Private Property!!

Honestly - who looks ten feet in the air for a sign?

Twice now I've irritated the locals by blundering into an area that they would just as soon have to themselves. In the moment of the first situation, I didn't even realize I was on private property.

"Nice place." The guy who was friendly just up the road gives a sort of befuddled what the hell / shaking his head "yeah." It wasn't until I walked on the road another 100 yards, turned around and went back the trail that I realized where I had gone wrong.

The trail parallels a private road and at one point crosses onto it. In one moment, there was the guy in his old truck, his dog in the truck bed, a woman hiking on the road, and her dog. As the truck passed relatively slowly, the woman's dog started chasing the truck. "She's going to end up getting hit."

"Nah, she'll get tired and turn around." As I walked towards the direction the truck was headed, I clapped my hands loudly and her dog came running back. Problem solved. New problem begins. With my attention following the truck and dogs, I was completely oblivious to the sign pointing to where the trail split off from the road, and another one saying "Private Road". My view of the trail sign was likely blocked initially by the truck, and my focus on the truck and dog caused me to miss the other sign. On my return, I noticed a barrage of signs everywhere saying private road or private property - the overall problem being that the trail and road merged and threaded through the property, then split off. There were quite a few signs; only a small one at the critical junction that I missed.

On the second occasion, I headed on my scooter to the end of a road and a trail head. Having never been there, the end came up a bit abruptly around a curve, with a locked gate across the road. It was clear there was no automobile parking, but I also didn't notice any parking signs. There was a local with his dog. "Hi - it's my first time here and I was wondering about parking."

"No parking here." There was a space plenty large enough for the scooter along the side.

"Would it be okay if I parked there?"

"I don't think so. No parking here." He gave me that irritated, are you an idiot? look. As soon as I turned around and headed back the road, I realized what the idiot look was about. Since I didn't realize I was near the end of the road, I had completely ignored the line of about 10 cars parked beside the road. I also later noticed, half buried in the bushes, a sign that said "No Parking here to end of road." Oh. The cars were tightly packed, so I parked at the far end. Walking back, I saw the guy head up the hill with his dog - clearly a local, and likely irritated not only by the cars lining the road but also oblivious interlopers. And where I had originally encountered the guy - what would have been directly behind me, but ten feet in the air (?!) the No Parking sign.

Single payer in Australia

Response I posted on Google Plus comparing the US and Australian health systems.

The Australian system is struggling,  with the cost of needed new hospitals and revamping old ones.  The population is growing,  and they're trying to get people to move away from sprawling congested cities and build new ones. Some districts have excessive wait times,  others don't.  Bizarrely,  some surgeons are complaining about having to delay surgery because there wasn't a budget allocated for over a certain number.  The bottom line is the system doesn't have appropriate feedback mechanisms.  But the system could add appropriate feedback mechanisms.  Because they don't want to raise taxes they are responding to government shortfalls by allowing privatization to creep in. There is a lot of pressure from people who want to profit from the sector. Private companies (British)  are building new hospitals,  with a guaranteed contract that allows them a certain number of years profit,  then supposedly the the older buildings will revert to the public domain.  Essentially,  they're moving to the American system -  people with insurance or who want to pay cash can go to nicer private hospitals.  The general public goes to public hospitals.  It's not quite as bad as the US,  because the public hospitals are still where most people go,  so there's pressure to keep them up.  But the politically connected who have money push for more private hospitals,  and more profit-making. Also,  while there's some good research going on,  with the smaller economy and smaller sector,  research is a much smaller enterprise than in the US. The government can't afford to pay for a lot of research,  so they wait until something's proven in the US,  then if it's shown effective,  they pay for the procedure or therapy.  So people  with money leave the country for experimental procedures.  In the US you can find a quack selling anything and making a buck.  Of course some experimental stuff is legit,  but it's more profitable to ignore preventive and sell cures or procedures or drugs.  Australia,  like the US,  has a huge over-the-counter supplements industry peddling crap,  but unlike the US,  there aren't a lot of doctors pushing questionable surgeries or therapies.  Oh -  here's one though -  there are no ticks carrying Lyme Disease in Australia.  But because it's such a big money-maker in the US,  a crowd of people claiming they have Lyme Disease are pushing to allow questionable therapies in Australia. It's easy to convince people they have a disease with vague symptoms and make money from that.  In some cases,  it could be a rare case; in some,  they might have another poorly understood and vague illness.  But Lyme Disease is one of the causes du jour (getting as popular as blaming gluten). 

