Californians are obnoxious. I am becoming a Californian.

When I moved to San Diego, I was greeted by some incredible people. Friends and coworkers opened their homes and their hearts to me. It was amazing how much and how early the people I came across were willing to invest in me. I quickly made fast friends. Apart from kindness and hospitality, it seemed every last person I met shared one more characteristic. They were irritatingly smug about where the lived.

San Diego may be considered the most desirable city in the country. I remember in the months and days leading up to my departure having so many conversations where others would insist on how fortunate I was to be moving here. People that have visited and live here love the consistent, comfortable temperatures, the ocean, close proximity to mountains and many other characteristics of the city. It's really hard to argue with any of these points, but I came from a pretty awesome place as well. Although I didn't move there until I was 14, I lived in Virginia for half of my life and enjoyed the most vivid, incredible memories of my life there. As I've said before, Virginia is an awesome state that features mountains, the ocean and all four seasons. It also brushes right up against the nation's capital. The area in which I lived offers incredible opportunities to be involved in both rural and metropolitan life. I love Virginia and the only reason I chose to move to San Diego is because this is where Amor is located. For this reason I always got frustrated when people thought I was moving here to just live in a cool place. I became even more vexed when I got here and had to put up with smug Californians talking about how much better this geographic location is. I wore my Virginia pride on my sleeve and my belt and refused to be indoctrinated into the smarmy attitudes Californians have about there state. For a time.

Here's the thing, Southern California IS better than where you live, unless where you live happens to be Southern California. It is awesome here. You may ask why, here are a few reasons:

1. Avocados. Avocados are everywhere. They literally fall out of the sky. Well, as long as you happen to be standing under an avocado tree. They are are on sandwiches, in wraps, on salads, with sushi and absolutely anywhere that you would purchase groceries. You may say, "Hey Clint, they put avocados on stuff everywhere." This may be true, but they're not always good. In California they are always in season. I have lived here eight months and I have not had a single underripe or out of season avocado. Avocados are always delicious, but they are even more so where I live.

2. All other kinds of fresh produce. Andy and Erin Lyde had Nick and me over for dinner one evening. They served us a homemade salad. All of the vegetables looked and tasted about as fresh and perfect as they could. I remarked on this and Andy sort of puffed out his chest and responded, "Of course they are, welcome to California." I hated his smug air of superiority at the time. Now I spend a significant portion of each day pitying people that don't have awesome produce all 12 months of the year.

3. Aren't you in the middle of a blizzard right now? I keep hearing about snow and inclement weather and how most of the country is being subjected to storms that are apocalyptic in nature. Do you know who hasn't seen a single apocalyptic snow storm this year? Me, that's who. I've heard repeated jokes about earthquakes and how one day California will fall off into the Pacific. This is false. This is what people say to feel better about themselves when they don't live in San Diego.

4. Temperature. Sometimes it gets really cold here at night, and by that I mean the mid 40's. Year round, nearly every day the temperature hovers between sixty and eighty degrees which is kind of the perfect temperature to do everything you want outside. I went back to Pennsylvania and tried to keep up my running regimen. It was twenty-five degrees in the "heat" of the day. I gave up. Working out and playing when it's cold does not make you more awesome or tougher, that's simply what people say when they are forced to work out and play in the cold due to their geographic location. If you're into winter sports you probably think you've found a loophole in this argument. You are wrong. We can drive to snowy mountains just a couple of hours away. Even if you live where it snows, how far do you usually have to drive to get to a decent resort? That's right, a couple of hours. When I initially moved here, I complained and said I was a person that always wanted four seasons. Then I learned a universal truth: Winter is dumb.

5. Sunsets. If I feel like it, I'm going to go see a sunset on the beach today. Why? Because I can. If I can't because I'm too busy or something that's cool. Because I can do it tomorrow. I can watch the sun set behind the Pacific Ocean under a beautiful clear sky most days of the year.

6. The Beach. Some people think the beach is overrated. I used to be one of those people. Those people are wrong. The beach is awesome. It has sand and the ocean, both of which are sweet. You can run and jump and fall on sand and not get hurt like you do on hard ground. The ocean is super fun to play in. You can surf or kayak in it or you can just swim, wade around and play with your friends. Also beach volleyball is really, really fun, even though I am terrible at it and have been made to look like a very small, weak, whiny girl at the net.

7. Radio. The radio here is awesome. The best stations are not limited by their genres, they just play good music. Gone are the days when I turned on my favorite rock stations and heard the same old tired playlists interspersed with some new stuff that was typically terrible without exception. Since moving to San Diego, I have been introduced to a lot of new music. I love music and the way it can compliment and affect my moods and feelings. I can honestly say that my life feels a lot richer with a better, more diverse soundtrack.

8. Food. The restaurant scene is incredible. I don't get the opportunity to eat out at a lot of really nice restaurants, but I have certainly sampled quite a bit of cuisine. I can walk out my front door and hit nearly 89 authentic Vietnamese restaurants with a rock. There is a ton of fresh fish and sushi. There are also many different types of ethnic food. There is a lot of baja style food and tex-mex from the influence of our neighbors to the south. Many of the restaurants have an Asian influence as well. Sushi and fresh fish are everywhere. It is a food lovers dream.


9. Chill Vibes, bro. You know sometimes I just like to vibe out on the chillwaves. Or chill out on some vibes. Maybe vibe down to the beach. You know, listen to some MGMT, Foster the Children and The Temper Trap and just vibe out in the car. Chill.

10. Everything. Let's face it, it is just flat out awesome here. The music scene is great and talented bands come through all the time. The beach is the perfect place to hang out. We have gorgeous desert and mountain camping and hiking spots close by. The city is fun and exciting. There is a lot of interesting stuff to do. We've got great farmers' markets. We have historical (but touristy) old town. You can hang out in the hood or visit beautiful, elite neighborhoods (until they figure out you're a lowly commoner, then they throw you out). When it's all said and done, this area of the country is a big huge bowl of dragonsauce with side of incredible.

Right now, I couldn't think of a much better place to live than where I am. Pretty much everything about this place is the best. There is only one downside to being here. That is smug braggarts, of which I am now one. Deal with it.

Adelante!

-Clint