Cali

My first thought upon seeing LA from the air was, "OH, shit." It's butt ugly and there's this disgusting yellow smog all over the place.

This impression wasn't really assuaged in any way after getting in my rental car and finding the 405. The traffic wasn't that bad, but the sights were less than appealing. Lots and lots of big industrial buildings with pipes and stuff that look like they were the inspiration for THE MATRIX.

Since coming into town my initial terror at the prospect of moving to someplace so cityish and brown has lessened. Mostly due to the fact that I've been driving relentlessly around the area and have seen enough really posh green spaces that I just might end up liking LA eventually. Pasadena is really sweet and so is Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Topanga Canyon, and the bit of Long Beach that Molly lives in.

I think my attitude will continue to change as I get to know the city. I wasn't all that keen on Chicago at first either...wait, no, I only really like Wheaton, but still...

I only have one place left to check out as a housing possibility, and I have the distinct feeling that I'll be begging the chick to let me live there within 10 minutes of meeting her.

At the moment I'm chilling on Molly's bed while she's at work. I discovered an Ikea magazine under the coffee table in the living room and just about flipped my lid when I checked out the prices. DUDE, that's sweet. We don't have an Ikea in KC that I know of, and I've never really looked at any of their stuff. NOW I'm getting stoked. I want to furnish my new room.

I also need to find Mullholland Drive.