Lots O' Lists
It's raining! My housemates assure me that this is not unusual here in the Magical Land come autumn, but this is the first real evidence I'm seeing of it. I'm laying in my cozy bed and listening to the rain patter on the roof. It's sort of awesome. I've missed rain.
Still no news on The Ultimate Job, but I did hear back from another Very Good Job today. It's weirdly like getting picked for American Idol -- they sent me an e-mail saying that I made it through "the preliminary screening" and I should be hearing more soon. Since it's a very reputable dot.com Who Shall Remain Nameless, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's been a little light in an otherwise sort of icky few weeks.
Since I'm all excited about the rain and things, I thought I'd mention some of my favorite and least-favorite things about California so far. In honor of the fact that I realized this week that I'm finally on PDT. As in, I just now accept that it's, say, eleven at night, without doing a little quick calculation in my head about what time it is "back home." And also toss in a couple extra lists, since I'm in the listing sort of mood.
Okay, the best stuff about California I've discovered so far:
1) It smells really good. No, seriously. I love walking out our front door and taking a deep breath. There's lemon tree and flowers I can't identify, a hint of bay breeze and the tiniest whiff of the coffee shop down the road. It's like that all over. Everything smells like the ocean, or flowers, or really good food.
2) Having people around. I realize that this is more a function of going from living in a rural area by myself to living in an urban area with roommates, but it's so great to have people around. To talk to, to eat with, to go to the movies with, to watch bad tv with. Of course, it helps that the people that I'm interacting with are sort of pretty awesome, too.
3) Smart stuff to do. Again, it's partially a function of moving to an urban area again, where everyone I know no longer has kids under five. But there's so much stuff to do -- art-house movies, and lectures and readings. Museums and concerts and poetry slams. I've seen more live music in the last four months than in the previous two years, as well as more authors reading, and decent movies, and live theater. I love that there's so much to do -- and much of it inexpensive -- all the time. Not mention that there are more bookstores than I know what to do with, ethnic restaurants, vintage stores, and wacky little boutiques that sell stuffed animals that breathe and $500 vibrators.
4) The views. I can't talk about it enough. Everywhere I go, it takes my breath away. There's the bridge, and the hills, and the bay. The city is beautiful, and the magical land is another kind of beautiful entirely. I love watching the fog roll in, and the sun set, and lights twinkle up in the hills. I have yet to take it for granted, and I hope I never will.
5) The food. Even though I grew up surrounded by fresh fruit and vegetables, and good food, there's nothing to compare to what's around here. I've had apples from the tree in our back yard, and fresh figs, and blackberries warm from the sun. I've eaten Nepalese food, and Indian food, and In-n-Out burgers. I've had amazing sourdough bread, and lavender ice cream, and the best Mexican food I've ever tasted. And I finally understand what all the fuss about the avocado is. I love the variety of fresh food that's available, and how passionate people are about locally grown, sustainable food. Even if I do miss cheesesteaks and tomato pie and red-gravy restaurants (and Tastycakes!), a cup of coffee from Cafe Trieste almost makes up for it.
Of course, no place is perfect, not even the Magical Land. I've got a few pet peeves.
1) Driving, and its partner, parking. The Magical Land is filled with very smart people who are also totally distracted. It's a rush composed entirely of absent-minded professors. Add in the fact that there are very few ways to get in or out of most places in the area (SF particularly), and the fact that what little parking there is most places is exorbitantly expensive, and it's a recipe for disaster most days. And they make you pay to park at the mall. For some reason, that fills me with rage like nothing else.
2) The lack of decent radio stations. I miss WXPN so much. Outside of NPR, when the three stations I find myself tuning in most often are the country station, the classic-rock station and the "energy" station (it's like dance music for old people). That's not good at all. I'm impressed that the Bay area is almost entirely Clear Channel free, but I wish there was a decent AAA or indie station. Perhaps there are, and I'm just missing them? Enquiring minds want to know.
3) Not enough low brow. The Magical Land is thoroughly against the chain store. Which is fine, in theory, but sometimes I gal wants a Trader Joe's. Or a Marshall's. Or a Kohl's. I miss the Wawa, especially, like nobody's business, and I'd kill for a Chik-fil-a or a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee.
4) No weather cues aka How many layers do I need today? I'm assuming that some of my confusion will fade as I make it through a calender year or two and learn the subtleties of the Bay area, but in the meantime, I'm always wearing flip-flops when I should be grabbing a sweater, or adding a layer when I should be subtracting one. It's very weird not to be able to "read" my own weather patterns.
