun to visit. The only problem was it being over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so it was a bit warm. Afterwards we had an early sushi dinner at Masu. The eel rolls and shrimp gyoza were especially oishi (delicious).
We're still trying to sell our house and have a highly interested potential buyer. Sadly, things are complicated by the discovery of pipes damaged over the Winter. This makes financing almost impossible without fixing the damage first. We don't have a spare $8K to make the repairs but the potential buyer is interested in doing so. We're still waiting to see if and how this might work out.
Christy's job is going well. Anyone interested in seeing some of her work can check out the Champions Online website. Like any job, it has it's share of complications and problem people but things are much better than what they are at her previous job. The positives can be seen in the company sending all it's employees, with a guest, to Las Vegas later this month for a weekend.
I'm still looking for employment, though in the past few months I've had more interviews than I had in four years of job hunting in Indianapolis. I did apply for a Content Designer position at Cryptic, took the test and made it to the Phone Interview stage. Sadly, I didn't pass muster there. I guess I still need to learn more about the industry and what makes a good designer. I still have a possibility or two and I continue to look for others. Hopefully something will work out soon.
On a brighter note, this past weekend we went to Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. The place is beautiful and was fun to visit. The only problem was it being over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so it was a bit warm. Afterwards we had an early sushi dinner at Masu. The eel rolls and shrimp gyoza were especially oishi (delicious).
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A New Year on Our New Adventure
It's hard to believe that 2008 is already here!
Six months ago, Christy and I set out on this new adventure. The holidays led to some... odd difficulties. Most notably was the lack of holiday related products here in California that we had become used to from back in Indiana and the weather. First among these was Reems brand frozen egg noodles. It seems no one around here has even heard of them. A holiday favorite of ours since the early days of our marriage was Turkey & Noodles made with leftover turkey, Reems noodles, chicken broth, some mixed veggies and seasonings all cooked together on the stove-top. The bags of dried egg noodles just don't compare to these delicious, home-style noodles. The people here just don't know what they're missing.
Then there's the weather. It's been in the high 50s to mid 60s since November, which relates to the temps of early Autumn back home. We were totally out of the mood for Halloween as it was just too warm. Thanksgiving rolls around and it's finally feeling like Fall but no Reems frozen noodles, no Bob Evan's dinner rolls and no sugar cream pie to be found. Combined with being away from family and it just wasn't a holiday. We had a turkey breast, spring mix salad and some skin-on mashed potatoes. The mild temperatures continued into December, which made it hard to get into the Christmas spirit. Still, we managed to get together gifts to send back home, a mix of hand-crafted items, low-cost purchases and a selection of good stuff from the local farmer's market. On Christmas Eve we took a walk around downtown Los Gatos. The town was lit with holiday lights and decorations and there was finally that Winter crispness in the air! It finally felt like Christmas. We were unable to return home for Christmas due to the high costs of holiday travel. However, Dad sent us a web cam and we were able to be at my brother's house virtually, thanks to Yahoo! Messenger's voice conference function. This was my first Christmas away from family but being able to see and speak to them helped. The New Year came with little fanfare.
Last week, we got what the locals term a bad winter storm. There were strong winds, gusting to around 50-60 mph, and a couple of inches of rain. This resulted in lots of fallen branches and even some trees which led to mass power outages (nearly half a million for the whole Bay area) and flooding. We lost power at our apartment for about four hours on Friday.
I admit, it was a strong storm. Anything that results in large limbs or whole trees falling is noteworthy. Still, for me it was like a standard big spring storm back home, without the lightning and tornado possibilities. On Saturday, it continued to rain but the winds dropped off to 20-30 mph gusts. We went to the mall where people continued to be concerned with the "Big Storm" and "cold weather." Christy wore her company hoodie and I had on my fleece pull-over. When we left, the door from the elevator to the top level of the parking garage (where our car was parked) was "locked because of weather." It wasn't locked when we arrived and it was just raining the same as it was when we got there. C'mon people, it's only rain! So, we had to go down a floor and take the stairs up to the top level. I don't get what the big deal was.
Then there was the issue with traffic lights that were just flashing red or out altogether...
