This Thursday the driver's test for my Californian driver's license is taking place. Up until then they have given me a temporary license. I am glad they did since it is rather difficult to get around here without a car. There are some bicycle lanes but this entire state is built around the car. But I have taken the family mountain bike out for a few airings. Not that long ago I rode down to the almost completely dried up river bed where there is a dirt track. People drive down there with there dirt bikes and ATVs, but part of the track is hard packed enough for a mountain bike. So far no accidents or falls. In the riverbed are these old car skeletons that give the place a bit of a half-life feel.
I hope all of you will have a good week!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thanksgiving
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and the house is already filled with the smells of orange, cranberry and spices. Linda is making her own cranberry sauce and chicken broth. It smells like Christmas. The Thanksgiving holiday reminds me a bit of the Christmas holiday, maybe it is the similarities in the food, or maybe it is all the preparation for tomorrow when the family is coming over.
It's sunny and warm outside, with the birds singing. If anyone is looking for a book to read I can very much recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. That's all for now.
It's sunny and warm outside, with the birds singing. If anyone is looking for a book to read I can very much recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. That's all for now.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
November
It's November and it's sunny and warm. Shorts-warm. In November. That's nice.
Today I drove to Santa Maria for a job interview for a temporary holiday job. The drive is around 30 minutes. Speaking of driving, I'm thinking that it's time to get my California driver's license. I'll see if I can get that done this week. Compared to the mega-undertaking that it is to get a license in Sweden this seems to be a much shorter process. And a lot cheaper. It will cost me all of $27. Unless I fail the driver's test, in which case I will have to pay...$5...for each new try. And then the Department of Motor Vehicles gives me a brand new Audi. Well, last part about the Audi not true, but the rest is.
Sunny greetings!
Today I drove to Santa Maria for a job interview for a temporary holiday job. The drive is around 30 minutes. Speaking of driving, I'm thinking that it's time to get my California driver's license. I'll see if I can get that done this week. Compared to the mega-undertaking that it is to get a license in Sweden this seems to be a much shorter process. And a lot cheaper. It will cost me all of $27. Unless I fail the driver's test, in which case I will have to pay...$5...for each new try. And then the Department of Motor Vehicles gives me a brand new Audi. Well, last part about the Audi not true, but the rest is.
Sunny greetings!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday afternoon
Even though there are still 9 uncontained fires in California it seems like the situation is gradually cooling down. Yesterday it rained here in Lompoc, and it was more than a drizzle. Today, after the rain, the juniper bushes in the back garden smells stronger than usual in the sun light. It's a warm, sunny and lazy Sunday.
Tomorrow I'm going down to LA for an interview. I will be taking the train from Goleta, which is a way for me to avoid the traffic and not have to worry about parking.
I hope you are all doing well!
Tomorrow I'm going down to LA for an interview. I will be taking the train from Goleta, which is a way for me to avoid the traffic and not have to worry about parking.
I hope you are all doing well!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
California Wildfires
The California Wildfires have now forced the evacuation of almost 1 million residents. There are some videos here.
The fire closest to us in the Santa Ynes valley is contained, according to this article, but the sky is hazy from smoke and you can still smell it in the air this morning. For an overview of the fires go here.
It has been very dry in California for a long time and the strong Santa Ana Winds have caused the fires to spread rapidly. Hopefully there will be a change in the weather soon.
I will keep you updated.
The fire closest to us in the Santa Ynes valley is contained, according to this article, but the sky is hazy from smoke and you can still smell it in the air this morning. For an overview of the fires go here.
It has been very dry in California for a long time and the strong Santa Ana Winds have caused the fires to spread rapidly. Hopefully there will be a change in the weather soon.
I will keep you updated.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Babies
A State Observed would like to issue a big and heartfelt welcome to Abigail and Eleanor!And congratulations to Ben and Nicki! I hope you are all doing well and that you get some sleep in between feeding and diaper changing.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Day of the Cinnamon Bun
Today the 4th of October is the Day of the Cinnamon Bun. So in celebration of this tasty treat I invite you to have a fika with me, even though it might have to be in spirit. We can call it a long distant fika.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I have it!