5) I miss my family and friends. There's no upside to this. (Well, except for the part where my brother and sister-in-law just had to clean out my parents' basement.) The Magical Land would be close to perfect if everyone I knew packed up and moved out, hopefully to open a chain of Wawas. :)
And since I'm being list-y, I noticed a few people where talking about their fall tv.
New Shows That Have Made the Grade:
1) Gossip Girl. I love it against my will. And I love that Dan Humphrey is the love child of Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen. And the actor who plays him is sort of adorable, too. Plus, intrigue and catfighting among the NYC elite and an aspiring rapist who sort of looks like Trey Atwood? What's not to love? (And I am sort of delighted by Chuck and his raping scarves, wholly against my will.)
2) Chuck. I've decided that I officially have a crush on Chuck Bartowski. He's adorable -- smart and sweet and funny -- and way too cute to be a nerd. Plus, the supporting cast is fun (Jayne! Madison! Captain Awesome!), and they're balancing the spy stuff vs. the RL stuff pretty well so far.
3) Pushing Daisies. I fell in love with the Pie-lette. I'm a little worried that something this whimsical and tone-specific will falter over the course of a season, but I'm willing to give it a try, especially since they made the heroine as charming as the hero, and also aren't trying to keep her in the dark about why she (another Chuck -- apparently a Chuck is essential to this season's most fashionable shows) and the hero can't be together.
4) Dirty Sexy Money. This is another one that could fall fast if it loses its grip on the tone, but so far it's been awesome. I love the Darlings, and their crazy antics, and Peter Krause is walking an astute line between fascination and exasperation as their reluctant family retainer.
5) Journeyman. Half the fun for me is in the Bay Area locations, as I get to holler -- "I've been there! I've been there!" at the screen every five minutes, but so far, I also like the universe they've set up -- that the mystery is clear, that they're giving new information each week and that there are real consequences to what's happening to Dan's real life. Plus, Kevin McKidd is hot.
Of course, now that I've talked about the good tv I've seen, I should point out that I spent an hour this evening watching A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on MTV with maudgonne and zigorra. It was like watching the death of American culture, all in one screechy sixty-minute period. Of course, it was also a totally entertaining train wreck, so I have a feeling I'll be letting my soul die bit by bit as I tune in again.
Still no news on The Ultimate Job, but I did hear back from another Very Good Job today. It's weirdly like getting picked for American Idol -- they sent me an e-mail saying that I made it through "the preliminary screening" and I should be hearing more soon. Since it's a very reputable dot.com Who Shall Remain Nameless, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's been a little light in an otherwise sort of icky few weeks.
Since I'm all excited about the rain and things, I thought I'd mention some of my favorite and least-favorite things about California so far. In honor of the fact that I realized this week that I'm finally on PDT. As in, I just now accept that it's, say, eleven at night, without doing a little quick calculation in my head about what time it is "back home." And also toss in a couple extra lists, since I'm in the listing sort of mood.
Okay, the best stuff about California I've discovered so far:
1) It smells really good. No, seriously. I love walking out our front door and taking a deep breath. There's lemon tree and flowers I can't identify, a hint of bay breeze and the tiniest whiff of the coffee shop down the road. It's like that all over. Everything smells like the ocean, or flowers, or really good food.
2) Having people around. I realize that this is more a function of going from living in a rural area by myself to living in an urban area with roommates, but it's so great to have people around. To talk to, to eat with, to go to the movies with, to watch bad tv with. Of course, it helps that the people that I'm interacting with are sort of pretty awesome, too.
3) Smart stuff to do. Again, it's partially a function of moving to an urban area again, where everyone I know no longer has kids under five. But there's so much stuff to do -- art-house movies, and lectures and readings. Museums and concerts and poetry slams. I've seen more live music in the last four months than in the previous two years, as well as more authors reading, and decent movies, and live theater. I love that there's so much to do -- and much of it inexpensive -- all the time. Not mention that there are more bookstores than I know what to do with, ethnic restaurants, vintage stores, and wacky little boutiques that sell stuffed animals that breathe and $500 vibrators.
4) The views. I can't talk about it enough. Everywhere I go, it takes my breath away. There's the bridge, and the hills, and the bay. The city is beautiful, and the magical land is another kind of beautiful entirely. I love watching the fog roll in, and the sun set, and lights twinkle up in the hills. I have yet to take it for granted, and I hope I never will.
