California Is Weird

I guess it's all relative, right? In comparison to where I spent the majority of my life, life out here is pretty weird. So today I will share with you the top "weirdest" or most interesting things I have learned about California so far.

1. I can't say this with enough emphasis - It is BRIGHT here. It is seriously painful to go outside without sunglasses. With sunglasses it is hardly bearable. Let me tell you, that 5 o'clock sun is brutal. I seem to find myself traveling to Walmart between 4-6 a lot of days which is on the west side of town. Who cares about traffic, that sun is the worst part of driving around here. Also, an interesting fact I learned... Because of the humidity in the midwest, your skin is more protected than it is here. As if I needed to have less protection for my pasty, sunburn-prone skin. Thanks, Cali! And I thought little humidity was going to be a good thing...

2. U-Turns. Here's the thing- I am sure many of you were raised in places that u-turns were acceptable. But I wasn't. In Owasso and Joplin- the two places I have driven most of my life- you don't pull u-turns. Whether it's illegal or no one does it, I'm not really sure. But by day 2 living in Cali, I am a u-turn fanatic. Especially when I am learning a new area and driving down wrong roads daily. Quick u-turn at an intersection and we are good to go! And trust me, it's not like you just pull it once in a while because you have to- it's a daily, almost encouraged move. Weird, but I am kind of liking it.

3. Sometimes people think we moved to a different country because California is this foreign, strange land no one understands. Well it's true, it's a weird place. Sometimes it feels like we are in a separate country. For instance, when we crossed the border in to California, there was an inspection station. For every single car. Most cars were waived through, but with our Penske truck, we were stopped. This inspection consisted not of anything you would expect- drug check, suspicious items... no. It was a check to make sure we didn't bring any plants from Oklahoma. Why? To make sure we didn't bring any flies that would ruin vegetation out here. Because flies would naturally want to hide in our truck to sneak across the border. They probably need to build a wall higher than flies can fly because hello- they can fly. They can cross the border if they'd like. I get it, here in Cali, they are growing a lot of food that can't be grown elsewhere right now because of the drought... They don't want their vegetation ruined... But come on. What's stopping insects from just waltzing on over? (If you ever feel the need to tell me the scientific process or reasons of why insects wouldn't come on their own but only come on plants from Oklahoma, don't bother. It completely ruins the humor of that inspection station. I prefer humor to boring answers.)

4. Texas Roadhouse is all the rage. Believe it or not Californians, Oklahoma has those too! Seriously, I've never heard a restaurant mentioned so much- albeit, a chain restaurant. It's pretty humorous every time someone asks if we've been there. Many a time, my friends... many a time.

5. I really can't think of a 5th one, but I don't like ending on 4. So again, I declare it is really bright here. Please do not forget your sunglasses when you come visit =)

While it's a weird (relative) place, I really do love it so far. Perhaps soon we will have a top 5 best things about Cali post soon!

Again, it's all relative to where I've been before. I'm sure as time moves on we will discover more and more strange aspects of living in Cali, and don't worry I will be quick to tell you all about them. But for now, I leave you with a concept to ponder: The Dry Bean Festival. You can't make these things up, people!