If anyone knows anyone in SoCal or NorCal working in event planning/PR, please let me know :).

me[at]mistershooby[d0t]com

Last night, I let Dylan drive my car back to LA from Coachella because I was exhausted.  It began raining, and out of nowhere a cop decides to create a completely unnecessary traffic block (where they go between the lanes to stop everyone momentarily)….at 5am.

The cop then proceeded to yell at Dylan over his loudspeaker to wait until he started reversing to move.  As soon as the cop began moving, Dylan began moving.  The cop flips out, stops all the traffic again, demands that Dylan hand over his license and pull over.  He makes us wait for 10 minutes and finally comes back around to talk.

Do you have any common sense?  You’re supposed to give cars with emergency lights at least 300 feet of space.

Dylan keeps his cool and was very cooperative and apologetic, even though the cop was relying on a little known and very tough to prove California law (especially when it’s raining on the highway; Dylan began to move when there seemed to be a safe distance).  Once the cop got frustrated enough to drop the conversation, he asked where we were coming from and Dylan said the desert from Coachella.  Out of nowhere, the cop’s face lights up and he just goes

Oh really?  You guys been drinking?  It smells like alcohol in here

The hilarious thing was that there wasn’t a drop of alcohol that had entered my car during Coachella weekend whatsoever.  My car was parked far away in the companion car camping lot.  Obviously, Dylan says no with an incredulous tone.  This cop then gets incredibly angry and demands that Dylan get out for a sobriety test.  Within 2 minutes, Dylan is back in the car and the cop lets us go after yelling at him a little bit more about common sense.

It’s absurd that cops can fish for tickets like that.  There was no possible way my car smelt like alcohol.  If anything, it should have smelt like orange juice and coffee and fast food  Moreover, I don’t believe it was legal of him to take away Dylan’s license and demand that he move the car to the shoulder while making us wait for 10+ minutes.

I have a theory that a great majority of cops only enter the profession in order to take advantage of the power that they are given from the few experiences with the cops I’ve had.  It makes me frustrated to no end that power-hungry people are allowed to become police.  They aren’t protecting the law, they just want the rush and thrill of inflicting pain on others in a legal way.  Most cops are grown up bullies.

I really wish we took down his badge number and reported him.  Besides, if you’re working the beat at nearly 5am on a Monday morning, it’s pretty clear that no one at CHP particularly likes you and stuck you with a shitty shift.

tl;dr 90% of cops are assholes only looking out to take advantage of their power.

I used to hate you.  I used to hate you with a passion.  I was forced to live in your miserable, traffic ridden, smog-filled, superficial, loathable city boundaries for college, and I missed home so goddamn much.  This was a surprise to me, because I originally wanted to go to the east coast for college.

I missed my friends, I missed my family, I realized how many good things I missed while I still lived in San Jose.  Still, I’ve met some AMAZING friends from back home while living in San Jose.  I cannot thank Nam enough for introducing me to people like Tina and the dozens of others that she knows between San Jose State and De Anza College.  Some of these people will be friends for LIFE.  Not only because of our love for the same type of music, but also because these people are chill-ass people who I would love kickin it with any time I’m back home or when they’re in SoCal.

BUT, I can say with clear definition that Los Angeles has officially become my home.  It’s been a long, contentious period over the past few years, but I finally do believe I can call Los Angeles my hometown.  I was so damn homesick for everyone I feel that missed out on what a creative place LA is.

LA is, without a doubt, the most creative place on earth.  If you are a creative and don’t live in New York or San Francisco, I have no idea what the hell you’re doing not living in Los Angeles.  In this past semester alone, I feel like I’ve finally figured out life, what my passions are, what type of people I enjoy hanging out with, who I like, etc.  I simply cannot imagine living outside of Los Angeles, especially after my brief time on the east coast over Spring Break.  Not to hate on Montreal or New York City at all, I just feel much more home at Los Angeles.  Our public transport may suck and we might have to drive everywhere, but LA is, without a doubt, the the most creative place on earth.  Nowhere else have I felt inspired to finally produce my own dubstep music, but also meet people in the entertainment industry who constantly make me feel inspired.  Moreover, the people I’ve been meeting over the past year at USC are by far, the most talented people I know.  I cannot imagine life without them.

Los Angeles is a place for creatives, business people, and those who are passionate about one or the other to finally meet.  People talk about how the United States is a melting pot for people; think about Los Angeles for a few minutes.  Okay, at first, it might feel like Mexico’s outpost in Southern California.  However, once you start venturing around, you realize how great a mix it is of art culture, new trends, and people who are PASSIONATE about what they see/hear. I place myself in the latter category.

There’s so much great music to be shared around here, there’s so many great movies/video to be shared around here, and there’s such an establishes business model for everything.  However, the city is completely open to discovering new talent, new people, and new trends.  This is the creative capital of the WORLD.  Screw whatever anyone else says.

My time in college has introduced me to some of the most creative people on earth, and I can see them taking over the world in the next couple decades.

I love this city, I love what happens here, I love the people, I love the creativity, and most of all, I love the PASSION people have down here.

I love Los Angeles, California, and I can see myself living here for the foreseeable future.

A past San Francisco Bay Area native,
Rishabh Kumar 

According to this geographically noteworthy Quora answer, the diving line between Northern California and Southern California has been declared. The line, it seems, goes right through San Luis Obispo. Lucas J Meeker, who created the dividing line, notes: “[T]here is an X factor here which is that the coast from Lompoc to Carmel is generally referred to as the Central Coast, and as a result could be considered somewhat of a floating barrier. You might see the occasional ‘bro’ in this region repping a ‘CenCal’ vinyl decal on his lifted truck. He is most likely from the Fresno area, if not from Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo.”

But who takes Fresno? Meeker goes on to point out, “Bakersfield is definitely SoCal and Modesto is definitely NorCal, and nobody wants to lay claim to Fresno, the apparent regional culture DMZ.” Which, sure. Many claim Fresno is a less than a wasteland. But we sort of like the place. Sort of like it. It’s got a heavy Armenian population, raisins grow there, and national treasure Audra McDonald hails from Fresno. So, why not, let’s say it’s part of NorCal. Sounds good.

Hey, at least it’s not Riverside.