Well hound dawgs we are in December and a Northern hemisphere winter . Yes , it’s California and their winters are hardly tough , but the heaters are on in the morning and afternoon . Its this time of year you start to get homesick . The short days with the sun setting at 445pm , the fog , the quiet ( well , sort of quiet ) ,the knowing that big yellow orb is getting bigger and brighter on the other side of the world . The festive feel back in Melbourne is not something that is replicated at any time of year over here . The lead up to Christmas in LA is a lot more subdued. You’ve got the Jewish faith and Hanukkah that comes before Christmas and before that you’ve got Thanksgiving . This will be our 5th Thanksgiving and I can honestly say I’ve gained little attachment to the date . I do respect it as it includes all religious faiths and it is a distinctly American experience . It’s a family event , much like the Australian Christmas. I guess that’s probably why we don’t feel connected to this week . Fortunately this year we headed to our friends place across the road . It was a good day with a good vibe and for the first time I could sense that this time it felt a little different , even without Emma here . The Floreys couldn’t be a better host . Lindsay and Nate made Leroy , Tex and myself totally welcome . Tex , a self confessed sea food hater even shucked a couple of oysters and put them down the hatch , and liked them too . Watching American football , drinking beer and wine , eating steak , oysters , turkey and a heap of casseroles and desserts wasn’t too tough . I even brought over a chocolate ripple cake that was duly devoured . This year it maybe the first time that the Thanksgiving week felt like it means something …..only just . I know , I know ,it’s an American thing and we Aussies don’t do it but I guess if you’re here long enough the American traditions start to have an influence ( Gee , it was tough to admit that )
Now that I’ve got the mushy stuff out of the way it’s back to what I do best , observing stuff . Covid has taken a toll everywhere . For weeks now it’s been the sirens . They’re a constant in LA but lately it seems like there’s a serious uptick . Crime is on the rise , we are told , although in our town you don’t see it , except for those sirens . I know I’m repeating old stories but the news reports of car accidents , hit and runs and red light run accidents is something that never seems to decrease . The roads aren’t nearly as policed as back home . Unfortunately a serious accident has left a young local family destroyed , both parents deceased and another driver dead , it’s still under investigation , with high speeds suspected . It happens a lot , and this was close to home . I left work on Sunday night . I got the green arrow and began to turn left across the 4 lane Sepulveda Highway ( a bit like Nepean hwy in Cheltenham ) . It was 8 pm with still plenty of cars on the road . A few had already stopped on the red light but there was one set of headlights in the far lane coming from a fair way back . I sensed they weren’t stopping and hit the brakes . The car stopped late , ending a full car length over the line . I drifted around the corner , took a long stare at the beat up grey shitbox and a young guy with his head on his chest and his seat right back . I know what you were doing dickhead ….you had every intention of driving straight through a light that had turned red for at least 6 or 7 seconds . When you watch it on TV you barely give it a 2nd thought but occasionally you wonder if you could be that unlucky bastard that gets T boned by some wasted fuck driving through a red light . I got a little taste the other night .
Food :There’s no doubt our kids taste buds have been corrupted , Leroy in particular. It’s yellow tasteless cheese , sweetened bread , fake sweet tasting biscuits , or as there known here , cookies . Text has grown out of it a bit , but he did have a penchant for Raising Cains , which is the fakest trashiest chicken fast food joint that some how is gangbusters . Oh and I forgot , Leroy likes Starbucks . Say no more . Even home made Anzac biscuits made with real golden syrup were rejected . The kids used to gobble them up , now they taste too ‘home made ‘ Regardless of their taste requirements food has risen on price dramatically in the last 12 months . Meat has almost doubled . Bacon is nearly the price of gold and it’s such an inferior product compared to the Australian version .It requires more inventive cooking . There’s no wagyu or grass fed ribeye in this house , although Emma and I do eat salmon once a week now . It was once a dish I disliked but I’ve trained myself to eat it for it’s health benefits and I now enjoy it . It’s one of the few meats that’s held it’s price , for now.
Hair :A haircut for kids and men is definitely more expensive here . After tipping it’s $30-$35 for the kids and $40 for me . It’s not a big deal but what makes me laugh is the styling of middle aged men’s hair . They love the comb back . Yep , straight back for maximum forehead acreage. Almost every time I get my haircut I walk out with my hair wet and drawn directly back . It’s a horrible look . Leroy laughs and calls it the business man look . I look at it as the politician look and a particular conservative side of politician look . Maybe that’s why it disturbs me .
Fortunately we will eat Australian bacon , lamb chops , fish’n ‘chips , tasty chicken , vanilla slices and a heap of other treats soon enough . The kids can get their haircut for cheap . We’ll drive on safer roads . It’ll make me nervous driving on the right side of the road again , and yes I’ll have to watch for speed cameras everywhere once again . I’ll miss my American beer and the price of it too , and you can’t take for granted getting on your bike to hit the surf or the stable weather .This time the festive Australian Christmas / holiday vibe will include us this year . Can’t wait . We’ll see you soon .
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