New England vs. California...

I was considering naming this post "Some Tips for New England to Make Itself Better than California And End the Never ending Debate Between the Coasts", but then I realized that there are things that will never change about New England and there are things that will never change about California *cough"perfect"weathercough*.

But first off, a comment on the driving. Whoever claims that Boston drivers are the worst they've ever seen and given truth to the nickname Masshole for people from Massachusetts clearly never drove on California freeways. It's a funny thing, really, because you'd think a motorcyclist that would squeeze him(or her)self between lines of cars on a windy, narrow road through the mountains between San Francisco and Santa Cruz would not back down to people standing to cross the road if they weren't forced to by a red light. But no, California drivers (and cyclists alike) are worse than Boston drivers on the highway, and happy to sit back, relax, and take it easy once they hit the off-ramp. I find it funny, really. I'm not sure there's a name for drivers with aggressive speed but patient pleasure driving habits.

I'll admit: New England will never be California. Unless climate change is more aggressive than I'm imagining it to be, the Northeast will not be able to supply freshly grown vegetables year-round to it's inhabitants. The notion that "we" are "the chosen people" and live in the city on the hill might never leave the mindset of the population of the Northeast. We will probably never have harems of sea lions residing under the docks of popular tourist destinations (oh yeah...). (NB: I did not know that a group of sea lions was called a harem. Thanks, Wikipedia!)

One thing New England COULD do is invite more frozen yogurt/soft serve stores on their side of the country. Because honestly, what is better than self-serve froyo that comes will your choice of 30+ toppings, ranging anywhere from strawberries to cheesecake pieces to Fruity Pebbles? OH, and it only costs 30 cents an ounce. Nothing? Yeah that's what I though.

And using REAL potatoes in your fast food french fries? No freezer frozen fries? And they'll even cut them in a place where you can see to prove it to you. I'm totally for real here.

But for real, fast food, frozen yogurt, and sea lions aside, California is pretty rockin'. Although I'm not digging the idea of no snow and no thunder storms. The idea that human beings and the weather can have a healthy, steady, consistent relationship baffles me. No three weeks of nonstop, downpour rain? No temperatures below 35F? If I'm replacing pressing my nose against a window to watch snow flakes cascade from the icy white sky on my birthday with frozen yogurt and freshly cut french fries, I'm not sure that's exactly healthy. Don't get me wrong, I love good food, but I also like surprises. And my floral umbrella. And my awesome pea soup colored coat.

Did I really just compare food and weather? Does that say something about me?

California has started me off on a good foot. A certain BANK that you can find all over AMERICA threatened to make my life miserable, but it was a mutual hatred. Thankfully it was just a threat and has been resolved, after taking with 5 different representatives (3 on the phone and 2 in person) and a combined 3 hours of service time. The cell phone company that starts with "T" and ends in "mobile" however, has consistently provided me with EXCELLENT customer service: in person, telephonically, and online. A+ to them!

Take off in 26 hours. Could not bet happier. Or more prepared (?). We'll see when I'm there, I guess...

B(ee)