Seen in…North County?

That’s right, it’s back! But now that I’m no longer in San Francisco, it’s no longer “Seen in the City” (or was it Scene in the City?). Anyway, welcome to the first edition of: Nuttiness in NoCo!

First up, seen today as I was walking to class on the San Marcos Palomar campus: A dumbass San Diego bro (of sorts–you know what I’m talking about–those “pretty boys” who think they’re the shit) on his long board wearing a black t- shirt that said, “Hate is not a Crime” and nothing else. Is this some sort of joke?! Is that supposed to be funny? Am I missing something? Please, take your arrogant ass back home and burn that shirt. Thank you.

And I’ve saved the best for last: While running errands on my break today, I saw my first ever Vista tranny! That’s right, a real, live cross-dresser in North County; on the corner of Melrose and Bobier! It made me all nostalgic for San Francisco. He was amazing. Huge black wig with some low lights, black skirt, gaudy shirt, manly legs. It was just too good to be true. I wish I had had my camera and hadn’t been cruising at 55mph. There’s always next time!

Thank you and goodnight.

Vista, I love you but you’re bringing me down.

I was recently asked by a fellow blogger and friend why it was that I hadn’t been blogging lately, and to paraphrase what he recently wrote in one of his blogs, you could ask me a million different times and I would give you a million different answers. I think when it really comes down to it, I’ve just been uninspired to write; not to be confused with “I have nothing to write” because I definitely have things on my mind that I’d like to attempt to put into words, but sometimes that is just so much easier said than done! Plus, sometimes I can’t decide whether something I would like to write about is too personal; as in more journal appropriate as opposed to blog appropriate, or too uninteresting, or whatever. But then I remember, this is my blog and I do what I want! Hah! So here are a few tidbits that have been on my mind; some recent and some that I wrote a few weeks ago but never posted or finished for whatever reason.

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Money may rule the world, but it won’t buy you happiness. Unfortunately, we are taught (practically from birth) that the more money you have, the more you can buy and the happier you will be. And as my English professor just said, (unbeknown to her that I am writing this in class) “Love of money is the root of all evil.”

I wrote that during one of my classes when I was supposed to be writing on the homework reading, only I hadn’t bought the book yet, so I didn’t do the reading. But I had to write something and pretend to be productive. I think I wrote what I did because, well, A. It’s true! And B. I was pissed about how much I had just spent on my German book (somewhere around $176) and was also calculating what else I was going to have to spend on the rest of my books…which has reached a grand total of over 300 dollars! Insanity. And I don’t even have a job yet.

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And here I am, still without a job…I don’t even want to talk about that though. Honestly, if I didn’t have bills to pay, I’d be perfectly content with the allowance (yes, I said allowance. I’m 24 and I HAVE AN ALLOWANCE!) my parents are giving me. No joke. It’s a pretty sweet deal. Make fun of me all you want, but when all I really want to do is finish school, not having to worry about being a functioning member of society with a j-o-b makes it that much easier to stay focused. It’s amazing how little money I actually need to “live” (when I don’t have to pay rent/buy groceries/whatever else), too. Isn’t it weird that money keeps coming up in topic, too? Hm.

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So this semester something is happening that I don’t ever remember having happen before: people are talking to me– initiating conversation! I know, you’re thinking “WTF?! Fo’ reals? With you?!” Yes, really. With me. And I like it. I don’t know what has changed; maybe I look friendlier? Do I smile more? Or maybe it’s a sympathy thing? Although, I prefer not to go down the “sympathy” route because as stuck up as this might sound, I really don’t think that’s what it is. When I mentioned this to a friend, she suggested that it’s probably the way I carry myself and the vibe I put out there. Yay! Maybe I’ll make some new friends?

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And speaking of school, I feel like it is my saving grace in this whole “moving back” debacle. Without school (and some amazing friends), I would be a lost cause. I’m on the straight and narrow and it feels great.

I have this amazing English professor for two of my classes and I absolutely love her. I’ve heard fellow pupils before my classes talk smack about her on occasion, but seriously? Her passion and excitement for literature is something to be admired. She is a true gem and I can only hope to one day be as fantastic as she is. So there’s my shout out to Paes de Barros.