Now, this is something that Indiana drivers just can't seem to get either. When the traffic signal is out or flashing red in all directions, treat it like a stop sign! That means, come to a complete stop. When in doubt, yield right of way to the driver on you right. Those going straight and making right turns go first, followed by those turning left and then the cross street repeats the same process. We encountered people failing to stop, failing to yield right of way when turning left and even failing to go when others were stopped and yielding for them. It's just one of my pet peeves.
So, in my experience, winter in the bay Area is like a mix of autumn and spring in Indiana, without tornadoes. Hopefully, by next year we'll be in sync with local patterns to be able to enjoy the holidays more than this year.
On the economic side of things, we still haven't sold our house. We've extended the listing contract in hopes that we can get it sold before the foreclosure finalizes. With the market in its current slump, we have no chance of seeing any money from the sale but we would like to avoid the credit rating hit of a foreclosure. Still, we're in California and not likely to buy real estate any time soon, so a foreclosure isn't devastating. In any case, our options were limited from the point where our neighborhood lost 25+% of its market value last year.
I'm still seeking employment. I've had an interview for a Library Assistant position with the Los Gatos Public Library but I haven't heard anything more from them. I applied and took the test for a Quality Assurance position at Cryptic Studios and am still waiting to hear more. I also applied for a couple of other positions from which I've heard nothing. I found out about a part-time, temporary Quality Tester position with Google and applied for that today. Hopefully, one of these will pan out soon.
Well, that's what the holidays and the New Year have brought us. It remains to be seen what the future holds but I remain optimistic. I'll update things here as new developments arise.
Best wishes to all!
Six months ago, Christy and I set out on this new adventure. The holidays led to some... odd difficulties. Most notably was the lack of holiday related products here in California that we had become used to from back in Indiana and the weather. First among these was Reems brand frozen egg noodles. It seems no one around here has even heard of them. A holiday favorite of ours since the early days of our marriage was Turkey & Noodles made with leftover turkey, Reems noodles, chicken broth, some mixed veggies and seasonings all cooked together on the stove-top. The bags of dried egg noodles just don't compare to these delicious, home-style noodles. The people here just don't know what they're missing.
Then there's the weather. It's been in the high 50s to mid 60s since November, which relates to the temps of early Autumn back home. We were totally out of the mood for Halloween as it was just too warm. Thanksgiving rolls around and it's finally feeling like Fall but no Reems frozen noodles, no Bob Evan's dinner rolls and no sugar cream pie to be found. Combined with being away from family and it just wasn't a holiday. We had a turkey breast, spring mix salad and some skin-on mashed potatoes. The mild temperatures continued into December, which made it hard to get into the Christmas spirit. Still, we managed to get together gifts to send back home, a mix of hand-crafted items, low-cost purchases and a selection of good stuff from the local farmer's market. On Christmas Eve we took a walk around downtown Los Gatos. The town was lit with holiday lights and decorations and there was finally that Winter crispness in the air! It finally felt like Christmas. We were unable to return home for Christmas due to the high costs of holiday travel. However, Dad sent us a web cam and we were able to be at my brother's house virtually, thanks to Yahoo! Messenger's voice conference function. This was my first Christmas away from family but being able to see and speak to them helped. The New Year came with little fanfare.
Last week, we got what the locals term a bad winter storm. There were strong winds, gusting to around 50-60 mph, and a couple of inches of rain. This resulted in lots of fallen branches and even some trees which led to mass power outages (nearly half a million for the whole Bay area) and flooding. We lost power at our apartment for about four hours on Friday.
I admit, it was a strong storm. Anything that results in large limbs or whole trees falling is noteworthy. Still, for me it was like a standard big spring storm back home, without the lightning and tornado possibilities. On Saturday, it continued to rain but the winds dropped off to 20-30 mph gusts. We went to the mall where people continued to be concerned with the "Big Storm" and "cold weather." Christy wore her company hoodie and I had on my fleece pull-over. When we left, the door from the elevator to the top level of the parking garage (where our car was parked) was "locked because of weather." It wasn't locked when we arrived and it was just raining the same as it was when we got there. C'mon people, it's only rain! So, we had to go down a floor and take the stairs up to the top level. I don't get what the big deal was.
Then there was the issue with traffic lights that were just flashing red or out altogether...
