My new ride

Oh yeah check it out. I woke up last Sunday and told Eric "I think it might be nice to have a bike", He said "Get dressed, let's go". This is what we came home with. It has a working light and electric horn. Eric heard a girl telling her dad "Oh dad look, she is getting THAT one". Beautiful. Siobhan and I have been on about four bike rides since Sunday. We have a park VERY close by so it is a great place to ride. I think we did about four miles last time. Thanks babe! I love it! (I know, I still haven't picked a name yet...)

FRIDAY

Is there anyone out there who does not love Friday? The feeling that you have TWO whole days before you have to return to work (unless of course you work weekends!). Ahhh. Who cares there is dance to go to, a birthday party, UCLA to watch, it is still FREE time. So wonderful!

hmm, kinda true!

So as not to be outdone by all the redneck, hillbilly, and Texan jokes, somebody had to come up with this, you know you're from California if:

1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.

2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.

3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.

4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.

5. You can't remember . . is pot illegal?

6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.

7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.

8. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?

9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.

10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.


11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.

12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.

13. You can't remember . . .is pot illegal?

14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."

15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.

16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.

17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????

18. Both you AND your dog have therapists, psychics, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons.

19. The Terminator is your governor.

20. If you drive illegally, they take away your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.

The future of OC

okay, it is just an idea, but maybe not a bad one. Many people who work in Orange County, live elsewhere. More and more in Riverside and Corona. I have a friend at work who travels a hundred miles a day for work. Crazy. The thing is, people can't afford to actually live in Orange County. Close to us they are building lofts that are going for 600,000 and up. Forget a two bedroom, who could afford it. There isn't much room in Orange County to build homes. The Irvine Company just sold the last really big lot of land. So more and more lofts, condos and attached homes are going up. No back yard. Association fees. Priced well over half a million dollars, some in not so great neighborhoods.

What's next? I think people will buy their homes in other counties, Riverside, San Bernardino, LA, and will NOT want to continue to drive so far to work. I think builders will start buying up neighborhoods, tear down the single family homes and rebuild. They will build more and more lofts. People will buy a loft just big enough to stay in Monday through Thursday and then head home to their "house" on the weekend. We will turn into a commuter town. We already have the commuter colleges, why not a whole county.

If you could see it. I mean they are taking a previously small parking lot, and up go some new homes. That is okay. Come buy up our home. With the money we make on our house, we will retire in Mexico.

Just an idea again

Here is a way for California to make some money. Many of our freeways have carpool lanes (2 or more people in the same care). What if CA charged a fee to use the carpool lane if you aren't a carpool? A sticker kinda like the one used for clean air cars. A fee based on the calendar year and prorated as the year goes on. Let's say the state charges, oh, $8000 a year. It is a lot. Fast track is now charging up to $8.50 each way. Used everyday, each way, that is about $4400 a year. So not everyone could afford it, which is the point. Charge a high fee, give people a similar sticker with the year in LARGE print, they can take the carpool lane. Fees will be used to repair, maintain and create the roadways. Okay, so maybe there are some kinks here and there, but all in all not a bad idea. If it happens, you saw it here!

How cute is she?

Siobhan enjoying herself at the Galaxy game!