It has come to my attention that I should really just write whatever the hell I feel like, instead of desperately trying to gain traffic, twitter followers and major awards as fast as is humanly possible which is what the majority of blogs out there try to do.
There I said it.
OK, so with California being near the top as far as unemployment numbers and foreclosure rates go, I’ve been wondering just how many people have been doing the reverse-dustbowl migration and heading out to greener, cheaper pastures. This opinion letter in the LA Times was kinda funny and poignant at the same time. Actually, if it had more profanity in it, it could almost be a semi-serious Impulsive Buy review letter.
I’ve often thought about moving to another state, or even up into that great wild north where hockey fans skate free and unfettered by restrictive sports broadcasts. But truth be told, I think this is just because I’ve lived here for 35 or so years and sometimes you do get tired of sunny days over and over again while the rest of the nation “enjoys” snow. Hmm…if we did move, I wonder if I’d find myself singing this particular song once in awhile:
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August 18th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
I’m pretty bad at generating traffic as well, and a complete Twitter failure. I have adopted the philosophy, “write and they will come”. I don’t know if it works (it probably doesn’t), but it’s in line with my character.
I expect my husband and I will be going to California in about 2.5 years, though I don’t know for sure. It might be a good thing if some people migrate out of the state given housing costs there. Of course, it all has a trickle down effect on the economy, so it may also be an issue state-wide.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
My husband took a two week trip to Japan years ago, and he was depressed when he got back to California and saw how dirty it was.
We escaped California a year ago this week. It’s so nice to have spent the summer not worrying about how close the fires are, or whether we’ll be the next county put on water rationing. I won’t have to worry about not getting my tax refund either.
August 19th, 2009 at 8:45 am
@orchid - any idea where in Calif you’ll be going? One thing good is you might be able to continue to review japanese snacks if you at least come back to the West Coast - Marukai, Mitsuwa and other J markets are around in the right areas.
@holly - I probably should’ve also talked about the plus side of living in Calif. Just seems like there’s less of them nowadays. Though it’s nice not to worry about tornadoes and hurricanes. And snowstorms. =)
August 19th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
We have Mitsuwa in Chicago too. =)
There really aren’t many pluses to living in California. The weather is nice, that’s about it. Though, I read a statistic that says I have the same chance of dying from the weather in Chicago as I do in California, and that’s NOT taking the earthquakes into account.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
That is kind of true. I was sitting here thinking about it, trying to come up with any pluses. The weather seems to be the only one, and we’re further inland so it gets hotter than near the beaches. I think it’s just that I’ve lived here all my life. I shouldn’t feel such a connection to the “history” of California (it was as bad or worse for minorities than every other state), but it’s strange because I do. That only occurred in the last 5 years which is strange. The Beverly Hills celebrities, the celebration of car culture, the traffic, the smog - I could do without it.
I also really like the West Coast, I just feel more comfortable west of the Rockies. But I know, I could easily move to Portland, Seattle or even Vancouver. I also like that you can drive nearly 700 miles north from San Diego and still be in the same state. I’m not sure why I care about that either. You can go to Texas or Alaska and do the same.
Clearly I’m confused why I like this state so much =) Someone help me think of some pluses.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:39 pm
*crickets*
Sorry, I’ve got nothing.
September 25th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Bryan I am with you.
I have lived on and off (mostly on) in California since 1989. While I do love it I am at the point where I am ready to move (if not for the fact that I now have the care of an aging parent who refuses to leave). Ideally I would go back to the east coast, but even going back to Atlanta sounds good at this point.
I am tired of the taxes, the traffic, the fires and the people. I am working an obscene amount of hours to make ends meet and even then they are barely meeting. My friends in other states at this point have a better quality of life at the same– or even less– of an income level.
Why do I stay? (beyond the parent issue) Like you there are just some things that I really like the idea of. I live in the Inland Empire. Within a matter of hours (or less depending on traffic) I can be at the beach, I can go to Vegas. I live in a town at the base of a mountain so in the winter snow is a matter of minutes away should I want to be in it. There is amazing variety of food. And let’s not forget Disneyland!
But it is coming to the point that the bad is starting to outweigh the good.
And in terms of Twitter; if one more person asks me to be in their Mafia family I swear I am going to start taking out hits myself…