LA Sports Fans

This past week was LA sports week for me. I attended two Clippers games and a Dodgers game. The Clippers games were what you might expect from the red-headed step-child of LA basketball. (You mean LA has TWO pro basketball teams?) The Clippers actually did really well this year and are seeded ahead of the once-mighty Lakers in the playoffs. Despite that, the crowd size and enthusiasm was pretty pathetic at both games. I'm guessing that most of the people in attendance were not long-time Clippers fans. If the Saints ever make it to the NFL playoffs again, you can be damn sure there will be a lot of noise and celebration at the game(s). Not so at the Clippers games. They just inspire curiosity like a baby tiger born at the zoo. ("Where'd that come from?" "The mother tiger's vagina." "Oh, cool.") Despite the general lack of enthusiasm, I am a Clippers fan. What can I say--I like the underdog.

Dodgers games, on the other hand, are quite an experience. Barry Bonds is not a welcome guest in Dodger Stadium. I felt like I went to a prison riot and a Dodgers game broke out. I have never seen such hostile fans in my life (and I've supported the opposing team at Alabama football games before). I have also never seen so many arrests at a sporting event. When I first got to the game, I was pretty disappointed that they didn't serve beer in the bleacher section where we were sitting. By the second or third inning, I understood why. My favorite part of the game were the people wearing the Lucha Libre Dodgers masks.

Driving in LA

It seems like everywhere I've ever lived, locals claim that their area has the worst drivers in the country. In their own way, they're always right, too. Every area seems to have its own brand of bad driving. It takes a while to get used to the nuances of transportation every time you move. I still haven't quite figured out LA traffic yet, but I have a few observations.

First of all, yes, the traffic here is miserable. At times, it is (believe it or not) actually worse than Atlanta. Fortunately, I'm getting a feel for when and where traffic will be bad and learning to avoid it whenever possible. Driving to the Staples Center last night for the Clippers game (go Clips!), it wasn't possible.

As for the driving experience itself, I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with people here, but I think it may have something to do with the enormous sense of entitlement so many Californians have. My other hypothesis is that a lot of wrecks are caused by people gawking at all of the cars on the road that cost more than really nice houses in most parts of the country. I've seen more wrecks (I refuse to call them "accidents" because usually someone was a dumbass and it wasn't accidental at all) in the first two months here than I saw in four years in Atlanta. In the past week alone, I've seen two cars completely upside-down on the freeway. Some jackass wrecked a $1 million Ferrari Enzo a few weeks ago on PCH.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but it just doesn't ever feel as safe driving here as it does anywhere else in the country. Somehow, the traffic seems looser and less organized than anywhere else (even when you're barely moving). I can't tell you how many times I have gone to change lanes while someone else was simultaneously vying for the same spot. When it's not happening to me, I see it happening to other people all around me. The best way I can describe the freeways here is that every individual on the road seems to think they are the only person who has to get somewhere: every other car on the road is just an obstacle and not a transportation device containing human beings. They just deserve to get where they're going before everyone else. Everyone else will understand this and just let them go where they want to.

On the plus side, the fast lane is generally reserved for faster cars (unlike the Carolinas).

Mammoth Weekend

As part of my continuing series of new adventures in California, I went snowboarding for the first time this past weekend. I've been skiing a couple of times, but I enjoyed snowboarding a lot more. Once I got past the initial awkwardness (in the beginner class), I took to it pretty well. Much easier than surfing. Not only did I have a lot of fun, but I managed to escape without any bruises or injuries.

We went to Mammoth Mountain, just a bit southeast of Yosemite. It was a gorgeous drive through desert that gradually transitioned into mountains and salt-fields. After snowboarding all day, we crammed 12 people into a 2-bedroom condo at night. Got up the next day and did it again. I can't wait to go again.

Beware the Ninjas

I went out to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica for dinner the other night. For those unfamiliar, it's basically an outdoor mall with a bunch of (usually pretty impressive) street performers and (sometimes equally impressive) homeless people. On this particular visit, I was particularly aware of and intrigued by the homeless population. It was obvious that more than a few had serious mental disorders. For example, the guy holding a tape recorder with a large microphone attached. The microphone was covered by a ziplock bag, and he would repeatedly pull it out of his trench-coat pocket, plug and unplug it, and put it back in his pocket. Every fourth or fifth time, he appeared to say no more than a word or two into the microphone before putting it back. He also talked to himself quite a bit without the microphone. Most of the homeless people left me with mixed feelings of sympathy and fright.

My favorite, though, probably didn't have a mental disorder but had the most creative plea for money I've ever seen. He was holding a sign that read, "Entire family killed by ninjas. Need money for karate lessons."