California

Dear California,

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I've been gone 5 months now and I think it's true what they say...distance makes the heart grow fonder.

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Someone asked the other day if I miss you. I had to think about it - I've been a little caught up with Eugene and answering questions about why did I move here. There seems to be a note of "you're crazy" in the question. I will tell you though that I've met quite a few people already and not many of them are from here. Crazy, indeed.

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Of course I miss my friends and family and think of them every day. But what about you, California?

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Do I miss being able to go to the beach and the snow on the same day (not that I ever did that but people in Southern California *love* to say that)?

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I'm caught up in the memories right now. Finding sand dollars at Sunset Beach, turning my hair orange with sun-in, my niece's terrified scream when the walrus swam up to the glass at Marineland, my dad singing along in the Tiki Room, countless concerts, riding my bike in the Bolsa Chica wetlands, Dodger and Angel games, swimming and BBQing in December, the fireplace lit and the a/c blowing on Christmas Day, coffee houses in Long Beach, Farrell's Ice Cream, a red scooter, the Southern California chat room on AOL, KROQ, Skateway (now a church) and back to school shopping at Miller's Outpost.

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I don't regret one second of my 39 years there. It was just time.

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In other words, California, it's not you, it's me.

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With nothing but love,

T.

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p.s. I'm praying for Big Sur.