Sunny CA

Here I am, kicking back in California. A few notes:

1. While in Davis, there was one thing I wanted to do, more than enjoy the above-freezing temperatures, more than visit with family, more (gasp and shock) than visiting Castro street: I wanted to listen to one of my podcasts on the radio.

You see, I am a huge fan of "This Week In Science", and I love listening to the podcast. But the podcast is simply an mp3 copy of the live radio show, which is based out of UC Davis. So part of the reason I wanted this so badly was that it seemed like the simplest possible request: "set up a radio", as opposed to "drive for an hour to San Francisco with a two-year-old in the backseat". It turns out, though, that while my brother is amply equipped to drive to SF (as they seem to call it out here), having a car, a GPS unit, and a two-year-old, he does not, in fact, have a fully functional radio. Why would a person who owns a car with its own computer screen not have a device as simple as a radio? Turns out, I may be the normal one in the family.

In the hopes that I would recreate the experience I'd hoped to have, I listened to the streaming audio of KDVS this morning. I did, in fact, hear the show, but it just wasn't the same. I mean, I can open up iTunes in Michigan, and for this show, it's even easier to listen to in the Eastern Time Zone. 8:30 am here translates into 11:30 am back home. I know, I'm getting a little whiny here, but I feel a little gypped.

2. On the plus side, I did get to visit the Castro district. Had I been thinking and planning ahead, I would've brought my camera. But then, I would probably have been marked as a tourist, when I saw myself more as a pilgrim. There were lots of people there. It was a lot of fun, except that most of those people were drinking (at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon), and we didn't feel like joining them. I can see why you would, though. If I lived there, I'd be all over that.

3. I found out my sister-in-law spent some time studying at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. This is the second person I know who has ties there; one more, and it's officially an omen.

4. I do not have much control over my comings and goings around here. I am borrowing a bicycle, which is perfectly good transportation around town, except it is kept in my brother's garage, which does not open unless you know the code for the keypad, which I don't. So getting some time away to myself, well, hasn't happened yet. Fortunately, they let me smoke in the side yard, so I haven't gone completely insane, but still, I would like a little "me" time. Also, my brother keeps trying to convince me to move out here; I'd be happier about the idea if I could explore around on my own, without a chaperone.

Well, that's about it. I'm here for another 2.5 days, then back to my parents' house, then back to Kalamazoo. Then back to work. Bleh.