Last couple of days...

Been gettin' lazy with this blog. On Sunday there was a dinner party at the house so the day was spent doing things for that then enjoying the event itself. This house is amazing for entertaining!

Yesterday I did this and that, and the day disappeared too quickly. Had my first freeway experience (very short - on, then off at the next exit) and a fairly long night drive out of the urban environment and onto roads more akin to those in Scotland.

Today is my first day at Ralphs. I have donned the red polo, and am ready to serve!

The Capital of Capitalism

Saturday was spent training (8.5 hours - 8 hours training with two paid 10 minute breaks, half an hour unpaid lunch) to be a Courtesy Clerk at Ralphs, involving bag packing, sweeping, cart collection, and other lowly odd jobs about the mighty stores. The training had 4 principles that were drilled into our heads, almost like brain washing.

Our people are great!

Our prices are good.

You get the products you want, plus a little.

The shopping experience make you want to return.

We were told to watch how we say things and carefully guard our facial expressions when in work - I reckon George Orwell wrote 1984 after working in Ralphs for a while (and, yes, Ralphs was about when he was writing the novel). But whatever, it's instant work and not too taxing as long as I'm friendly, helpful, and informative all the time. We got about 200 pages of manauls just to make sure we don't forget...

Afterwards I tried America's no. 1 least healthy drink (a smaller size - the one mention previously was only the medium!). It was sickly sweet and so rich it stayed in my throat for a good while. I also tried the Starbucks coffee cake (delicious, but tricky to get the mouth around) and their green tea latte (sickly sweet, vibrant green foam. Just stick to the plain green tea. Seriously, these Americans must be on a constant sugar high). After driving on the wrong side of the road for a little bit, quickly corrected by my godfather (in my defense I was two lanes over to the right - would've been fine on a British motorway. These roads are huge!), I had thai food for dinner. Delicious again. I then drove to the cinema (two more slightly close brushes, but I won't talk about them. I blame the amount of sugar coursing through my poor body).

I have now seen 3 films in the states, all good. Traitor (slow burning terrorist thriller), Ghost Town (standard comedy fare, good turn by Gervais), and - last night - Eagle Eye (fast, furious, fairly easy to predict action fare).

Some quick thoughts on food in the States - lots of unhealthy things being thrust forward, food outlets everywhere, cheap, tasty. Much easier to pack on the pounds than in Britain, less of the health guilt, more of a culture of eating out all the time, shameless marketing, larger portions, larger fridges, and huge stores. In short, it tastes great but one has to really watch that they don't end up hoovering up the sugars and fat being shoved at them every day.

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby, Right Round...

I relaxed for most of the day, watching some TV shows on IMDB, keeping out of the way of the Polish cleaners (they're taking over the world with their diligence!). I then drove to Ralphs, found out that I passed the drug test (I got 62% - just joking people!) and got myself signed up for training tomorrow, was given a couple of trendy red polo shirts and a snazzy name badge (it's Kyle under the sticker, folks!).

I then went karting as part of a Mazda charity event for juvenile diabetes. I was last. Sigh. It was the extra weight, I tell you. I only spun out once. I thought I wasn't doing too bad! Oh well. I found solace in a dinner of Japanese curry (who knew?) followed by (after driving home) watermelon in front of the presidential debate. It was really a lesson in press bias. The debate itself was interesting, the press analysis was sickeningly bias - change channel, change 'winner' of the debate. Leave it to the viewers to decide!

Better get a good snooze before my venture into the working world of America tomorrow!

Another Day in the Sun

Not much to say today (job hunting, swimming - pretty plain) so I'll mention the spiders. The spiders that I've seen here (serious first, Al, serious first) are larger than their British counterparts in every way. They spin bigger webs (I swear they could catch unwary kids in those!), they are larger (and perch in the middle of those gigantic webs waiting for the kids), and the web is thick enough to feel like hair. It's really kinda gross, you think you have a hair on your hand but id won't blow off and it's all sticky and then realization (such an American z there) dawns...

Whatever. The sun has fried my body (and my brain apparently but you wouldn't notice much difference) so I might just get an early night so I'm fresh for the wonders of the 'morrow.

Riding El Toro

Gettin' behind on my posting here! Been unable to get my phone to talk to my mac so this post will be pictureless once again...

Yesterday I applied to a local supermarket and was called shortly after to go in to meet them and take a drug test. I assured them that I was only a casual crack abuser.

Other things I did that day, short version: Shopping, swimming, reading, and BBQing steaks. Nice, no?

And on to today...

Firstly, a very happy Birthday to both Becka, in the US of A, and Dot in sunny Glasgow. Older only on paper...

Now I doubt either of these lovely ladies has time for my blog shenanigans, but I like to believe that a general sense of well-being will be transferred from my lowly blog across the cosmos to them. It's the thought that counts, right?

