Since getting the good news last week about us going back home, I've been getting a lot of emails saying "That's great news! Sorry to hear you hate California so much". I needed to desperately clear something up. I don't hate California. In all actuality, I really quite love California. I've been to San Francisco, San Diego, L.A., Sacramento. Loved them all, especially San Francisco, as when I'm there, I feel I'm home. But let's get something straight. The North Coast doesn't really qualify as California. Sure it's geographical location suggests otherwise, but let's be honest. Humboldt County is the bastard redneck cousin of everything that California stands for.
Let's count the reasons, shall we?
1. The weather- I keep getting emails about how great it would be to be here and experience the "California" weather. People, please, it rains here 90% of the winter. Last night, it was 35 degrees. When I woke this morning, it was 39. It's warmer in Illinois right now. I heard, last year, it rained for 41 days straight. 41 days!! No wonder the Northwest has the highest suicide rate in the US. Sheesh.
2. Television reception- This just pisses me off. Last night, five minutes before the end of Lost, our reception went off (which happens quite frequently). A pretty blue screen popped up, telling us reception would be restored as soon as possible. Fuckers. Can anyone tell me what happened the last five minutes last night? Right after Juliet brought Jack his sandwich and showed him her 'mark'?
3. Champions of Mediocrity- For some reason, the people of Humboldt County seem to strive for nothing less than mediocre. Whether it's customer service, food preparation, or their own livelihood, everyone in this place is happy with just being 'okay'. It's really quite sad, because they could do so much more with their lives, but aren't. That is why music, theatre, art suffers here. They aren't doing everything they can to make it really shine.
4. Mary Jane- Please, don't get me wrong, everyone deserves a little... relaxation every once in a while. But, due to the fact that Humboldt County grows 90% of the US' domestically distributed pot, most people smoke a lot of it here. A LOT. For instance, a few weeks ago, I was driving from HSU home after a day of teaching. I got behind a nice BMW station wagon going 40 in a 55. I pulled to the side and proceeded to pass him. When I looked over, there was a dude in his 60's, lighting up a bowl... WHILE DRIVING. Number one, not safe, dude! Number two, what the F#@&??!! Are you serious?! And this happens all the time. I've probably seen this sort of thing 3 or 4 times while I was in the car.
5. Fiber-optic cables- About a month ago, I woke in the morning, sat at the computer with my coffee for a morning of emailing, to discover we had no internet. I first looked at the modem, which all lights were functioning. I then looked at the desktop, which told me my LAN was disconnected. Making sure I wasn't going insane, I stood up, looked behind the computer, and sure enough, all cables were hooked up correctly. I called Dell, spent a good 20 minutes on the phone when Rob called and said a fire in some guys shed out in Redway burned down, burning through the fiber-optic cable that attaches Eureka to the outside world. We didn't have internet for about 9 hours. Businesses couldn't run credit card machines, and had a hard time doing business for a day or two afterward. This isn't really a big deal. I can live without the internet for a day or two. But, on principle, things like this shouldn't happen!
I will say this much, it's beautiful here in the late summer. When the sun shines, it's like being born. It's great living in such close proximity to the beach. But, when we finally move home, there is nothing I will miss. Not a damn thing.
3 comments:
So glad you guys are moving to where you want to be. Sounds like you've learned a lot these last few months about your wants/dislikes. That's what it's all about.
Looking forward to seeing you in June!
you are careless in making comments here which some might find hurtful. by the way, houses here cost at least 3X as much as where you are going. why do you suppose that is?
The competition is high to live here. You don't know what you are writing about with such seeming authority. Your head is up your . . . . .
Anon-
I can understand how you love this place, but it is truly not for me, for reasons I have mentioned.
The reason housing prices are so high in this area is not because there is a demand- the market in this region is ridiculously over-inflated. I find it ironic that you value such an ideal. And I disagree with you when you say competition to live here is high. I'd like to have a conversation where we discuss the merits of how many people in Humboldt county live in absolute poverty BECAUSE of the fact housing is so overpriced, no one can afford to live here, owning or renting. I take pride in the fact I'm headed to a place where I'll be able to afford to buy a house AND make a living wage at the same time. Do not bring on a fight about political ideals, friend. You will get a fight.
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