Reality Check

Well, after a drinking binge of one pina colada on Waikiki Beach, I came back to Santa Barbara, said "this place sucks" and quit my job. Retire? Look for another job? Back to Australia? Vanuatu is calling, but that makes my wife want to scream. She's the one always trying to get me drunk (that's an exaggeration). When we met she didn't realize I don't need alcohol to be an irresponsible fool. Yeah, I'd probably be better off if I used alcohol to cope instead of saying "ok. that's enough of that."

Panera?

$3.89 for a bottle of tea at  Panera?  Prices like that make me feel like I'm back in Australia! Except this is US dolla -  which currently makes it about AUS$5.

3 miles

Looking at options to get to a bluff overlooking a public beach. Bus: 1 hour 20 minutes. Walk: 1 hour 2 minutes.

After 10 hours of work

The lab I'm working in has no windows. So at the end of the day I step outdoors and am greeted by this view. Santa Barbara is one of the more beautiful towns in the US. There is plenty to explore up in the hills, and not too far offshore are the Channel Islands. I'd like to be hiking the hills and sailing, but for now, I'm working. I have no car / transportation other than public or car rental, and no connections to a sailboat yet. Hopefully, before I leave this place I'll have time (and the transportation) to explore. It's odd to be in such a gorgeous place and be thinking I'd rather be in Australia with my wife. But it seemed employment was a longshot there, so I'm back in California where my license and skills are worth something. I'm definitely glad to be working again; to feel useful before I retire and get serious about my hobbies.

Mashed peas?

I skipped the Irish Pub when I realized the $10 options were only until 3pm. So I went to the British place on the tourist strip and got mashed peas,  shepherd's pie,  and a Strongbow cider for yes,  more than $10. The pie and mashed peas were better than in Australia,  but also more expensive than there.

KP duty

I bought some second-hand cookware and some new eating utensils, but haven't yet purchased plates or cups (except one coffee mug). So I've been using the same paper cup for a week. I don't think I can wash it. I need to bring home a plastic cup from work - I've been throwing away 2-3 a day there.

Cruise Santa Barbara?

Didn't realize cruise ships park off shore here. The street trolley operator says about 50 a (winter?) season. They run extra street trolleys when the boats bring tourists ashore. Santa Barbara's Hospitality Team

Moving Ventura?

Side of bus: Keep Ventura Moving!

Front of bus: Funded by Santa Barbara County Measure A

Got religion?

One thing that surprised me walking in Goleta, I realized there were an inordinate number of churches on one street. And not small churches; fairly large properties, if not large buildings. Just up the road, the number of churches in Santa Barbara doesn't seem as pervasive, but they're definitely here. And this surprised me even more - huge Easter program by Calvary Chapel on the Santa Barbara courthouse lawn.

Lawn Bowling

I've only seen it in San Francisco, Australia, and here (hey - I've never been to Europe). Looks like they're trying to recruit. In San Francisco it's bocce.

For the dogs

Now that I've been in this town for a few weeks and stepped in dog shit twice,  I'm remembering that before I lived here  in 1993, I was a great fan of dogs.  This is the town that turned me against suburban dog owners.  Not just on the sidewalks -  on the beaches. 

Got alcohol?

I see this black plastic thing by the sidewalk near my house, and have no idea what it is. Later, in a drug store, it becomes clear. Do they not have these in Australia? They must, but... At least around where I rambled, they don't sell alcohol in grocery stores or drug stores - it's a separate store near the entrance. I take that back - Aldi's, it actually is in the store, though all purchases must be made in the register adjacent to that area. I don't think this strategy has done anything to discourage rampant drunkenness among youth (or adults for that matter). But instead of these black deterrents, you have to go by the register to escape.

Organizational assumption: automobile

(This is a cross-post from my other blog - at this point I am in transition) Things you forget being in an area well-served by transit: outside of those bubbles everyone just assumes automobile ownership. I found housing that allows me to walk to work. So I call to make an appointment for orientation and find it's several miles out of town. Then there's another task to be accomplished a mile away from that location. I mention taking the bus (because I've scoped the area and know the bus route), and the person acts as if taking the bus is unprecedented, but can be accommodated. This makes me suspect they'll have me run across town again for a upcoming, somewhat trivial task that could easily be accomplished on site. Welcome back to the work world - where the work is not the actual work (at least not yet?)