Now, this is something that Indiana drivers just can't seem to get either. When the traffic signal is out or flashing red in all directions, treat it like a stop sign! That means, come to a complete stop. When in doubt, yield right of way to the driver on you right. Those going straight and making right turns go first, followed by those turning left and then the cross street repeats the same process. We encountered people failing to stop, failing to yield right of way when turning left and even failing to go when others were stopped and yielding for them. It's just one of my pet peeves.
So, in my experience, winter in the bay Area is like a mix of autumn and spring in Indiana, without tornadoes. Hopefully, by next year we'll be in sync with local patterns to be able to enjoy the holidays more than this year.
On the economic side of things, we still haven't sold our house. We've extended the listing contract in hopes that we can get it sold before the foreclosure finalizes. With the market in its current slump, we have no chance of seeing any money from the sale but we would like to avoid the credit rating hit of a foreclosure. Still, we're in California and not likely to buy real estate any time soon, so a foreclosure isn't devastating. In any case, our options were limited from the point where our neighborhood lost 25+% of its market value last year.
I'm still seeking employment. I've had an interview for a Library Assistant position with the Los Gatos Public Library but I haven't heard anything more from them. I applied and took the test for a Quality Assurance position at Cryptic Studios and am still waiting to hear more. I also applied for a couple of other positions from which I've heard nothing. I found out about a part-time, temporary Quality Tester position with Google and applied for that today. Hopefully, one of these will pan out soon.
Well, that's what the holidays and the New Year have brought us. It remains to be seen what the future holds but I remain optimistic. I'll update things here as new developments arise.
Best wishes to all!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Another California First
Last night at approximately 8:04 pm Pacific Daylight Time, we experienced our first California earthquake. A 5.6 'quake hit the South Bay last night. Fortunately, it originated a good bit to the north-east of us and we did not suffer any damage. It was reported this morning to be the biggest earthquake to hit the area since the legendary 'Quake of 1989.
Christy and I were watching Comedy Central at the time. The first hint of something was a thumping sound that was reminiscent of our cats running full bore around the apartment. Then the thumps magnified into vibration at which point I realized it was an earthquake and our cats started freaking out and running around the apartment in confusion. They took shelter under tables as things moved into full-fledged shaking which swayed the chandelier and rattled dishes. Back in Indiana, there have been two mild earthquakes in my lifetime that reached the initial shaking stage of this one. At its peak, this felt like the entire apartment was on a floating platform, shifting and swaying.
Then it faded away to a mild feeling of vertigo, followed by the world becoming stable again. As our cats spent the next hour searching the apartment for the monster that could cause such disruption to their world, Christy and I were first hit with a sense of awe, followed by "Wow, our first earthquake!" and then with "That wasn't so bad." We were actually surprised to find it was as strong as it was noted to be on the news and the US Geological Survey's website. Also surprising was the news reports saying that it was an unusually long duration 'quake as it lasted about 20 seconds. Again, being from the Mid-west, most of our impressions of earthquakes come from TV and movies where they occur frequently enough that the residents can gauge them accurately and threaten life and property most of the times they occur. Based upon what I'm learning here and now, I would say that tornadoes are a much more frequent and greater threat to life and property in the Mid-west than earthquakes are here in California. Still, both are survivable with a modicum of mental and physical preparation.
Well, that's our first earthquake experience here in California. It seems that, barring something in the range of the '89 earthquake or the "Big One" hits and everything west of the major fault lines falls into the ocean, we're in a fairly safe part of the state. So, Happy Halloween everyone!
Christy and I were watching Comedy Central at the time. The first hint of something was a thumping sound that was reminiscent of our cats running full bore around the apartment. Then the thumps magnified into vibration at which point I realized it was an earthquake and our cats started freaking out and running around the apartment in confusion. They took shelter under tables as things moved into full-fledged shaking which swayed the chandelier and rattled dishes. Back in Indiana, there have been two mild earthquakes in my lifetime that reached the initial shaking stage of this one. At its peak, this felt like the entire apartment was on a floating platform, shifting and swaying.