Anyway, today saw me rising well before the dawn to go to the UPS plant 7 miles from the house for a meeting regarding employment. As good as the job looks, it seems I have to turn it down as it is too far away.

The trip home (by bike) was an enjoyable and leisurely trip set against the rising Californian sun. The cool morning mists and predawn light were a delight whilst being bitten on the forehead by some unseen (but hopefully smited) beastie was not such a pleasant feeling. Going at a speed that rivaled the cars alongside, the bike whizzed me down the canyon and onto the great El Toro road. A convenient Starbucks provided me with breakfast at dawn (Starbucks' Perfect Oatmeal with nut topping - not great, homemade is sooo much better) and a fix of my rapidly developing addiction to Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos.

Working my way up El Toro brought me to a closed mall (opens at 10) which, as it turns out, contains a See's Candy shop - I'll be back there in the future, no doubt. Then up to a shoe shop (not open until 9, damn and blast!) which, after the wait until opening time, yeilded 2 nice pairs of shoes for about $100. Sweet, but still a lot of dough. Luckily the nearby Cold Stone Creamery was closed until noon else I would've been sorely tempted to try America's no. 1 least healthy drink - the 20oz Love It size OhFudge! Shake (containing a whopping 1,660 kcal). Just for research purposes, you understand...

A leisurely cycle (via Longs Drug Store - it's an american thing) brought me back home for lunch, driving (getting better! Only a few minor infringements this time...), swimming, looking at local jobs, and going to the cinema (in about 3 minutes).

Any suggestions for getting my phone to talk are appreciated (it's paired with my mac, but won't connect) as are suggestions for a topic on which to explore in this blog other than my day to day grind (hah!).

Pictures!

I spent the rest of yesterday walking a fair distance to get an american sim card and bank account, rowing on the lake (then wading in it in order to find the oar pin I dropped - yuk), getting some top-notch mexican food, and doing some driving. Only one exciting incident when driving - two people pulling into a left-turn lane at the same time which had me pulling out pretty quickly. Automatics make life so much easier and the roads in America are massive.

Oh, and you may have noticed I took some pictures for y'all when I was boating...

Easy Driver

Today a trip to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) earned me the right to drive on Californian roads with an experienced driver in the cars. Watch out CA!

It required some ID, a picture, a thumbprint, a signature, and the completion of a 36 question, multiple choice test. Now, as most of you know, I have had only a cursory knowledge of the holy code of driving in Britain, and even less of the Californian driving code. I could probably take a decent shot at the theory test in Britain, who knows? What I am aware of is that after about 2 hours of reading the driving handbook (skipping roughly half of it) and some short but useful driving commentaries from my godfather, I scored 34 out of 36 (30/36 was the pass mark). One an admin. question - SR 1 forms, anyone? The other was an honest mistake - mobiles whilst driving are allowed for emergency calls. The test required some very basic knowledge and a bit of common sense. With 3 answers for each question, one obvious to rule out, I guess it could almost be done by luck. Now just to actually learn how to steer a car around the monstrous American Boulevards...

Blue Skies, Broken Planes...Next 12 Exits

Trust me to forget my camera on a perfect day for those pictures I keep on promising.

Up and out early today to get to Chino airfield, near enough to San Dimas for anybody who gets my post title. Had a hearty american breakfast (eggs, bacon, and pancakes) in an old-style diner by the airport. I was out there as my godfather had advised a Virgin pilot on buying a 'experimental aircraft' (read as home-made). The morning fogs burned off slowly under the relentless Californian sun to reveal a clear blue sky as far as the eye could see. Most of my time at the airport was spent observing the aging aviation buffs and the goings-on around the hangars.

I was lucky enough to get a brief spell up in the air in one of the planes which had been built by it's owner since 1980. It was a handsome 'pusher' plane (a 'pusher' has its propellor at the back rather than the front), quite a tight fit - these home builds are obviously not meant for the larger brand of man. Though short, it was exciting - a near collision shortly after take-off (explained later) and failing brakes shortly after landing (a bolt caught the brakes and jammed them on, making taxiing from the runway impossible - some manpower quickly had it out of harm's way). Whilst the brakes were being investigated - the problem was an odd occurrence caused by a recent addition to the plane - I was just by the runway watching landings, take-offs, a controlled crash, and a butterfly catcher. Seriously, I never thought I'd see a butterfly catcher, especially not by a runway. Takes all types.

The crash, if it could be called such, was the plane which had nearly (by aviation terms - I wasn't screaming in fear of imminent death) hit us on take-off. Its nose cone had collapsed and the landing gear couldn't some down (meaning the front wheel - the other two don't go up). The landing was a dramatic affair, emergency services waiting by the runway. The plane came down, killed its engine, then braked causing the propellor (on the front) to tip down and smash on the ground, skidding to a halt. The pilot escaped unhurt except that the bill for that sort of incident is 'about $35,000 dollars, easy' - that's a year's pay for all you probationary teachers.

