2011 Happy New Year

Happy New Year
2011

William de Kypia

Expanded web-edition of the print distribution: Premium content without the premium

In the midst of a snowy DC winter, I decided to move to a warmer clime before the next winter arrived.

By May I had disposed of books, furniture, house, and most other worldly goods. I was ready to relocate to the West Coast. Such a trek would of course require a new car: a Ford Fusion. Considered the hybrid but needed a larger trunk, so got the Sport with AWD to negotiate the mountains and a 16.5 cu. ft. trunk to carry the few things I hadn’t dumped, sold, or given away.

After selling the house, I had to use parking lots more frequently. Don’t like ‘em. They’re always full of other vehicles, most driven by people who are not nearly as competent and alert as you are. So got the Early Onset Alzheimer’s Package (officially the Moon & Tune Package, for the moon-roof and music system). Full of geezer gear: Approach lamps glow in the side mirrors if a car is in the lane next to you. Shift into reverse and sensors warn if a car is coming from the side,

the rear view camera displays in the rear view mirror,

and the sensing system gives increasingly hysterical warnings as you get closer to objects behind you.

A buzzer goes off if you open a door with the lights on, and after a few minutes the lights automatically turn off. Anyway. The vehicle has Sirius satellite radio, a voice activated communication & entertainment system, keyless entry--just punch in a code. And the seats are heated!

Also got GPS. I was a boy scout and pretty good with maps, but aging eyes and those silly small-print maps they have nowadays make it hard to tell New York from Nyack. So bought the GPS and named her after Cher--she’s The Gypsy.

Speaking of aging eyes, I have computer glasses. These are not the same as reading glasses. Letters on the screen are harder to read than the letters on a page because pixels are harder to focus on than ink spots. And reading glasses are usually optimized for a distance of 14-16 inches while computers are generally viewed from 20-24 inches. Tried prescription progressive lenses but found them difficult to adjust to. So got cheap drugstore computer specs. Tinted, usually for bright environments but I find them restful.

I remained in Maryland for a while, working out with personal trainers at the gym. “Gotta get myself in shape for a road trip” I said. Actually I was just delaying my departure from the area that held a quarter century of my life and memories.

But one September morning I got in the car and headed west with traveling companion Jocko tucked into a map pocket. Picked up Ernie along the way.

Didn’t stop to see the many places and people I’d planned to visit along the way. Just drove, briskly. And soon arrived in California to begin the search for my Goldilocks Town in the Golden State.

A town that was not too big and not too small. Not urban but energetic, with a venue for concerts and lectures, maybe a museum or two. The downtown should be lively, not dormant. A beckoning network of bike paths. Cafés, ethnic restaurants, and yoga studios. Not a transportation hub but with access to highways, Amtrak, an airport. Preferably with a San or a Santa in the name. Between LA and The Bay, close to the Pacific but not too close to LA.

Friends, relatives, guidebooks, and conversations with local residents provided many leads. Places with a UC (University of California) campus were high on the list. I rambled up and down the highways, especially US Highway 101 and the dramatic California Highway 1. Checked out numerous prospects: Chico (got a flat tire there), Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Ojai, Ventura, and Pasadena. Also the touristy towns of Pismo Beach and Solvang.

After a lot of miles and too many motels, finally located the right town: Davis, California. About 70 miles northeast of San Francisco and 10 miles west of Sacramento, it met most of my criteria. It’s a college town, with the UCD campus and its Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts (courtesy of the vintners). Downtown is compact and walkable, very bike friendly. Has an art museum with a café and poetry readings. I-80 and SR 113 bisect the town. There’s an Amtrak station downtown and airports in Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco, plus the small University airport.

A sign that your are in California:

Davis’s main defect is that it does not have San or Santa in its name. Also it’s a distance from the ocean. But these are tolerable flaws.

I’m settling in. Joined the local PBS station (KVIE, Sacramento). My bonus gift was six CDs of 1950s music. Of the hundred songs I remember 90+.

Have already purchased a bike. Davis is famous for bikes. Every resident is required to have one. Mine is a Cidi 8-speed. No derailleur. The gears are in the hub, just like the old 3-speed English racer. A single hand-brake plus coaster brakes. Simple and low-maintenance.

Joined the UCD alumni association and as an honorary Aggie got a membership to the campus Activities & Recreation Center (ARC). A fine facility. I hope fully intend to spend a lot of time there. Will start slowly with group classes. On the road I always tried to stay at places with workout rooms but seldom used them. Eight hours driving is tiring if you’re older than—oh, maybe 18.

After all the downsizing and the weeks of living out of my car, I re-domesticated with stunning swiftness. A kitchen is no longer defined as any room with a microwave. I actually used the “magic triangle” (fridge, oven, sink) concept recommended by culinary experts to set up the work area. Everyday items (cutlery, dishes, sauce pans) are easily accessible, less frequently used items (waffle iron and hamster grill) are out of the way. Much more efficient.

I have not only a salad spinner but also a lettuce-storer. And a crockpot. I “shop the U”—in most supermarkets, healthier items are located on the store’s periphery. You eat better if you keep out of the middle aisles. I try to purchase not individual food items but rather the ingredients for wholesome meals.

Got stick-on Bounce for the dryer, to provide freshness, static control, and softness.

Have an airbed, a leather armchair & hassock, and a beanbag chair. A desk, file cabinet, and the Buddha live in the office.

And keys. While traveling I was a proud—no, a smug member of the single-key club, nothing but the car. Now: car, apartment, laundry room, business center, workout room, pool, mailbox, PO box, and two bike lock keys.

But most important about my move is the fact that the only snowman I’ll be seeing now is the PEZ dispenser my nieces gave me for Christmas.

Best to everyone for 2011.

As always,

Will

==============================================================
There live not three good men unhanged in California;
and one of them is fat, and grows old.

Falstaff, Henry IV. Part I. Act 2. Scene 4
=============================================