Then it faded away to a mild feeling of vertigo, followed by the world becoming stable again. As our cats spent the next hour searching the apartment for the monster that could cause such disruption to their world, Christy and I were first hit with a sense of awe, followed by "Wow, our first earthquake!" and then with "That wasn't so bad." We were actually surprised to find it was as strong as it was noted to be on the news and the US Geological Survey's website. Also surprising was the news reports saying that it was an unusually long duration 'quake as it lasted about 20 seconds. Again, being from the Mid-west, most of our impressions of earthquakes come from TV and movies where they occur frequently enough that the residents can gauge them accurately and threaten life and property most of the times they occur. Based upon what I'm learning here and now, I would say that tornadoes are a much more frequent and greater threat to life and property in the Mid-west than earthquakes are here in California. Still, both are survivable with a modicum of mental and physical preparation.
Well, that's our first earthquake experience here in California. It seems that, barring something in the range of the '89 earthquake or the "Big One" hits and everything west of the major fault lines falls into the ocean, we're in a fairly safe part of the state. So, Happy Halloween everyone!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
License Plate Time!
This past week we were able to experience the wonders of California vehicle registration in all its complicated glory.
By CA law, any vehicle purchased outside the state has to have a smog test before it can be registered in state. I thought this would be no problem as our car is a 2006 and the manual says it meets CA emission standards. Also, there's smog test places on nearly every corner around here. As I also needed an oil change, I went to an establishment that offered both services. I got my oil change buy the service tech informed me that their system couldn't synch up with our car's computer and that as all test stations used the same systems, I'd have to take it to a dealer to get the needed test.
So, I went home and contacted the closest dealer, who told me they don't do smog tests. Undetered, I called the next closest and they said they could take care of things. The problem was they charged twice what the average place charges for a smog test... :(
Hoping to save some money we did some research and found the best qualified mechanic in the area who said they were sure they could test our car. The next morning found us there by 8:30 in the morning but we got our car in and the mechanic said he could easily get the test done in time. Sadly there were no restaurants open in the area so we had to find a way to pass the hour or so the test would take. After exhausting the possibilities at the Walgreens, we just took a walk around the neighborhood. Over an hour later, the guy was unable to do our test because he couldn't synch up his system. He mentioned that a Referee might be necessary but didn't charge us anything and we had to hurry to get Christy to work.
After dropping her off I had just enough time to keep my appointment with the dealer. After some confusion as to where I needed to be to get things going and a wait of about an hour, guess what I learned? They couldn't synch up the sytems either!
I will say that the nice service guy at the dealership didn't charge me anything and got me the phone number for making a Referee's apointment. After lunch with Christy, I went home and made said appointment. The next day I was off to the far outskirts of San Jose to find Evergreen Valley College, the location of the closest post of the California Smog Referee.
The good news is that they were able to synch up systems and our car passed the test. The staff there were nice and professional. Best of all, the test was only the standard $38 and change rather than the $87 the dealer wanted or the $49 the mechanic was going to charge. So after about 5-6 hours of waiting and $38 we were ready to go to the DMV!
I should note that the CA DMV allows you to make appointments to get things done. Unfortunately, the first available appointment was three days after our plates expired. So we just had to try our luck and went in early. Thanks to being in early and already having our form filled out (Yay Internet!) we were able to get things done about an hour later and $260 lighter in the bank account. So we now have a shiny new California license plate on our car after about 7 hours spread over three days and a cost of about $300. Now, I should note that that cost includs penalties as we didn't get the car registered within 20 days of taking a job or gaining housing in state.
So, for anyone thinking of moving out here, be sure to check the State of California website to get all the legal requirements for setting up residence out here. I will say that the DMV experience was relatively painless despite not having an appointment. Just be ready for a bit of a hassle if your car is from out of state and especially if you've never had to have a smog test before. Even with all the hassle, I still got to explore some more of our new town and see what was there.
By CA law, any vehicle purchased outside the state has to have a smog test before it can be registered in state. I thought this would be no problem as our car is a 2006 and the manual says it meets CA emission standards. Also, there's smog test places on nearly every corner around here. As I also needed an oil change, I went to an establishment that offered both services. I got my oil change buy the service tech informed me that their system couldn't synch up with our car's computer and that as all test stations used the same systems, I'd have to take it to a dealer to get the needed test.
