California – Page 4 – Geoff Fox: My Permanent Record

Lunch On The Lot

I had lunch with a friend I’ve known since second grade. Yes, that’s a long time. His office is on the 20th Century Fox lot. He calls it “the campus.”

I am really lucky. He is a good friend. Very smart with an interesting job in a business I still love. And he likes to talk about it.

The location is a bonus.

I drove from Hollywood, down through Beverly Hills and Century City to the large, yet unmarked entrance on Pico. Parking for guests is two levels below ground. I don’t want to be there for “The Big One.”

A real movie lot is a fascinating place. Not only are there sound stages, there’s a whole city complete with NYC subway entrances. Signs on stores and lightposts are currently ‘selling’ the street as Washington. Trust me, you’ve seen this street a thousand times.

The lot is filled with people on-the-move. It is a factory producing visual entertainment.

We had lunch on campus then headed back so I could meet someone he works with. My request. He’s another broadcast exec, a larger than life figure not that well known outside the business. He is a programming revolutionary.

He was exactly who I hoped he’d be. No disappointment!

I took an indirect route back to my car. Sightseeing. I’m not on a lot that often.

Finally I headed to the garage elevator down to my car. As the door was about to close, Joel McHale, host of The Soup (among other credits), walked in.

He is much taller than he appears on TV. He is also ripped.

I told him I was a fan. He was gracious and funny. Another good impression.

We have chromakey in common.

Next stop The Valley. My friend (and best man) Howard is a manager.

Nice office. High floor. Killer view.

Howard makes deals for a living. I like listening to his side of phone conversations.

We schmoozed. Friends schmooze.

Really nice day.

California Is For The Hummingbirds

I put up a hummingbird feeder a few days ago. We have a small courtyard alongside the house. A feeder seemed the thing to do.

Hummingbirds don’t ask for much. They’re hard workers looking to score nectar. My pleasure.

The feeder itself came from Target. It’s mounted with suction cups on a window to our family room. We can watch TV and hummingbirds simultaneously. The hummingbirds are usually more entertaining!

The nectar also came from Target. This will be the first and last time for that. It was only after I came home that I read coloring doesn’t matter! All that’s needed is a 4:1 water/sugar mix. Even I can handle that.

At the feeder the hummingbirds often seem to hover motionless as their wings flutter at incredible speed. They’re tiny and they fly fast. There’s nothing about them that isn’t cool!

So far Doppler hasn’t caught on. I hope she doesn’t ever.

Albert Hammond Lied–It Rains In Southern California

I was in bed and asleep at the unusually early (for me) hour of 2:00 AM. That’s when the downpours came to Irvine. It was as if someone had thrown the rain switch. Nothing to everything in a flash!

All the windows were open. Thankfully there was little wind. It didn’t rain in.

Summertime rain in SoCal is the exception. In fact, for our first month in Orange County this is my only run-in&#185. Nearby John Wayne Airport reported 1/8″.

Last night while out walking Helaine noted, “The sky looks bigger here.”

Fewer low and mid level clouds mean fewer obstructions. Clouds are often seen when they’re farther away. The sky does look bigger.

We’re going to a restaurant at the beach this evening for my birthday. It should be sunny by this afternoon. I’m looking forward to sunset over the Pacific.

Like I said, summertime rain here is the exception.

&#185 – Helaine was out shopping a few weeks ago when she saw a handful of drops on an otherwise lovely day.

We’re Babes In The Woods

Our new California home has a side yard. It’s not very large. It is very important. It is the one part of this house I fantasized about while still in Connecticut.

In my dreams I sit out there in the cool evening breeze and relax.

I know. Doesn’t seem like much.

You can get to our side yard via the garage or the service alley behind the house. Most of the time it will be accessed from large sliding glass doors off the eat-in kitchen.

There are five windows plus the glass doors which look into the yard. It’s meant to be seen and used. Right now it’s stark and featureless.

We’re looking to put in pavers for a patio area with plants on the margins. We got an estimate today. There’s not a lot of room, but plants are a must.

