After traveling to such magnificient locations for work as Kentucky, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and (my most-frequented state) Texas, I finally have a project in California. When I headed to the airport yesterday, my cab driver took one look at me and said "what do you think this is, summer?" Apparently short sleeves and headbands do not suit Boston in March.
While this trip isn't about having (too much) fun, I can't go to California and do nothing cheerful. So last night I had planned on getting a personal tour of USC from a Bostonian turned USC grad student turned co-worker/travel buddy. Who I also messaged at eight o'oclock in the morning to say that "we should obviously get In-N-Out for dinner tonight. Just in case you were thinking of eating it for breakfast and lunch." (He came out early.) I made sure to let him know of my feelings that USC is a snooty private school filled with spoiled kids. But I will never turn down a chance to go back to college.
Of course, when I arrived, we scrapped those plans altogether and went straight to the ocean instead. Just so I could be sure to get in my barefoot walk on the beach and Pacific Ocean sunset.
In addition, we have planned to go see Blake Griffin slam some dunks at a Los Angeles Clippers game this week. This will be my first time at the Staples Center. Too bad I left my green and yellow at home.
And I can't help being just a little bit excited to interact with "my people." If you can call Southern Californians "my people." They are closer to "my people" than Bostonians, anyway. If nothing else, when I mention that I went to school at Cal Poly, I will be greeted with affirmation rather than blank stares and expressions of "oh, where's that?" And I can proudly announce that I'm from the Bay Area without having to add three qualifying sentences about the not-so-suburban suburbs of San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose.
There is nothing like California to remind me of all the little things I like in the world, even if it happens to be in a bittersweet sort of way.
While this trip isn't about having (too much) fun, I can't go to California and do nothing cheerful. So last night I had planned on getting a personal tour of USC from a Bostonian turned USC grad student turned co-worker/travel buddy. Who I also messaged at eight o'oclock in the morning to say that "we should obviously get In-N-Out for dinner tonight. Just in case you were thinking of eating it for breakfast and lunch." (He came out early.) I made sure to let him know of my feelings that USC is a snooty private school filled with spoiled kids. But I will never turn down a chance to go back to college.
Of course, when I arrived, we scrapped those plans altogether and went straight to the ocean instead. Just so I could be sure to get in my barefoot walk on the beach and Pacific Ocean sunset.
In addition, we have planned to go see Blake Griffin slam some dunks at a Los Angeles Clippers game this week. This will be my first time at the Staples Center. Too bad I left my green and yellow at home.
And I can't help being just a little bit excited to interact with "my people." If you can call Southern Californians "my people." They are closer to "my people" than Bostonians, anyway. If nothing else, when I mention that I went to school at Cal Poly, I will be greeted with affirmation rather than blank stares and expressions of "oh, where's that?" And I can proudly announce that I'm from the Bay Area without having to add three qualifying sentences about the not-so-suburban suburbs of San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose.
There is nothing like California to remind me of all the little things I like in the world, even if it happens to be in a bittersweet sort of way.
1 comment:
My friend will even misses California being Hawaii. He says it's funny how the grass is always greener. He's back this week btw, and no we are not having suburban parties. I bought a couch for my room so its not such a pisshole that I don't even want to show my friends.
Also if you haven't seen it already, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuF6CpML3IQ
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