5 Reasons to be in California for Christmas

It is snowing. I do not approve.

Snow and cold is about covering myself in 5 layers, and still feeling my skin shrink. It is an endurance test proctored by nasty light filtered through gritty clouds. As Garrison Keillor says, it reminds us that “You’re a mammal!”

California is better in the winter for weather wimps like me. Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

1. My family and friends. Duh. They’re awesome.
2. T-shirts. I don’t think I’ve worn a non-fitted shirt in months.
3. Sandals. Yep, no non-dress-up sandals since I was in Qatar.
4. Geeks. Alright, Pittsburgh has a rich, geeky community. But does it have a major office building with a digital semaphore tower visible from the freeway?
5. Being in a “select city.” You do not understand the depths of my irritation when I realized that I couldn’t see “Fair Game” when it premeired because Pittsburgh is not one of the “select cities.”

But most importantly: family and friends.

Inspirational Quote:

“Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little changes. We need gigantic revolutionary changes. . . . Competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be getting six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge for its citizens, just like national defense.”–Sam Seaborn, the West Wing