Yesterday I got my Green Card in the mail! I am now officially a Permanent Resident in the United States of America!
With the letter I also got a folder pointing me to a guide called "Welcome to the United States - A Guide for New Immigrants". I am now officially an Immigrant.
In the folder, under the heading "Getting Involved in Your Community" I read:
The U.S. government is a government of, by, and for the people. This means that people can shape the government and its policies. Each person has an important role to play in his or her local community. You can get involved in your community through local organizations, your place of worship or work, your neighborhood, or your children's schools. Welcome to the United states gives ideas for getting involved in your community and learning more about life in this country.
The United States presidential election of 2008 is scheduled to be held on November 4. The average voter turnout in the US is around 50 % depending on what source you quote. These statistics puts it at 48.3% which would land the country a 139th place in the World Cup of Voter Turnout. So right now it seems like the U.S. government is a government of, by, and for half the people.
The short of it: I wish I could vote as a permanent resident.
With the letter I also got a folder pointing me to a guide called "Welcome to the United States - A Guide for New Immigrants". I am now officially an Immigrant.
In the folder, under the heading "Getting Involved in Your Community" I read:
The U.S. government is a government of, by, and for the people. This means that people can shape the government and its policies. Each person has an important role to play in his or her local community. You can get involved in your community through local organizations, your place of worship or work, your neighborhood, or your children's schools. Welcome to the United states gives ideas for getting involved in your community and learning more about life in this country.
The United States presidential election of 2008 is scheduled to be held on November 4. The average voter turnout in the US is around 50 % depending on what source you quote. These statistics puts it at 48.3% which would land the country a 139th place in the World Cup of Voter Turnout. So right now it seems like the U.S. government is a government of, by, and for half the people.
The short of it: I wish I could vote as a permanent resident.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
At the Immigration Office
Our interview yesterday went very well! The interviewer was easygoing and we talked for a pretty short time and he asked us some questions, and that was basically it. Autumn had spent quite a lot of time preparing these photo albums with a lot of photos showing the two of us together and with friends and family. Did they guy even look at these!? No. When the interview was almost over and we realized that he was not going to look at our super nice photo albums, with pictures of mostly us, I pointed it out to him that Autumn had prepared them. He still did not look at the photos.
I had an appointment for the 19th of September for my biometrics (basically fingerprints), but during the interview the officer gave us a new appointment for the same day. So after the interview we went and got the biometric scan done, which saved me a trip back down to LA!
The officer told us that I will have the green card in about 3 weeks. All in all my experience with the immigration authorities here has been surprisingly smooth. The paperwork, rules and regulations have not been that much fun to deal with, but when we have met a person behind all that bureaucracy they have actually been pretty friendly and human.
Thank you for all your support during this time!
Today has been a very warm day here in Pasadena, where we are house sitting until Saturday. I walked to the library and got some work done and now I have just come back from boxing at the YMCA. It was good to see some of the old boxing gang.
Tonight we are going out for dinner to this place with some friends of Autumn that I have not met yet. It is nice that it has been cooling down a bit since the heat of this day.
This is all for now from Pasadena.
I had an appointment for the 19th of September for my biometrics (basically fingerprints), but during the interview the officer gave us a new appointment for the same day. So after the interview we went and got the biometric scan done, which saved me a trip back down to LA!
The officer told us that I will have the green card in about 3 weeks. All in all my experience with the immigration authorities here has been surprisingly smooth. The paperwork, rules and regulations have not been that much fun to deal with, but when we have met a person behind all that bureaucracy they have actually been pretty friendly and human.
Thank you for all your support during this time!
Today has been a very warm day here in Pasadena, where we are house sitting until Saturday. I walked to the library and got some work done and now I have just come back from boxing at the YMCA. It was good to see some of the old boxing gang.
Tonight we are going out for dinner to this place with some friends of Autumn that I have not met yet. It is nice that it has been cooling down a bit since the heat of this day.
This is all for now from Pasadena.
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