A very California thing to do!

About 130am, I awoke to gunfire not too far from my bedroom window at my dad's house. There were 7 or so shots and then a plethora of police sirens and cars and a helicopter with a huge searchlight. This morning the main street was still blocked off by police with the caution tape. It looked like maybe a drive by shooting??!! Needless to say, I will be sleeping with my window closed for the rest of my visit no matter how hot it gets! Kind of funny that I have been concentrating on finding Indiana things to do before I left but when I come to California on vacation I experience a very stereotypical event!

Merging into 80 MPH traffic

Merging onto the freeway on the way to Pitzer, I was reminded how mindless and easy driving in Indiana is. It also got me thinking about the things I miss about Cali. I know that I don't have plans to come live back in Cali so here is a list of things I would take from Cali to anywhere I lived:

1. Mountains - I know I mention this all the time but there is something to be said for having picturesque view (think of the one for the movie opening - I can't think of the company right now) everywhere around you.

2. Cal Trans - I used to think the roads in California were nasty and there has always been a great difference in the quality of freeways in NorCal versus SoCal. Then I moved to Southern Indiana were every road is pitted with holes, uneven pavement and other road hazards that make your driving experience very bumpy and at times unsafe. I gues you just don't know what you got till it's gone!

3. Diversity - The other day I had lunch with my stepmom, one of her coworkers, and another lady that worked at Harvey Mudd (the campus right next door to Pitzer). It was the first time in three years I had been in a social setting with more than one person who was not white. he only other experiences with visible diversity I have had since I have been at USI was when I was a girl scout troop leader and when I went on a job interview at Penn State!

4. Del Taco - mmmm yummy - Chelle and I grabbed dinner there one night. I had the Del Classic Chicken Burrito (which I always get) and a Cookie Dough Shake - sooooo good. I am sad that there won't be a Del Taco at Penn (and now they will be even farther away *tear*!

5. Produce - the produce in Indiana is crap. If you are lucky to find anything that looks decent, it tends to rot so quickly. I have been eating fruit and salad everyday. Plus it is cheaper in Cali too!

6. Swimming - Everyone in Cali has a swimming pool and I miss having one on campus. Chelle and I went swimming twice when I came to visit her and my mom and I are heading to the Hot Springs to do some swimming next week. I love to be in the water!

But for everything I miss, there are things I gladly do without:

1. Smog - nothing sadder than that brown layer of sky that keeps it so you can't see the mountains. *cough, cough*

2. Rude people - People in the midwest seem to be nicer. They aren't in such a rush that they cannot demonstrate a level of basic civility.

3. $$$$$$ - Milk is almost $4 a gallon, gas is just over $3 (the lowest it has been in quite awhile). It is so expensive here.

Going back to Cali

After a long and miserable flight (I had a 4 hour layover and a middle seat on the long flight), I am back in Cali - it's been about a year and a half. I will be here for two weeks - time to celebrate Father's Day, my dad's birthday, and spend some time with my mom and Chelle. Some things change and some things don't- the urban spraul continues to expand in the Inland Empire so that a lot of areas are hardly recognizable, my dad has grown a goatee (which actually looks pretty good), and my dad's car still has an overwhelming cherry smell when you first get in it. It's good to be home and see the mountains! Oh how I miss mountains - they just make the horizon so beautiful. For Father's Day, we went up to Lake Arrowhead. We went their for Father's Day in 2002 so I suppose it is a sort of tradition.

Last night, Cathy asked me if I had seen "Brokeback Mountain" yet. I told her I hadn't and she explained that if I was interested in watching it, they owned it and it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. I didn't know how to explain that it wasn't the homosexuality that I had an issue with but that the main premise of the movie seeemed to be cheating and I just do not like books or movies that glorify cheating - I just didn't know how to tell her this!

Well, I am off to bathe in the jacuzzi tub then I am driving up to Northridge and LA to see some folks and spend the night with Chelle after having lunch with Cathy at Pitzer (where she works).

Just the beginning

For everyone who mentioned that I had a lot of stuff after seeing the picture I posted on Memorial Day - you have no idea. That picture was simply the beginning. I still have a lot left to pack - the kitchen, clothes, another bookcase full of books.

So now that I am leaving Indiana I need a new name for my BLOG because "California Girl in an Indiana Town" - well, it is no longer appropriate. Any ideas?? I will send the person who comes up with the best idea a prize!

My ideas so far:
1. PENN and pencil: The story of my life (and if I could draw I could scan in pencil drawings I drew)
2. I don't like chocolate -- (this one's funny because of Hershey, Pennsylvania!)

Missing the dry heat

It was hot and humid outside today and I needed to run errands so I was pretty sweaty driving around Evansville in my black truck with no air conditioning! The sign at the local car dealer said it was 100 degrees outside but Sarah said the sign was broken because it was only 92 degrees. It wasn't the temperature that made me miserable (I grew up in Southern California where 110 degree summer days were normal)- it was the humidity which must have been around 85%! On a "the future looks so good" note, it was only 72 degrees in State College today.

Good advice

One should never go for a walk at night after watching "Ghost Whisperer" and "Close To Home"

Things that make me happy!

Tonight during my evening walk, I saw the first firefly of summer. Fireflies are cool from far away - up close they are not the most attractive of bugs. I sure hope they have fireflies in Pennsylvania!

Farewell Angie!

Today we had a going away party for one of the administrative assistants complete with catered cheesecakes, fruit tray, and drinks from the University's food services. The entire division was invited and the VPSA attended.