The other day I received an email from a reader in Germany who stumbled across a list titled, "you know you're in California when...". Sadly enough, much of the list didn't apply to me, which just reminded me how little I still know about my new surroundings. But I thought I would list the few that did bring a smile to my face.

A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.

A low speed police pursuit will interrupt ANY TV broadcast.

Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like Bruce Willis IS Bruce Willis.

It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.

You realize the only Republicans you know are your aunt and uncle in Michigan.

The day I took my drug test for work, I spent about an hour in the waiting room watching "breaking news" on a car driving 5mph down the road, as five cop cars followed very slowly. Every few major intersections the car would stop, the cops would run out and then, with perfect comedic timing, the car would slowly pull away again, and again, and again...

Amanda's friend, Sarah, who lived over in Santa Monica [which I'm extremely jealous of...] works at Starbucks, and saw Bruce Willis, so I had to include that one. Actually now that I think of it, I don't think she saw Bruce Willis while working... that might have been Ray Liotta [who was looking extremely cracked out she said... which is sad, cause he kicks ass, but anyways].

The way people drive in the rain here blows my mind, and the street's drainage systems are non-existent, in Michigan it could, and often would, rain for days on end during a big storm, and nothing. You could still drive around from place to place, just be sure to carry an umbrella. But here, it can't 'mist' for ten minutes without every major intersection under six inches of water. It's a very strange site to see.