5) The food. Even though I grew up surrounded by fresh fruit and vegetables, and good food, there's nothing to compare to what's around here. I've had apples from the tree in our back yard, and fresh figs, and blackberries warm from the sun. I've eaten Nepalese food, and Indian food, and In-n-Out burgers. I've had amazing sourdough bread, and lavender ice cream, and the best Mexican food I've ever tasted. And I finally understand what all the fuss about the avocado is. I love the variety of fresh food that's available, and how passionate people are about locally grown, sustainable food. Even if I do miss cheesesteaks and tomato pie and red-gravy restaurants (and Tastycakes!), a cup of coffee from Cafe Trieste almost makes up for it.
Of course, no place is perfect, not even the Magical Land. I've got a few pet peeves.
1) Driving, and its partner, parking. The Magical Land is filled with very smart people who are also totally distracted. It's a rush composed entirely of absent-minded professors. Add in the fact that there are very few ways to get in or out of most places in the area (SF particularly), and the fact that what little parking there is most places is exorbitantly expensive, and it's a recipe for disaster most days. And they make you pay to park at the mall. For some reason, that fills me with rage like nothing else.
2) The lack of decent radio stations. I miss WXPN so much. Outside of NPR, when the three stations I find myself tuning in most often are the country station, the classic-rock station and the "energy" station (it's like dance music for old people). That's not good at all. I'm impressed that the Bay area is almost entirely Clear Channel free, but I wish there was a decent AAA or indie station. Perhaps there are, and I'm just missing them? Enquiring minds want to know.
3) Not enough low brow. The Magical Land is thoroughly against the chain store. Which is fine, in theory, but sometimes I gal wants a Trader Joe's. Or a Marshall's. Or a Kohl's. I miss the Wawa, especially, like nobody's business, and I'd kill for a Chik-fil-a or a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee.
4) No weather cues aka How many layers do I need today? I'm assuming that some of my confusion will fade as I make it through a calender year or two and learn the subtleties of the Bay area, but in the meantime, I'm always wearing flip-flops when I should be grabbing a sweater, or adding a layer when I should be subtracting one. It's very weird not to be able to "read" my own weather patterns.
5) I miss my family and friends. There's no upside to this. (Well, except for the part where my brother and sister-in-law just had to clean out my parents' basement.) The Magical Land would be close to perfect if everyone I knew packed up and moved out, hopefully to open a chain of Wawas. :)
And since I'm being list-y, I noticed a few people where talking about their fall tv.
New Shows That Have Made the Grade:
1) Gossip Girl. I love it against my will. And I love that Dan Humphrey is the love child of Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen. And the actor who plays him is sort of adorable, too. Plus, intrigue and catfighting among the NYC elite and an aspiring rapist who sort of looks like Trey Atwood? What's not to love? (And I am sort of delighted by Chuck and his raping scarves, wholly against my will.)
2) Chuck. I've decided that I officially have a crush on Chuck Bartowski. He's adorable -- smart and sweet and funny -- and way too cute to be a nerd. Plus, the supporting cast is fun (Jayne! Madison! Captain Awesome!), and they're balancing the spy stuff vs. the RL stuff pretty well so far.
3) Pushing Daisies. I fell in love with the Pie-lette. I'm a little worried that something this whimsical and tone-specific will falter over the course of a season, but I'm willing to give it a try, especially since they made the heroine as charming as the hero, and also aren't trying to keep her in the dark about why she (another Chuck -- apparently a Chuck is essential to this season's most fashionable shows) and the hero can't be together.
4) Dirty Sexy Money. This is another one that could fall fast if it loses its grip on the tone, but so far it's been awesome. I love the Darlings, and their crazy antics, and Peter Krause is walking an astute line between fascination and exasperation as their reluctant family retainer.
5) Journeyman. Half the fun for me is in the Bay Area locations, as I get to holler -- "I've been there! I've been there!" at the screen every five minutes, but so far, I also like the universe they've set up -- that the mystery is clear, that they're giving new information each week and that there are real consequences to what's happening to Dan's real life. Plus, Kevin McKidd is hot.
Of course, now that I've talked about the good tv I've seen, I should point out that I spent an hour this evening watching A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on MTV with maudgonne and zigorra. It was like watching the death of American culture, all in one screechy sixty-minute period. Of course, it was also a totally entertaining train wreck, so I have a feeling I'll be letting my soul die bit by bit as I tune in again.