Nothing is cheap. We’re thinking a second estimate might be in order.

As with so much we’re doing we’re babes in the woods. We can only hope we make the right decision. Making no decision is not an option.

Things You See While Shopping In SoCal

I’ve been involved in more shopping over the last month than any other time in my life. I’ve been in stores of every shape and size. If it can be bought, it’s crossed our sights.

That’s given me the opportunity to look closely at the stores themselves.

Winner of the coolest display goes to this miniature tent city from Coleman. When I first approached it I had no idea what I was seeing. Then it dawned, these were scale models.

I’d like one for Doppler, please.

I bought a bike. Stef and I looked at a bunch of stores where bikes are sold before settling on one at Dick’s.

I walked into one specialty store, looked at the bikes hanging from the ceiling and told Stef the price wasn’t too bad.

“That’s four numbers,” she replied.

I thought the bike was a little over $200. Oops.

At one store there were bandages in a first aid kit at the base of the bicycle display!

Finally… Maybe I’m missing something, but I thought squirrels were a scourge? We found one store with a large display of squirrel food.

Seriously? More squirrels? Pinch me.

We are in a neighborhood with a large bunny population. They are all over the place at night

It’s California. Even the wild animals are adorable.

Sweat There, Not Here

I’m almost scared to write about the weather. No one wants me to rub in the weather change moving brought. We left Connecticut at the start of a brutal summer. There have been more tornadoes and thunderstorms in Southern New England than I remember from summer’s past. It is sweaty as a Turkish prison!

The map at the top of this entry (courtesy: http://weather.unisys.com/) shows current dew point temperatures. Dew point is an absolute measure of atmospheric moisture and a better indicator of humidity’s effect than relative humidity itself!

That’s it in a nutshell. All the sweaty stuff is east of the Rockies. That’s not unusual. It’s that the way every summer.

It all has to do with water temperature and the influence of the ocean. The water off the East Coast is warmer than water off the West Coast. Oceanic circulation brings here brings cool water down from Alaska. The Gulf Stream does the opposite in the east.

Even mid-summer, beach water here never warms. Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top, but only toes in the water!

In Connecticut a sea breeze brings humid air. In California it does not.

The dew point here is 59&#176 with a breeze off the Ocean. It’s off Long Island Sound on the Connecticut shoreline today, but the dew point at New Haven is 74&#176.

Dew points in the 70&#176s are stressful enough to be dangerous.

Officially SoCal has a Mediterranean climate, just like Italy and the beaches of Southern Europe. It’s very nice.

We made a good weather trade.

What Kind Of Sex Toy Is This?

The text message I got this morning was a little cryptic: “Morning meeting crew eta 0900.” It was from Mike Hughes, our mover. Helaine found Mike’s “Working Robots” through Angie’s List.

It’s a out of the norm to use a local guy to move you cross country, but it was obvious as we packed, Mike was the right choice. We followed his solo journey from Connecticut via Facebook.

He took all the scary curves we took with Helaine’s SUV. It had to be scarier for him up in the cab.

At 9:00 AM Mike’s truck rolled up with my little car following on a short trailer. He brought muscle in the form of two guys supplied by a local OC mover.

Box-by-box they moved everything off the truck and into the house or garage. With each box a number was called and Stef checked it off the manifest.

Mike and the guys worked hard and fast. In two hours they were done! There were a couple of small scratches as might be expected, but everything is accounted for and we’re happy.

The final price was at the very low end of Mike’s original estimate. He said that made him happy. It certainly made us happy.

Over the past few days our house had begun looking like a home. Alas, we’re loaded with boxes and clutter again.

This is where Stef comes in. I’m not sure how she got this skillset, but she took charge of the unpacking… and discarding.

As much as we threw away before leaving Connecticut, it’s obvious we didn’t toss enough.

“What kind of sex toy is this,” she’d ask while holding up some kitchen implement which should have been tossed in Connecticut, but wasn’t.

We are not at the hoarder level, but there’s been plenty of accumulation over the decades. Doing without for four weeks has shown us many possessions are expendable.

