Where in CA do I belong?

I took a silly short quiz on Facebook awhile ago....

Where in CA do you belong?

I got Orange County/LA/San Diego.beach, Disneyland, the most populated cities, $, famous people.


The questions were about what kind of house I want to live in, what are my favorite colors, who do I consider celebs, what's my favorite food, what weather do I prefer and more. I didn't think it was exactly indicative of where I should be living in California but what do I know? Maybe Facebook knows better then I do..... I do know that I love living in LA! : )

Have you ever taken one of these quizzes on Facebook? Have you agreed with the results?

Looking Back on AZ

So this past weekend, as I was driving back into the Phoenix city limits, I couldn't help but feel pretty happy that my life was no longer there. Phoenix is a very large fast growing city made up of freeways, lots of cactus, sandy dunes and many cookie cutter housing developments. Of course it has a lot more to offer. The sunsets for one thing are amazing and I do miss them a lot. Yet the desert landscape is just not for me anymore. Perhaps after I'm married, I'll move back to AZ to raise a family but I highly doubt that I'll ever want to leave California. Tucson, Arizona will always have a special place in my heart since that is where my family and I would spend our summer vacations and that is where I went to college.

My biggest qualm with Phoenix right now is that the ridiculously hot days of summer vastly outnumber the pleasant ones. I was only back in Phoenix for about 48 hours but I was hit very hard with the excruciating heat. At one point it was 117 degrees!!! That's just not right! I think they should just close down the city in the summer and everyone is forced to leave for cooler states!

All that being sad, I certainly can say that I totally enjoyed my time living there and my visits back are always enjoyable. My residency in Phoenix was short and sweet and I made some incredible friends whom I am grateful for. They all need to come visit me in much cooler Cali soon! Anyway, this past trip was my first time being there that I really didn't feel like I was home. I guess that means that I am finally feeling comfortable in LA. Finally!

California Songs

Since moving here, I've become so much more aware of any and all music that is about California and have been making my own list.. Check it out below. Can you think of any others?

For a seriously complete list (a few songs I've never even heard of) check out here.

1. "California Dreamin" - The Mamas and The Papas
2. "California Gurls" - Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
3. "California Love" - 2pac
4. "Danny California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. "Californication" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. "Hotel California" - Eagles
7. "New York to California" - Mat Kearny
8. "Beautiful in Los Angeles" - Garrison Star
9. "Beverly Hills" - Weezer
10. "San Francisco" (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie
11. "California" - Kenny Chesney
12. "California" - Phantom Planet
13. "California Girls" - Beach Boys
14. "Going Back to Cali" - LL Cool J
15. "Long December" - Counting Crows
16. "We Got More Bounce in California" - Jump5
17. "Garden Grove" - Sublime
18. "Hollywood" - Jay-Z & Beyonce
19. "Hollywood" - Madonna
20. "Hollywood Swingin" - Kool & the Gang
21. "L.A is My Lady" - Frank Sinatra
22. "La Cienega Just Smied" - Ryan Adams
23. "Orange County Girl" - Gwen Stefani
24. "Walking in LA" - Missing Persons

Cali Stereotypes?!

And now for another edition of "What My Friends Think" Yep, that's the official name for it now. This time I decided to ask my friends what stereotypes came to mind when they thought of LA. Before moving here, I might have agreed with some of these negative clichés but after living here for almost 6 months, (WOW, time flies!) I have to say that there is whole lot more to this city then meets the eye. I never ever thought I would be using that term to describe LA. Sure, those typical LA folks are here but there are also many other normal people here too. There are families with children and dogs, there are older retired couples and single working girls like my roommates and I. We all manage to co-exist together in this big city. I hope that since I live here now, those of you that have never been here and seen for yourself what this city is like, will finally come for a visit! Come one, come all! : )

• "Girls: bleach blonde, plastic surgery, big boobs, super tan, says "like" and "awesome" a lot, not necessarily the brightest and likes to party. Boys: hot, buff, tall and handsome but generally players, rich/spoiled, popped collars. I don't think the OC, The Hills or The Real Housewives are really helping any of these stereotypes!"
• "Been to Cali multiple times and do think there are a lot of really good looking people. I can't really comment on the personality and finances though. Generally have had positive experiences with people I have met from there."
• "I haven't been to LA (well, I guess to the airport, and to Disneyland when I was really little, but that doesn't count). But, some stereotypes I have are: looks are everything. Cosmetic surgery and botox and all that stuff are the norm. High fashion and skankiness. Celeb sightings. I think that's about it...nothing too exciting!"

