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July 18, 2005

i am officially obsessed with california.

i guess I'm suffering from a bit of, "you can take the girl out of California but you can't take the California out of the girl." It's fairly obvious that I am going through some serious homesickness. It is so embarrassing to admit being homesick when you're from Fresno. I don't think that it's necessarily Fresno that I am homesick for, I think it's California as a whole.

This weekend, Alex and I went to the Mariner's game. What a perfect day for a baseball game. It was 80 degrees, sunny, warm, baseball weather. People were leaving the game because it was too hot. Too hot?!

I knew when I first moved to Seattle that I wouldn't live here for the rest of my life. It's beautiful here, don't get me wrong. I love the weather, I'll probably never be able to afford the views I've had here in any other city, the mountains and water are gorgeous. It's really the people and mentality that I just don't get. For example; for the first 3 years that I lived here I lived in the same building. We had a huge, grassy backyard that overlooked the city. It was fenced so the dogs could run around, there were tables and chairs, you could BBQ and drink beers. The whole 3 years that I lived there, a total of maybe 10 people went in the backyard. The building had roughly 60-70 residents, I would think, and hardly any of them ever went in the yard. I felt so lucky to have a yard in the city and just couldn't understand how no one ever went back there.

Now I live in a neighborhood with a few really nice condo buildings that have balconies with gorgeous views. I do not have a balcony or yard anymore. I take my dog out on walks every day and none of these people are ever out on their balconies. They have all this super nice, matchy furniture that is NEVER used. It makes me so angry and confused.

I don't think I ever ate a meal inside during the summers when I lived in Cali. We never went to bars and sat inside. The summers were all about being outdoor sun worshippers. Here, in Seattle, we are blessed with the most amazing summers. People get all dressed up in their REI gear and do what? Where are they? Sure, maybe they hike on the weekends and spend their summers camping on the peninsula, but what about every night after work?

My friend told me that she lives in a condo that has an outdoor heated pool and she is the only person ever swimming in it. How do people in Seattle learn how to swim?

Anyway, for everyone's sake, I hope that my trip to Cali cures my longing and obsession. Until then, you may be cursed with the constant rantings of stupid Seattle and the praises for a place I no longer live.

In fact, I may just feel a list coming on...


Posted by meloknee at July 18, 2005 07:19 PM

Comments

I think it's more Capitol Hill than Seattle. When I first moved here, I lived in Fremont. Any day with sun was jam-packed with folks out and absorbing. Every back/front yard had people in it either tending to their plants or tending to their beers. And let's not forget the fact that folks who dig the outdoors the most leave the city when they want to really enjoy the weather. Ever seen the lakes or sound on a nice day? Watercrafts galore.

Remember, hipsters and the chronically hung-over cannot take bright sunlight (I think all sunlight can probably be described as "bright"). It tends to call out things like malnutrition, near epic cocaine use, and those oh-so-inconvenient random herpes outbreaks. All the things that the semi-lights of Linda's, The Cha-Cha, and Ye Olde Summit Public House can mask.

So I say screw'em. Argh.

Posted by: jlg at July 18, 2005 04:13 PM