I Miss California

I've posted this on my Facebook, but I thought I'd post it here again for those of you who aren't signed up for that site!

There are so many things I am starting to really miss about California. I never thought I'd miss my state, let alone my hometown, but I do. Every day as I'm walking through the snow, I ask myself, "Why would anyone want to live here?" Sure, it's not that bad but it's missing a lot...

*California has real produce! The apples are crunchy and juicy! The vegetables are fresh and from a nearby field, oftentimes. The strawberries are naturally red, and you can buy them at a roadside stand.

*Springtime in California! I miss it so much! I miss the smell in the air, the warmth in the air, and the general feeling I always get. I used to associate the sound of planes with sitting in the warm, spring sunshine, but this morning, I heard a plane and looked outside... to find that it had snowed.

*I miss the general acceptance of California; I miss people not staring just because you're wearing a style you like. Here in Idaho, it is generally acceptable to just stare at someone.

*Drivers are terrible here! Maybe not all of you, and that's not to say we're all amazing in California, but, generally speaking, people in Idaho not only drive really slow, but they don't know how to park. I miss the state of going at least 5-10 miles over the speed limit, and knowing how to park at the beach between two cars that are so close to each other that you have to crawl out of your own.

*Speaking of the beach, I miss knowing it's there! I can't just drive an hour to Santa Cruz to see the waves and sand. I'm landlocked... And also, California is amazing because you can go surfing in the morning, and snowboarding in the afternoon, in the same day if you wanted to.

*Snowboarding. I've heard the snow is great here in Idaho, and I complained often enough in California about the snow, but now... I'm cold so often that I don't even want to go snowboarding. I've been here nearly two months and I haven't even attempted to go; in California, I used to drive two hours to get somewhere to board at least three times a winter. Plus, you can go snowboarding in a thermal and a t-shirt in California... Here, I don't know how many layers I'd have to wear because I'm not sure if I'd get too hot, or if I'd be too cold...

*I miss the trees in my hometown! R* is sparse. The trees we do have aren't very pretty, and they're rare.

*I also miss the Mexican food! I work at a Mexican restaurant, but it's just not California-Mexican. For one thing, you don't go to a nice (non-fast food restaurant) in California and get ground beef on your taco or burrito. That's just... lame. And not Mexican. I've also had people ask me what a quesadilla is! I was hoping she was joking, but when she asked me again, and then another person asked me a few days later, I realized that people really are that uneducated.

*I miss real Californians. There are poser-Californians here, people that just want to be Californians. There are so many girls that talk about "Cali" and wear Hollister sweatshirts that say California on them.. and yet they've never even been to California, let alone lived there!

*It's also so isolated here in R* (we have a Walmart and a Taco Bell), and I don't think it gets much better anywhere in Idaho. Sure, Idaho Falls has a little mall, but it's not like even my hometown. When my computer broke, there was no Mac store for more than 250 miles (in Salt Lake City or Boise!)... and my phone is breaking, and there isn't a AT&T store, either.

*I miss being able to go to San Francisco, the real "city." I've heard people talk about "the city" being Idaho Falls, which is roughly the size of Turlock.

*I miss the chicness of California, also. People are just... more cool... somehow. This one is hard for me to describe because it's subjective, in a way, but when you see everyone around you pretending they're from California, you know you're from the cooler state.

*Last of all, I think I miss the economy of California. I make 3.75 an hour, and most people here are really cheap when they tip. 8-10% is not acceptable in California.


Idaho isn't all bad, of course; I've made a few friends and school is going really well. But I miss California so much more than I ever thought I would! I miss my family (well, some of them:)), and I miss my friends. I miss Paul, and I miss being able to hang out with everyone. (There's nothing really to do here besides build igloos.) I miss the things that I had available, even if I didn't use, in California.

Finally, this song from Sixpence None the Richer describes my life near perfectly right now.

"A Million Parachutes":

Like a million parachutes the snow’s coming down
I’ll lock up the front door and turn the lights down
In the glow of the street lights, i see them descend
Like a million parachutes, small men on a mission

I miss the warm, i miss the sun
I miss the ocean, i miss everyone
I miss the bridges that span across the bay
Tonight it seems like ages ago

Like a million parachutes the snow still falls
The dogs are asleep now, there’s no one to call
I’ll put on some records and wait for the light
All those million parachutes, now a blanket of white

I miss the warm, i miss the sun
I miss the ocean, i miss everyone
I miss the bridges that span across the bay
Tonight it seems like ages ago