As a team, Stef and Helaine emptied boxes and organized the kitchen. My guess is the kitchen will be the most difficult room in the house. It’s full of one-of-a-kind stuff, each of which should be stored with similar items.

My job was breaking down boxes and occasionally carrying items to the garage. I had it easy.

It’s tough for Helaine to part with stuff, but when you’ve got four or five of something, decisions must be made. “What kind of sex toy is this,” and away it goes!

Roxie and Doppler looked on through it all. There has been no growling for days. They have learned to share the space. Sure, Doppler wants all our attention, but she hasn’t done anything bad to make that point.

This is more than a one day job. Unpacking will continue on Monday. And we’ll be joined by a guy coming to hang ceiling fans and perform other minor miracles.

We’re moving right along.

The Howl Of Coyotes

I was at my desk, not quite midnight, when I heard what originally sounded like a dog. It was an open throated howl on an uncharacteristically cloudy night. It sounded like it was coming from the UC Irvine ag fields, just south of me.

Within a few seconds the howl turned into a symphony. It’s tough to say how many, but the word pack surely applies. It quickly became obvious these were not dogs.

Welcome to California where coyotes still roam free.

I’ll admit it. I was totally freaked out! The wild animals near me in Connecticut seemed more shy… more docile.

Since coming to California we’ve allowed Doppler to freely walk outside. We live at the dead end of our street. She’s never more than ten or fifteen feet away.

As of last night her after dark walks will be on the leash. To a coyote, Doppler is just a tasty snack. Not on my watch.

They Just Don’t Know

It’s overcast. That’s a first for our two weeks in the OC. Helaine (and Cousin Melissa) both reported a few drops. Literally a few drops! Here at the house nada. This is typical SoCal summer precipitation–close to non-existent.

I know. Talking about this weather is cruel and unusual punishment for my friends back in Connecticut where dew points there are well into the seventies.

Once again, Connecticut is the poster child for bad hair days. There’s no relief with that level of humidity!

Beyond that radar (at 7:58 PM EDT/4:58 PDT) is still showing enough rain to demand a Flash Flood Warning for parts of North Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

You guys can’t catch a break.

People here will complain about today’s weather. Too humid.

They just don’t know.

Like Moving In Slow Motion

We have moved to California, but we haven’t really moved in. Our freshly built house is a shell waiting furniture and furnishings. We have only the clothes we brought.

We go to bed in a hotel every night. Still, little-by-little our house is turning into a home.

As I type two men are pulling the packing tape and plastic off our new refrigerator. These are the same two guys who hooked up our washer and dryer this weekend. I have new respect for these people who tote and carry all day. What a demanding job.

That’s it. That’s all we have in the house today that wasn’t here when we closed on Friday–three appliances.

A bed frame for our guest room is in boxes in my cousins garage. Its mattress for it arrives tomorrow.

My office furniture is scheduled to arrive by Monday. The rest of the furniture should be here in dribs and drabs over the next few weeks.

There are no drapes or blinds on the windows–and there are a lot of windows. All bathroom trips currently take place upstairs in a room not visible from the street.

We have no chairs. We’ve been standing or laying on the floor (carpeting upstairs). My feet are hurting! Doppler currently has possession of our two pillows. At least one of us is comfy.

There’s still a lot of work to be done. Cabinets and shelves will be installed in the garage and bedroom closet. Our California room will get pavers and plantings. AT&T is still stringing fiber and cable with three trucks on our street today. At some point that means Internet and TV.

All our possessions from Connecticut will start making their cross country check within the next few days. We expect them by the middle of next week.

It’s a little like moving in slow motion. It’s happening, but taking time.

City Streets At 60 MPH

I’m probably dwelling on this a little too much, but I’m blown away to find city streets with 55 or even 60 mph speed limits. How is that even possible? I haven’t been able to force myself to drive that fast yet. It still seems wrong.

After driving and looking and thinking the problem through, it’s beginning to make sense. This is part of the planning in a planned city you don’t think about.

Irvine has the advantage of coming into existence after the automobile. The car has always been king. Connecticut has lots of roads designed for wagons and livestock.