So, I went home and contacted the closest dealer, who told me they don't do smog tests. Undetered, I called the next closest and they said they could take care of things. The problem was they charged twice what the average place charges for a smog test... :(
Hoping to save some money we did some research and found the best qualified mechanic in the area who said they were sure they could test our car. The next morning found us there by 8:30 in the morning but we got our car in and the mechanic said he could easily get the test done in time. Sadly there were no restaurants open in the area so we had to find a way to pass the hour or so the test would take. After exhausting the possibilities at the Walgreens, we just took a walk around the neighborhood. Over an hour later, the guy was unable to do our test because he couldn't synch up his system. He mentioned that a Referee might be necessary but didn't charge us anything and we had to hurry to get Christy to work.
After dropping her off I had just enough time to keep my appointment with the dealer. After some confusion as to where I needed to be to get things going and a wait of about an hour, guess what I learned? They couldn't synch up the sytems either!
I will say that the nice service guy at the dealership didn't charge me anything and got me the phone number for making a Referee's apointment. After lunch with Christy, I went home and made said appointment. The next day I was off to the far outskirts of San Jose to find Evergreen Valley College, the location of the closest post of the California Smog Referee.
The good news is that they were able to synch up systems and our car passed the test. The staff there were nice and professional. Best of all, the test was only the standard $38 and change rather than the $87 the dealer wanted or the $49 the mechanic was going to charge. So after about 5-6 hours of waiting and $38 we were ready to go to the DMV!
I should note that the CA DMV allows you to make appointments to get things done. Unfortunately, the first available appointment was three days after our plates expired. So we just had to try our luck and went in early. Thanks to being in early and already having our form filled out (Yay Internet!) we were able to get things done about an hour later and $260 lighter in the bank account. So we now have a shiny new California license plate on our car after about 7 hours spread over three days and a cost of about $300. Now, I should note that that cost includs penalties as we didn't get the car registered within 20 days of taking a job or gaining housing in state.
So, for anyone thinking of moving out here, be sure to check the State of California website to get all the legal requirements for setting up residence out here. I will say that the DMV experience was relatively painless despite not having an appointment. Just be ready for a bit of a hassle if your car is from out of state and especially if you've never had to have a smog test before. Even with all the hassle, I still got to explore some more of our new town and see what was there.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Inflation Problems
This post has nothing to do with economics. Instead, it deals with one of the biggest difficulties we've had since moving to Los Gatos, inflatable things.
To start off, both our original air mattresses got leaks. With the first, we were able to locate and patch the hole but we couldn't find the leak on the second. That led to the search for Wal-mart and discovering that even Wal-mart isn't open 24 hours here.We resolved the issue by buying a new mattress.
Then comes the situation that prompted this rant. Last week we purchased a pair of new bicycles. We got a pair of Jeep Overland S bikes, one men's and one women's style. They required partial assembly, which I handled easily. It's been about twenty years since I was last on a bike, so when we gave the bikes a try-out I thought I was just really out of shape when I quickly became tired. It turns out that the tires weren't fully inflated. In fact, they were a good 20 psi under-inflated!
So, it's off to buy a bike pump. As it was only $5 more than the manual pump, I get the electric pump that plugs into a car cigarette lighter socket. I give it a try and it works for about ten seconds and then dies! I get ticked off and go inside to calm down. Next day, I find out that it's not the pump that died but rather it's just a blown fuse. Off to the hardware store! A new fuse later and the pump is working. The pump's nozzle fits real tight on the valve stems, so it's a bit of effort to get the tires inflated but soon, we're good to go.
Now with properly inflated tires, it's off to the park across the street to try out the bikes. We have a good ride around and head home. On the way back, there's a big hill to get up. I get to the top before Christy and sit down to wait on her. As we're getting ready to leave, I look down to see two flat tires! In checking them, I find some of these small yet sharp and tough thorns stuck in the tires. Christy's bike had some as well, but less than mine. Still, both her tires went flat as well. Needless to say, I was not happy.
After some research Christy found an article on a nasty local plant called, appropriately enough, "Puncture Vine" which appears to be the culprit. So now we've got two brand new bikes with two flat tires each. ARRGGHH!!!!
So, now I'm off to find out what options exist to prevent this from happening again and then I'll have to fix the tires. *sigh* Oh well, at least we got a pair of comfortable folding chairs for our patio at the hardware store.
To start off, both our original air mattresses got leaks. With the first, we were able to locate and patch the hole but we couldn't find the leak on the second. That led to the search for Wal-mart and discovering that even Wal-mart isn't open 24 hours here.We resolved the issue by buying a new mattress.