• "This one is kind of hard for me to answer because I've never BEEN to LA. So what I know about that part of California is from The Hills and other people's experiences living in the City of Angels. Basically, it seems like lala land and that most everyone is fake and focused on the superficial... But I don't think that about you, so.... ?"

• "I have spent very little time in LA, so I can't comment too much on this. But it's also hard to NOT talk about it because New Yorkers and LA types tend to get compared/contrasted a lot - any discussions of "where are you from?" seem to eventually lead to the east coast vs. west coast debate. New Yorkers seem to have pretty strong opinions of Los Angelenos and for the most part, they aren't very nice! Basically, we're opposites. New Yorkers enjoy public transportation, grit and "realness," complaining about the weather (complaining about anything really), small apartments as long as they're in the right neighborhood, and tend to favor more modest, but sophisticated, dark clothing. We make up a large percentage of the financial and media industries. Californians drive everywhere, work in an entertainment-related field, enjoy being outside and the non-seasonal weather, big houses and expensive cars, and tend to wear more revealing, brightly-colored, casual gear. Total generalizations because if you have the money in NYC of course, nice cars and big houses are definitely desirable. It's just not on average peoples' radars."

• "There's LA and then there's California. Much like there's Florida, and then there's the South. I don't have many stereotypes of non-LA residents, but, I've noticed that San Franciscans tend to get a lot of respect from New Yorkers, because it's more diverse and metropolitan and full of young, super-smart people. There are also the beach communities, and more inland communities that are very different from the whole LA/Hollywood scene. Where you live within a state, just like anywhere else in the country, tends to indicate a lot about your priorities and values."

• "A friend of mine just moved to LA from NYC and I thought he summed it up quite well: New Yorkers see a number come up on their cellphone that they don't know, and ignore it right away. People in LA see a number come up on their cellphone that they don't know, and they answer it immediately - it could be their next big break! :)"

Not so sunny California

So, normally LA has amazing beautiful sunny weather but today is not of those days. All day has been super overcast and raining on and off. It's actually pretty chilly right now in the house! But I guess we have to have days like this every once in awhile to truly appreciate the great weather. Having said that, I know that I could never live somewhere where it's rains all the time. I crave sunshine and clear skies. This is why the west coast and I get along very well! Well, here's hoping for better weather this week and this weekend.

"Rain! whose soft architectural hands have power to cut stones, and chisel to shapes of grandeur the very mountains." -Henry Ward Beecher

"Rainbows apologize for angry skies." -Sylvia Voirol

Californian Resident

As of today, I am by DMV standards a Californian resident and my car is fully registered to legally drive here permanently!! It took a lot but I finally got it all done! I can say that they definitely do not make it an easy process for out of staters here! Whew! I passed the written test at the DMV and now must wait 3 to 4 weeks for my Californian drivers license to come in the mail.

Honestly, I was kinda sad when they punched a hole through my AZ license. That's the only one I've had my whole life and it's weird thinking that I won't have that anymore. Wow.. I am no longer legally/officially connected to Arizona. It's a brand new life! Here we go, ready or not! : )

State Change

Tomorrow I am going to the DMV to switch my car registration from Arizona to California and to also get a California drivers license. Since I have the time now, I figured it would be smart to just go ahead and get it over with. Here, you can make an appointment online at the DMV which is awesome. I am hoping that I don't end up waiting around there for the appointment.

Supposedly, you only really have a month after you move to a new state to change all this stuff so I'm already behind on all this. Plus, I feel like I get stared at more often in my car since I have an AZ plate which is the opposite of what I want-I want to blend in and appear to be a true Californian. Despite having all CA stuff, I know that that doesn't instantly make me a Californian but it certainly gets me closer... right? : )

I thought the following joke was too funny not to add to this DMV post!

After spending 3-1/2 hours enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a guy stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for his son. He selected a baseball bat and took it to the cash register.

"Cash or charge?" the clerk asked.

"Cash," he snapped.

He then apologized for his rudeness, telling the clerk that he had spent all afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau.

"Shall I giftwrap the bat?" the clerk asked sweetly. "Or are you going back there?"