1. There is no “Fast Lane” on the freeway. The “Fast Lane” is whichever of the 4-5 lanes is moving fastest. Could be the inner-most lane, could be the far right lane. But it’s almost never the lane you’re occupying.
2. An earthquake feels more like swaying and rocking than the trembly vibration I imagined it would be.*
3. Brat buns do not exist out here. I’ve lost minutes of my life that I’ll never get back trying to explain to a grocery clerk what exactly a “brat bun” is.
4. The weather really is that fantastic out here. It’s always sunny, always warm. And the rare days it’s gloomy are perfect for running errands and outdoors because everyone else is inside.
5. Also, if the temperature dips below 70, it’s not uncommon to see jackets, hoodies, and people talking about how chilly they are.
6. There are coffee shops on every.single.corner. It’s not unheard of for there to be four coffee shops at one intersection.
7. It’s incredible to see the differences in climate in just a 50 mile radius from Los Angeles. You have mountains that get snow, deserts that never get any precip, valleys that get tons of sun and smog, and the beach that maintains a low layer of cooling clouds day after day.
8. Celebrities I’ve seen so far: Eric Estrada, Donnie Wahlberg, Cree Summer, Mark Paul Gosselar, Eddie Murphy, and Jay Leno.
9. (Almost) everyone has a gardener and a fabulously lush lawn. But you can only water twice/week. For 15 minutes. Before 9am or after 7pm. I think there’s some covert watering going on because there’s no way for a lawn to look that good on a minimal amount of water.
10. Toby hates the water. H.A.T.E.S. The first time we took him to the beach, he at us like we were trying to drown him. The second (and last) time, we had to drag him down the sand. There will be no third time. 😉
11. Speaking of him hating water, and adding insult to injury, he now has to have twice-weekly baths AND a daily dose of steroids to keep his allergies under control. Poor pup.
To prove my point – this is as close as he’ll get to the water. Not one inch more. 😉
* I base this off of the one 5.4 magnitude earthquake I’ve felt. Let’s hope this rings true for future quakes.
Christa Thatcher Photography Blog 