Then comes the situation that prompted this rant. Last week we purchased a pair of new bicycles. We got a pair of Jeep Overland S bikes, one men's and one women's style. They required partial assembly, which I handled easily. It's been about twenty years since I was last on a bike, so when we gave the bikes a try-out I thought I was just really out of shape when I quickly became tired. It turns out that the tires weren't fully inflated. In fact, they were a good 20 psi under-inflated!
So, it's off to buy a bike pump. As it was only $5 more than the manual pump, I get the electric pump that plugs into a car cigarette lighter socket. I give it a try and it works for about ten seconds and then dies! I get ticked off and go inside to calm down. Next day, I find out that it's not the pump that died but rather it's just a blown fuse. Off to the hardware store! A new fuse later and the pump is working. The pump's nozzle fits real tight on the valve stems, so it's a bit of effort to get the tires inflated but soon, we're good to go.
Now with properly inflated tires, it's off to the park across the street to try out the bikes. We have a good ride around and head home. On the way back, there's a big hill to get up. I get to the top before Christy and sit down to wait on her. As we're getting ready to leave, I look down to see two flat tires! In checking them, I find some of these small yet sharp and tough thorns stuck in the tires. Christy's bike had some as well, but less than mine. Still, both her tires went flat as well. Needless to say, I was not happy.
After some research Christy found an article on a nasty local plant called, appropriately enough, "Puncture Vine" which appears to be the culprit. So now we've got two brand new bikes with two flat tires each. ARRGGHH!!!!
So, now I'm off to find out what options exist to prevent this from happening again and then I'll have to fix the tires. *sigh* Oh well, at least we got a pair of comfortable folding chairs for our patio at the hardware store.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
California oddities
As a native Mid-westerner relocated to NoCal, there's been some things I've observed that strike me as odd.
- The only 24 hour store we've found is Walgreen's. Even the closest Wal-Mart closes at 11:00 pm! Wal-Mart! I thought Wal-Mart being open 24 hours was a universal constant. Not so. On top of this, many stores close by 7:00 pm. The biggest problem is if one needs or wants something after 10:00 pm, there's few places available. As noted, we recently found that the Walgreen's nearby is open 24 hours and they have $1.00 ice cream pints for sale.
- Banks without drive-ups. In addition to the oddity of CA banks holding your deposits for seven business days for the first month you have the account, I have not seen a single bank with a drive-up teller window.
- No rain yet things stay green. It's rained once since we've gotten here and it was noted that since records had been kept it had never rained on that day before. Some of this is accounted for by regular lawn watering and such. Also, I've noticed that there's a lot of public areas, medians and such that don't have grass but rather a mix of mulch and a variety of viney ground cover and bushes. I guess that the local bushes, trees and such handle the lack of rain better. I'll have to investigate this further.
- Everything is in close proximity. So much so that I've only filled the tank once since we got our apartment. I've heard that many locals consider something two miles distant to be out-of-the-way by a large amount, though that was second-hand information.
These are what occurs to me at this time. I'll let you know if I come up with any more.
- The only 24 hour store we've found is Walgreen's. Even the closest Wal-Mart closes at 11:00 pm! Wal-Mart! I thought Wal-Mart being open 24 hours was a universal constant. Not so. On top of this, many stores close by 7:00 pm. The biggest problem is if one needs or wants something after 10:00 pm, there's few places available. As noted, we recently found that the Walgreen's nearby is open 24 hours and they have $1.00 ice cream pints for sale.
- Banks without drive-ups. In addition to the oddity of CA banks holding your deposits for seven business days for the first month you have the account, I have not seen a single bank with a drive-up teller window.
- No rain yet things stay green. It's rained once since we've gotten here and it was noted that since records had been kept it had never rained on that day before. Some of this is accounted for by regular lawn watering and such. Also, I've noticed that there's a lot of public areas, medians and such that don't have grass but rather a mix of mulch and a variety of viney ground cover and bushes. I guess that the local bushes, trees and such handle the lack of rain better. I'll have to investigate this further.
- Everything is in close proximity. So much so that I've only filled the tank once since we got our apartment. I've heard that many locals consider something two miles distant to be out-of-the-way by a large amount, though that was second-hand information.
These are what occurs to me at this time. I'll let you know if I come up with any more.
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