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On a closing note, I know some might think that I absolutely hate being back in North County; and yes, I felt as though I left San Francisco prematurely; yes, sometimes I have my bad days and complain, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m here and I’m trying to make the most of it when I can. It’s only going to be as good as I make it and I might not always want to make it great (because you can’t be happy 24/7), but that in no way means I’m going to stop trying. So chew on that!

I will only complicate you.

I’ve officially been in North County for a month. It’s surreal. It’s incontrovertible and here I am about to start school (but still jobless). During this past month I have mentally been making notes on the things that annoy me about this place; the things I enjoy and the things I miss about San Francisco. Here are those lists:

V-Town Annoyances

• It’s too damn hot!
• The coffee is never strong enough– where do you find a decent cup of coffee in the Tri City area?!
• You have to drive EVERYWHERE– I HATE DRIVING!
• I feel awkward getting drunk at home– Almost as if it’s not allowed…
• 24 Hour Fitness is no longer in walking distance.
• There is a rampant infestation of “Bros” and their “Hos'” and their ginormous, gas guzzling trucks.
• My ex lives here– which isn’t a problem, but it is a problem.
• I haven’t slept through a night since I’ve been here– So I’m always tired and take a lot of naps.
• The surprised expressions I get when I confess that I don’t have a boyfriend and am not seeing anyone and don’t really have plans to– Shocker! I know. But much to the surprise of all Southern Californians, it is OK to be single and crave some form of independence (no matter how old you are). I promise.
• The CL “Missed Connections” aren’t nearly as entertaining as the San Francisco ones.
• I went from having a full-length mirror in my room that made me look ultra thin (nicknamed the “Skinny Mirror”), thus leaving me with a (false) sense of confidence, to a mirror that makes me look even fatter than I already am (nicknamed the “Fat Mirror”); leaving me with thoughts such as these: “You are a broke down, beat, fat ass. What happened to you?!” or “Why are you even bothering to get dressed and leave the house?” a la Liz Lemon style– Ignorance is bliss, people. Ignorance is bliss. Give me back the skinny mirror!
• They still play Korn on the radio here. Yes. Korn. Did I just move back in time?
• Everything is so spread out.
• Cable– Sure, I no longer have to wait until the day after to watch the two (2) shows I look forward to viewing, but there is a lot of trash out there. Trash you get sucked into and before you know it, you’ve spent the whole day on the couch, melting your brain.

Things I miss in/about San Francisco

• EVERYTHING!– Jay-Kay…kind of…no seriously, here’s the list:
• My roomies– Three’s Company fo’ life yo!
• Dolores park– Drinking there, reading there, people watching, etc.
• Work pals– You know who you are.
• The City life in general– Morning commutes on MUNI, Union Square, The Haight, etc.
• Dive bars– Too many good ones to list.
• The Many Mis-Adventures of Amy and Carissa.
• The lack of fast food.
• My house– Which isn’t actually “my house” anymore, but you know what I mean.
• Roommate dinners.
• Dining room dance parties.
• Charlie’s (wasted) Angels
• Friends, friends, friends– You know who you are too; don’t make me name names.
• And a whole lot more that I don’t want to list, ’cause then I’m thinking about it and then I get sad.

Now, just to be fair, here is a list of a few things I actually do (kind of) enjoy about North County:

Some V-Town Goods

• The Girls– Nat, Kate, Sissy and (yes, you too) Robin!
• $2 Racer5’s on Thursdays.
• Beaches where you can actually enjoy the sun and swim in the water.
• Real Mexican food– And at some places you can get it anytime you want!
• Free food/no rent.
• The Guys– Meaning my friends here who are guys– you know who you are too (although I’m fairly positive none of you read this).
• I won’t miss Decemberween– Assuming it still happens this year.
• Snowboarding
• The desert
• Wide open spaces.
• I’m now closer to my family.

So there you have it. I’m sure as more time goes on, I’ll have more to add to each of these lists but I figured after a month, this was a pretty good start.

On a closing note, a lot of us are starting school tomorrow, so to those of you who fit in that category, good luck! I wish you a happy, heathly semester riddled with well earned, good grades.