I just got back from a quick trip up to San Francisco, which I will be sharing with you in the next few posts. So, I've never been north of LA, so quite a few of my friends told me that San Francisco would be really cold and they instructed me to pack a sweatshirt and jacket. Ha! I thought. I'm from Minnesota, which is like the get-out-of-jail free card of weather. I laugh at people's definition of "cold." Well, the weather in Irvine had been really warm, but I heeded my friends' advice anyway. I'm glad that I did; otherwise, I would have packed a bunch of skirts and would have been totally SOL.
I will concede that it was colder in San Francisco than in Irvine, but I wouldn't say that it was cold. When I got off the plane, I could immediately tell that the weather was a bit chilly and that the wind was brisk. I was glad that I packed a sweatshirt, but the days were so warm that I didn't need it. Anyway, this experience reminded me of trips up to Duluth because southern Minnesota is always warmer than northern Minnesota, and it seems that it's the same in California. Of course, that all makes sense, except that the definition of "cold" is relative to each state.
Another thing that I noticed about San Francisco is that people don't drive as fast and crazy as those in Southern California. I mean, I actually thought that I would feel comfortable driving in San Francisco. I wouldn't feel as though I were going to die if I got behind the wheel. Someday I will tell you the story of how I drove from LA to Irvine. Well, I guess someday could be now. So, my first trip to California was for my UCI Political Science recruitment day. This was after I had been accepted to UCI, but before I had officially decided to attend. As I mentioned in an earlier post, recruitment is a time when prospective grad students visit the school, meet professors, and talk to current grad students to determine if the school is a good fit.
I flew into LAX and decided to rent a car and drive down to Irvine. It was about midnight, and there were a lot of cars on the road. A lot. At midnight. Where the hell were they going? I have no idea. Anyway, there was so much traffic and like a million freeway lanes (okay, maybe 6 or 7). I had never driven in so much traffic and in so many freeway lanes before. So, I made it down to Irvine just fine, even though driving was a pretty scary experience. The next day, I noticed that my forearms were really sore, as if I'd been lifting weights. I thought that this was pretty peculiar, until I got into the driver's seat the next day to drive back to LA. It turns out that I was gripping the steering wheel so hard on the drive to Irvine that I was actually sore the next day. So, anytime anyone is incredulous that I don't drive and lack a car, I tell them this story to illustrate how scary driving is for me.
So, now you have the story. I'll fill you in on the details of my San Francisco trip later this weekend. I'll add it to my long to-do list.
I will concede that it was colder in San Francisco than in Irvine, but I wouldn't say that it was cold. When I got off the plane, I could immediately tell that the weather was a bit chilly and that the wind was brisk. I was glad that I packed a sweatshirt, but the days were so warm that I didn't need it. Anyway, this experience reminded me of trips up to Duluth because southern Minnesota is always warmer than northern Minnesota, and it seems that it's the same in California. Of course, that all makes sense, except that the definition of "cold" is relative to each state.
Another thing that I noticed about San Francisco is that people don't drive as fast and crazy as those in Southern California. I mean, I actually thought that I would feel comfortable driving in San Francisco. I wouldn't feel as though I were going to die if I got behind the wheel. Someday I will tell you the story of how I drove from LA to Irvine. Well, I guess someday could be now. So, my first trip to California was for my UCI Political Science recruitment day. This was after I had been accepted to UCI, but before I had officially decided to attend. As I mentioned in an earlier post, recruitment is a time when prospective grad students visit the school, meet professors, and talk to current grad students to determine if the school is a good fit.
I flew into LAX and decided to rent a car and drive down to Irvine. It was about midnight, and there were a lot of cars on the road. A lot. At midnight. Where the hell were they going? I have no idea. Anyway, there was so much traffic and like a million freeway lanes (okay, maybe 6 or 7). I had never driven in so much traffic and in so many freeway lanes before. So, I made it down to Irvine just fine, even though driving was a pretty scary experience. The next day, I noticed that my forearms were really sore, as if I'd been lifting weights. I thought that this was pretty peculiar, until I got into the driver's seat the next day to drive back to LA. It turns out that I was gripping the steering wheel so hard on the drive to Irvine that I was actually sore the next day. So, anytime anyone is incredulous that I don't drive and lack a car, I tell them this story to illustrate how scary driving is for me.
So, now you have the story. I'll fill you in on the details of my San Francisco trip later this weekend. I'll add it to my long to-do list.
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