More reasons to get out of the City of Angeles

5. Earthquakes. I am used to it by now, but dang, I don’t like them. I mean, being waken up by them, jostled out of that chill mode, or gasp in the restroom. And you know you’ve ridden too many when you have developed the preference of the rolling type over the jolting type. And while it’s happening you think, oh yeah I don’t have to go take cover it’s just one of those rolly ones. Ain’t right at all.

4. No seasons, while it gets a bit chilly in the Fall and Winter months, we’re talking about 50, and it gets super hot in the summer, sometimes 100. Really it’s usually about 65 to 70 degrees sunny with morning fog. I am not kidding you. Sometimes it’s cool, but sometimes it feels like the years are blending together.

3. Plastic people, OMG you can’t walk down the street without fearing that one of those plastic (surgery) folk is going to start melting. I mean in the summer they get this sort of shellacked look and I am never quite certain that it won’t happen.

2. In line with the plastic people are the superficial people. Now I like nice stuff as much as the next person, but it’s not my life’s priority. This is I think we’ve passed the disease on to everyone else. But in LA, it’s not about what you have to say as much as it is the car you drive, the purse you carry, and the label you wear. Some minimum wage cell phone kiosk dude will mock you if you don’t have the latest phone. With the recession it’s been dialed back, but you know we still have phone riding buses and catching calls on their cells (they may be jacked phones, but still, weird).

1. Drunken Cops, apparently that’s a new thing. Although it doesn’t seem that surprising, but can’t they wait till their off duty and then can’t they hold their liquor. It’s embarrassing.

Reasons to Flee Los Angeles

Here is a list of my petty grievances with LA:

10. I know most people in L.A. love the Lakers, but I am not one of those people. I think they’re overrated, yes they just won the championship, but they’re so full of themselves. It’s too much.

9. Jury Duty, they claim to be able to send you within a 20 mile radius of your home. Then they always want to send you to Compton or Los Angeles. Why? And when serving last time even the judge commented that it seemed more frequently. Then they sent a summons within the one year period, having the nerve to ask if I wanted to serve a second time. That’s seems a bit sneaky…don’t it?

8. Red light cameras. Another thing to stress out about. You don’t want to get a ticket, so some people slam on the brakes and increase the chance of there being an accident. I know it’s not only an LA thing, but I thought I would throw in the gripe anyway. But we’re losing more and more of our privacy.

7. While this doesn’t bother me, but I can see other people being irked and have heard a lot of people complain too, but a lot of people don’t speak english. It’s can be hard to get your tasks accomplished if you don’t speak the same language. And there are so many different languages, that you really can’t account for the differences. Oh well, it’s a global place I guess. But it does make dinning out interesting.

6. The sales tax is almost ten percent, it’s really annoying, and now they are trying to tax services too. So tip at the hair salon and tax. And with internet orders, we’re supposed to file usage taxes too. Yikes.

5. This again may not be a LA thing, but those folks asking for donations now do it year round. Enough already, you guys are bleeding me dry in a bad economy.

4. Emo kids, why is this still a style? Your lives are pretty good, you have money to dye and cut your hair in that ridiculous manner, you can put on guy liner, and you can afford pants that are too tight for your sad little scrawny body. Why are you so moody? Why are you so depressed? Why do you think traffic should stop just for you? Get over yourself, grow a pair, stop it already.

3. Gangs/drugs/violence…enough said.

2. Environmental stuff: pollution/pollen/dust/allergies. Yuck.

1. Traffic, I am not kidding you. Have you ever been parked on the five. It’s a nightmare. And the traffic to Santa Monica is ridiculous, then to find parking. It’s not worth it. It’s not like we have a good public transit system. I know it’s my fault for wanting the luxury to come and go as I please, but really what a price to pay.

First Love….

OK, so I have been a fan of Japanese style animation since Cowboy Bebop premiered on Adult Swim back in 2000. I saw the first few episodes and quickly became enthralled by the series. The approach to animation was like nothing I had ever experienced before, it was geared towards adults and the execution was, in my opinion, flawless. If you’ve seen the series you can attest to:

• Strong story lines, that possessed humor, action and drama.
• Detailed artistry, the background had a great deal of attention paid to it, and the characters were well-developed.
• The ending wasn’t a sell out happy ending. Which can be a little bit upsetting at first, but allows for a consistent story line.
• The use of allusions created a link to other works and adds another layer for the viewer to enjoy
• And the music, Yoko Kanno is just a phenomenal composer and her ability to create works which compliments the scene perfectly.

I was crazy about the series when I first found it, we won’t get into my fangirl ways. But needless to say I spent a pretty penny on CDs and DVDs. And while I have incorporated new loves into my heart, there remains a special place for Cowboy Bebop. I now have the addiction under control. I watch streaming videos and try not go too crazy which purchases. I love reading blogs to get interpretations from other people. I also love to get advice on which series to watch next.