California

I'm kind of have a problem, everytime I sit down to write, I just want to post songs... don't know what's up with that. Today though, I can't even resist. I'm in CALIFORNIA! How many freaking songs are there about this place? I'll just list what comes off the top of my head. California by Phantom Planet, Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, California Dreamin' by The Momma's and the Poppa's, It Never Rains in Southern California by Albert Hammond, Goin' to California by Led Zeppelin, California Love by Tupac, Beverly Hills by Weezer, West Coast by Coconut Records, California Girls by the Beach Boys, Ventura Highway by America, California Waiting by Kings of Leon, San Francisco Nights by the Animals, and LA Woman by the Doors.

Just to name a few.

It's interesting though, the legend about this place. I've seen the main sights, from the Redwoods to Rodeo Drive, from Alcatraz to Anaheim and from the Golden Gate to the Ghiradelli Factory. But the Legend of California is so much greater than the sum of it's individual parts.

This place has been the epicenter of America's mystique for over 150 years now. Ever since the Gold Rush of 1849 (which is where my favorite team and the long source of my suffering, the San Francisco 49ers , got their name) there have been more boasts about the potential California has than just about anywhere in the world. It's warm, there's a sparkling ocean, stacks of money to be made, fame to be had, love to be found, and dreams to be fulfilled.

There's also smog to be breathed, government issues to be endured, and violent crime to be avoided.

But hey, to some white suburb kid who's watching MTV, that only makes it better. What's a good story without a bit of danger huh? This is the place that voted for the Terminator and made him the Governator. Then went back to the guy everyone hated before the Governator and gave him another chance to be head honcho. What's more Hollywood than that?

That contrast is what makes this place so great. I never know what to feel here, because even the drive on the freeways is beautiful, but the horizon is blurry with brown fog. It is just a delicious range of benefits and pitfalls that it can be hard to resist. I love California but I don't know if i could ever live here. Then again, part of me says how could I not?

More on this subject later. I'm tired.