Here’s how they do it in Irvine.

The main arterial streets are limited access. It’s not quite as limited as an I-95, but it’s pretty restrictive. There is no parking. No homes face these streets. There is no driveway access.

Most of the streets within developments stay there. Only a few well placed secondary streets exit to the major arteries. If there’s no traffic light at the intersection, right turns only

The purpose of the major thoroughfares is to efficiently move people over moderate distances. They do.

Where two main roads intersect, each gets wider. We stopped for a light on Sand Canyon at Irvine Blvd. There were seven lanes. Not seven lanes curb-to-curb, but seven lanes in each roadway where it approached the intersection.

That’s three for through traffic and two each for left and right turns.

I don’t think there are any standalone stores in Irvine. These major streets are pretty sterile. Few distractions.

Everything is clustered in conveniently located shopping centers. None have entrances near the actual intersection.

Interestingly, the one road where this doesn’t work is I-5. It’s a very large Interstate with lots of traffic and slowdowns.

The center of West Hartford or heavy duty shopping like the Post Road or Berlin Turnpike could never exist in this city. The are lots of open air places to eat, but nothing like The Place in Guilford.

There is a tradeoff for everything.

Looking At The Weather Here And There

I find myself looking at the Connecticut radar a lot now that we’ve lighted in the OC. It’s been busy the past few days, though as I write this (7:30 AM PDT/10:30 AM EDT) the last of today’s rain is heading toward I-395 and Rhode Island.

I’ve talked about our desire to live in California a lot over the last few years. Friends in Connecticut worried I’d get bored by the lack of active weather and monotony of endless blue skies. They think after a while I’ll lust after clouds and showers and humidity.

I hope not.

It’s summer here when weather changes little from day-to-day, week-to-week. It’s mainly nice for the next five months.

People here talk about the weather back east, gasping at our ability to deal with extended periods of gloom. They’re totally befuddled by snow. They look at it like it’s a poison death ray from the sky!

I’ve played my timelapse from last winter’s blizzard for a few people. They watch slack jawed like it’s video from a Mars rover.

If they’ve been back east or are from the East Coast (as so many here are) they talk about the lushness California goes without. Roads with impenetrable canopies of trees are exotic to them. In Connecticut that’s the norm.

Because of climate and irrigation there is plenty of SoCal color. When you see open vistas they are largely brown or sandy grey. That’s the natural color.

Color is here because someone planted it, not because it naturally thrives. How much growth could there be when any July day only has a 5% (or lower) chance to see even the tiniest sprinkle?

This afternoon as the Sun comes out in Connecticut, people will rush to take advantage. Beautiful days in a beautiful place are not to be squandered. Here they’re a little more cavalier.

The Outdoor Life

We’re homeowners. All the paperwork has been completed. Early this afternoon Helaine and I were handed keys to a home in what was an avocado grove a few years ago.

Am I allowed to say anticlimactic? Of all the benchmarks we’ve passed this was the easiest!

So, here we are in a house without furniture or furnishings. We don’t even have a refrigerator yet.

Soon.

Until then we will stay down the road in our hotel. There’s a story there too. We’re staying in a former lima bean silo!

We still have lots to accomplish, so we headed out to dinner and some Home Depot shopping.

We have a logistical problem. Doppler!

We don’t want to leave her in a hotel room, so we’ve been finding places where we can eat outside. That’s how the fountain photo found its way here. It’s at the local shopping center, a few minutes from the house.

The three of us sat on comfy chairs out in the golden sunshine that precedes sunset. Helaine and I munched from Panera. Doppler patiently watched.

It’s been very hot in parts of the Southwest. Where we live temperatures rose into the 80s with low (for Connecticut, but high for here) humidity. No kvetching from me.

I could get used to this outdoor oriented life. In fact, I will.

I miss my friends, but looked at the Connecticut radar plots today and didn’t miss that.

Connecticut and California — What’s Different

My Cousin Michael and I were talking about mountains yesterday. There are mountains just east of here. I keep wanting to say they’re west.

I grew up on the East Coast. Mountains were always west.

