california is dying

hello all.

some of you have recently texted or called me to see if i was all right, considering that half of los angeles county is on fire.

yes i'm fine.

but this is awesome!

no for real, it is an absolute horror and shame that people are losing their homes and many others are getting sick because of the fumes, but good lord, this is a wild world.

New Yorkers talk about how you don't know if you'll get killed on one block or the other by a crazed psychopath, well people here in california have to wonder which way mother nature is going to screw them next.

Last week there was an earthquake (that i slept through) and now, I'm looking out of my window and the entire sky is covered in dark clouds.

oh no. wait. that's the smoke from the fires! for real. it looks like it's going to rain motor oil outside. Then if you throw in periodic mudslides in the winter, and then the drought we're having now which is leaving us on our water reserves, you have Mother Nature's way of screwing California.

And I'm not leaving anytime soon.

I've also found a great article for you to read that really just puts everything in perspective for you: http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4703528&version=47&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1


Some of the most interesting quotes:
By day three, the dozen wildfires had burned more than 1,200 homes and businesses, and the destruction may only be the start for the region. With forecasts calling for hotter temperatures and fierce wind gusts, the flames were proving nearly impossible to fight. At least 346,000 homes were evacuated in San Diego County alone, sheriff's officials said. But the total number could be much higher, and state officials were still struggling to estimate how many people had fled.

Since they began Sunday, the fires have burned at least 245,957 acres, or 384 square miles -- an area larger than New York City. As the fires spread, most out of control, smaller blazes were merging into larger, more fearsome ones. Evacuations were being announced in one community after another as firefighters found themselves overwhelmed by gale-force Santa Ana winds, some gusting to 70 mph.

Crazy right? Anywho. Got a car, an apartment, and a job next week. How are all of you?

ahoj! california is sinking

okay, so it's been a little while since i've been able to update, but that's mostly because there's not too much to update on.

also, without my own internet connection yet, it's hard to be updating about my cross country trip yet, so maybe this weekend when i have some more time, i'll do an incredible update with pictures and maps.

i should have a car by tomorrow. now you may be saying: jack, didn't you say that last week?

yes, yes i did, but things happen, and i didn't get that car, and now i've got another one lined up. i just need some damn wheels, it's unbelievable.

onto our apartment: it is absolutely empty. and large. and echo-y.

also, we're the only white guys in the apartment, so everyone kinda stares at us when we walk into or out of our apartment. which is hilarious in itself. because we're both white.

ridiculously so.

so, internet and cable should be on by tonight. electricity is on. car tomorrow.

a job, gas, and a nice bed are all that's left.

i need to stop sleeping on this inflatable mattress.

COMMENTS!

blah blah blah

so here i am, with an apartment approved for me, and it still seems like it's taking forever to get into it.

so much more little crap that this person needs for us to move in. i have a slightly not so good feeling about it, but that's being outweighed by the fact that i want a place to call home, even if it is only for 6 months.

ugh.

next is the car. the car is it. the car. i found a 99 honda civic for $4000 which i think is a pretty awesome deal, provided that it wasn't used for submergible practice in the ocean. but we'll see.

then the job. i've been offered a temp job at my old work for 3 months. which would be nice, provided nothing bigger comes along. and hopefully something will.

i might just step outside for a few and go for a walk. it's the usual weather outside today.

sunny. clear. and about 80.

Week 1: in the valley

So here it is, the end of week one here in Los Angeles.

Yes, I am still technically homeless (as I live with a friend and am currently sharing a studio with 2 people), but it looks as if I will be able to move into a new apartment by tomorrow evening at the earliest.

Snap. So good.

After that, it's a car search, and a job search. Then I can finally stop bleeding money everywhere. Very nice.

So for all of you just tuning in now, this is going to be my new blog. It's not much right now, but I think I like this much more than blogging on myspace. It's easier at least, as I check my gmail about 200 times a day. So I hope you'll continue to read as the weeks and months roll on and the wild and wacky world that is Los Angeles unveils itself further to me.

Maybe it'll even convince some of you to come out and try your luck too. You can't deny the urge.

So that's it for now. When I finally have access at my new place, I'll spend an afternoon posting everything about our cross country road trip, including maps and photos of the amazing time Chaz and I had in making the pilgrimage through the heartland (my second in fact).

Oh yeah, and post some comments here kids.

my awesome new blog is coming soon...