Chitchat

So I knew when I moved out here that I was in for a bit of a cultural change, particularly in the realm of everyday chitchat. This may not be all that obvious at first but just think about it for a second, when you bump into someone what is one of the first things that you most often talk about: the weather. I’m still not certain at what latitude the transition occurs, but somewhere as you move from North to South the ever-present conversations about the weather just die off.

I figured that out when a couple of Texans joined the bike club I was riding with in Minneapolis. One of them once asked what’s with everyone talking about the weather all the time. I think she was trying to figure out if it was a Canadian phenomenon as well or simply a quirk of Minnesota living. That’s when I realized that for those living in more schizophrenic climates weather really dominates your life and your conversations. In someplace like Texas after stating that it’s hot, or really hot, the weather conversation is over.

So living in SoCal is just the same. I noticed pretty soon on that I don’t need to check the weather for the day, or even the forecast for the week ahead. Today it was sunny and warm, tomorrow will be sunny and warm, same thing over and over again. So what the hell do people talk about for chitchat? Commuting. It makes sense, traffic and commute times dominate peoples lives down here; as I’ve become very acutely aware.

Unfortunately I realized something else recently. I tend to justify my long-ass commute saying things like “he train lets me do work” (or write this blog) and “I’m really gaining time by not being stuck in traffic”…that’s right folks, I’ve become the equivalent of the person who justifies winter with things like “the spring is so beautiful” and “you appreciate summer more after a winter.”

How did I manage to get lamer by moving to such a cool place?