I have some new words in my vocabulary since moving from Boston to SoCal's Carlsbad.
No, it's not what you're thinkin - they're not swear words. I already know all of them and still use them actively, especially when I get the dreaded proxy error or I lose Internet access in the midst of writing a lengthy email. Word autosaves so at least I don't lose my precious post drafts.
FREEWAY - now back East this is a highway. Still is in my mind...a big road with lots of cars subject to massive tie ups, delays and road rage. But you don't call them that here. Most of them do appear to be free, but I still don't know if those which are not are also called freeways. Anyone? And they give them names (that's because there are so many and no way can you keep track of the numbers) - Santa Monica Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Harbor Freeway - but that's true elsewhere. California just has more of them and they are bigger, sometimes 7 lanes or more in one direction.
PALAPA - I had no clue what this was, but it appears in listings, and agents mention it. Without pointing to what it actually was I was still left feeling stupid. Plus we don't have them back in New England because winter lasts for 9 months and during the other 3 you can't be outside because of mosquitoes and black flies. Anyhow, a palapa is an open sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves. Supposedly it's a plus to have one of these in your back yard to enjoy the California outdoor lifestyle. Seems like a fire hazard to me.
MELLO ROOS - this is a good one. When I first started looking on line before our move and saw "no mello roos" I was totally clueless. And of course there is no explanation of what you are missing - was it good or bad? Now if I were considering Australia I would...never mind. Anyhow, these are serious, and big money. I learned that nobody likes them or wants to pay them (sorta like taxes), they last for many years in most cases, and they can drive a CPA nuts. I can give you a fairly good explanation now, but better to read one of these links - it will confuse you more. Mello Roos. What is Mello Roos.
SURFING - now I knew what this was, of course. New England has surfers, but I can't say I actually KNEW a surfer, and you didn't really see them except on the waves here and there. Out here they are everywhere. I have no idea what the population is but it must be in the millions. Surfers getting in and out of wetsuits by the side of the road is a common sight. There is vocabulary to describe waves, as well as general surfer lingo. There are surf shops in every town. And of course as the Internet has exploded surfing has taken on a whole new meaning.
DUDE -this is not just So Cal slang, but you certainly didn't hear it much back in New England and it's real common here. And it is not just used by men and boys or to describe them. The word has been around for many years and is used in lots of ways (do a Google search if you don't believe me), as in being duded up or visiting a ranch. It seems to take precedence over using someone's name in casual conversation.
MARINE LAYER - we called it fog in New England but not out here. It behaves differently, we see it more regularly near the coast, and often it isn't at ground level. It can come in off the ocean very quickly, or sometime just sit there along the coast while it is warm and sunny just a short distance away. Which leads me to...
MAY GRAY and JUNE GLOOM - this is how Californians describe the marine layer in May and June. It's more prevalent then, so we see more gray days during this time, although commonly the sun will appear later in the day. Further inland it doesn't happen.
I suspect there is other lingo that has entered my vocabulary that I am not even aware of, especially on the real estate side (we have a zillion forms and each one has an acronym - RPA, RLA, DA, AD, ETA, CR, AVID, VP, RR, CO, BIA, TDS, NSP, WOO, WPA and on and on), like Tract Home. Nuff said - I have work to do.
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All content copyright © 2009 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits
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