“23 Years here and I make the same mistake,” he said.

There are lots of differences between Connecticut and California more significant than the relative position of mountains or whether the Sun rises or sets over the ocean.

We have moved to Irvine. It is a planned city, one of a handful in the US.

In Connecticut things grew organically. Towns today still uses roads established before Declaration of Independence was signed! There are 169 cities and towns, because that’s what worked back in the day.

I have one friend whose family came over on the Mayflower. They’ve been a presence in Milford since there was a Milford–maybe before.

Irvine was incorporated in 1971.

The layout of Irvine was designed by Los Angeles architect William Pereira and Irvine Company employee Raymond Watson, and is nominally divided into townships called villages. The townships are separated by six-lane streets. Each township contains houses of similar design, along with commercial centers, religious institutions and schools. Commercial districts are checker-boarded in a periphery around the central townships. Source: Wikipedia

Our house in Hamden was on a one acre plot. Here in Irvine we’re on a tiny postage stamp of land. That’s part of the plan. Developers have to set aside acreage for parks, shopping and other businesses. You’re never far from anything, but you sacrifice personal space to get that.

Even if you are across town, the six-lane streets (usually straight as an arrow) often have a 60 mph speed limit with computer coordinated traffic lights that adjust to speed the flow! Please think about that next time you attempt to keep to 25 mph through the center of Cheshire.

All buildings have to ‘fit’ architecturally. Though the houses in our development are all different, they’re all very similar in style and color. It’s not right or wrong, just different than what we’re used to back east.

We’ve gone from oil heat, well water and a septic system to gas, city water and sewers. No overhead power lines either.

This is a politically conservative area, ironic because Irvine is a city where the government sticks its nose in so many facets of life! Want to change your house’s paint color or add an addition? Not so fast. Approval is necessary and not always easily obtained. The rules and regulations our home’s developer had to follow are epic.

Because of its good schools, jobs, and housing, the city was chosen in 2008 by CNNMoney.com as the fourth best place to live in the United States. In 2012, it was ranked in sixth place. In September 2011, Businessweek listed Irvine as the 5th best city in the US. In June 2010, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that Irvine had the lowest violent crime rate among cities in the United States with populations of more than 100,000. – Source: Wikipedia

All these factors help make Irvine a desirable place to live. My significantly smaller house here has a significantly larger price tag than the one it replaces in Hamden!

That’s not to say this place is better. It’s just different… very different.

What Irvine doesn’t have are all the friends and acquaintances we accrued over 28 years in Connecticut. I wish I could have packed them up and brought them with us. Friends are irreplaceable.

You can’t plan friends. They grow organically.

We’re Suffering Car Lag

Is it possible to have ‘car lag’? I think that’s what we’ve got. It’s going to take a little time to recuperate after our journey. Meanwhile, we are in Orange County and we have all sorts of errands and chores ahead of us. Rest will come later.

We had lunch with my cousins yesterday. There’s a new restaurant in the neighborhood featuring crepes. I had the Italian–very tasty.

Doppler came along so we ate outside, though it was a little chilly for that. It’s much too early for me to complain about the weather.

You find a lot more restaurants with outdoor seating in SoCal than Connecticut. That stands to reason. It’s part of the appeal.

You know what, if I ever complain about the weather here, call me out on it.

We did some shopping for appliances. We’ll need a washer, dryer, refrigerator and a grill.

I know a grill doesn’t seem to rise to the level of the other three… but it does.

Our Connecticut dryer was electric. Here it will be gas. Is that better or worse? I don’t know.

Our Connecticut grill used propane bottles. Here it will be connected to an outdoor stub off the house’s gas line.

A new phrase entered our world yesterday, “counter depth.” That refers to a refrigerator that is the same depth as standard kitchen counters to give the impression it’s a built-in model.

Counter depth refrigerators are a little smaller… and more expensive. Someone will have to explain that last part to me.

Right now the money is flying out as if there’s a printing press in my tush!

Last week at this time we were watching the moving truck get packed. And now, here we are. Still a lot to do.

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