The drive back through the mountains on the toll road was beautiful and barren. I whiled away the rest of the day with job searching and lake cruising. It's a hard life. Back to my strawberry margarita...

The Lone Pedestrian

Today I tried to get to know the area a bit, but I guess most people do that by car here. I walked for an hour and a quarter and passed one person on foot, a jogger. I believe I saw a couple I could class as pedestrians, but they were in the distance and turned into a housing estate before I could get a good idea of the walk they had taken. I guess I was in a quiet area and it was a saturday, but the lack of foot traffic seemed sad. It certainly made the walk lonelier. Such nice pavements (probably thanks to the lack of walker), such lovely weather (I guess it gets pretty old after a while in California - at 26°C they say there's a touch of autumn in the air) goes unappreciated by people whizzing past in shiny cars, some disgustingly huge. Ach well, more pavement for me.

On my venture I had a doughnut. I have, in the past, complained about shrinking fudge doughnuts and their growing price which, if challenged, could always be claimed to be part of the bakery's health promoting scheme. I stand by the price complaint, but understand the reasons for it, but retract my complaints about size. A filled doughnut should be small, it's a heavy, rich, sweet, sticky treat. The one I bought today was all those things, at least double the size of any self respecting modern British doughnut, and $1. Plus the lovely lady behind the till threw in a few free sugar and cinnamon coated doughnut holes. A buck. 55 pence. Crazy. After such a steal I felt things needed to even out, so I headed for the nearest Starbucks. Fourbucks, as I have heard it is called by the wit stricken Americans, promptly relieved me of the change of my $5 note I had used in the doughnut shop (open 4am-1pm, clearly doughnuts are a morning thing). The 'tall' size was, thankfully, the same size as I am accustomed to in Britain. It was a Pumpkin Spice Coffee Frappuccino. They really need to get into pumpkin in the UK. Or just Scotland, I don't mind. It was like pumpkin pie, Starbucks style, and a much needed cooler during my walk in the dry heat.

My trip to the nearest supermarket (a short one, just to lessen the shock and depression) saw me buying a handful of necessities which turned out to be exactly the same brand and packaging as my equivalent goods back home. Unusual, but a growing trend, no doubt. Why bother to redesign packaging in every country? I know the consumers change but what people look for in a razor never changes and I'm sure people all round the world can be fooled by the same shiny packaging.

A drive around local industrial parks for job inspiration and a relaxing cruise on the lake behind the house rounded off my afternoon. I'll take some photos soon now that I have batteries - I know you readers don't want text heavy posts like this, just pretty, captioned pictures. As such, I'll just shut up and go sort my camera...

California here I come, right back where I started from...

What to say, what to say?

Out the flat at 5.30am, kindly accompanied by Les to the Airlink bus, into Edinburgh Turnhouse, checked in immediately (bag weighs in at 21kg, thank goodness) - the kind lady at the desk even changed my seats on both flights to exit row seats, seeing as I was the type of gentleman who most benefitted from the extra leg room. No issue in security, bothered Daryl for some free coffee then made my final calls and texts to say goodbye before everyone ran off to work. After this, Daryl was too busy to chat so I went to look for some breakfast...

It's probably just me being picky, but the breakfasts offered in the airport are not ideal. All expensive, and not much basic, simple food. I just wanted a cheap bacon roll that I could take away. The closest I found was the Costa bacon sandwiches which were pushing £4. I think Daryl knew where such elusive grub could be found but, as mentioned earlier, he was a bit busy satisfying the hordes of caffeine addicted jet-setters.

Plane was on time. My seat was just at the entrance into the plane - miles of leg room but no table apart from the silly ones in the armrest, and the queue for the toilet often had to be asked to avoid standing in front of the tiny TV screen. I watched both of the in-flight films (Kung-Fu Panda and Doc Hollywood) and read the entirety of Hollywood by Charles Bukowski. The two in-flight meals (or meal and snack as they called it - a pretty substantial snack) were standard plane food, I've nothing much to say about them.

Bang on time into Newark. I was pretty anxious that the stopover would be tight but everything went like a dream (probably 'cause of my lovely blue passport) and, due to the delay of the flight to LAX, I even had and hour to while away before boarding.

Another standard flight in all respects except I had the better type of exit row and one of those new-fangled touch screen back-of-headrest TVs with games, TV shows, music, and a wide range of films. I only had time for two films - The Forbidden Kingdom and The Son of Ranbow - and an episode of Two and a Half Men.

Sick of the detail already? Have no fear! After all the time awake my standard of observation was slipping rapidly away so observations on the cultural differences will be saved for a better day. A 2 hour car journey took me to Casa de Godparents, a lovely lakeside home. We finished the day by eating out at a lovely little Thai place. Delicious. I then retired early to rest up for today and all the wonders that it might bring...