California lifestyle?
03-19-2019, 11:03 PM
#346
Race Director
03-19-2019, 11:06 PM
#347
2 out of Hollywood to 1. then 27 up to Calabasas then hop on 101 to Santa Barbara and take 1 all the way back as scenic drive? Recommended roads through canyons?
03-20-2019, 01:19 AM
#348
I'll chime in as a younger person living in the Bay Area...
I too have a bit of a love-hate relationship with California but couldn't imagine myself being anywhere else. Every time we discuss leaving, our options seem to be California or moving (back) to NYC. Everywhere else simply isn't that appealing right now, for a multitude of reasons. The social aspect, having many friends and family here, the cultural and entertainment aspect of actually having stuff to do. I've spent time in a lot of cities and states as I travel frequently for work and there just isn't any place that has the same feel for someone my age or with my hobbies/interests. Plus for what I do (tech) the career opportunities here (LA too but a lesser degree) make it hard to leave. Even the big tech companies that have offices in other cities will give you a nice pay-cut for leaving the Bay Area.
Now, do I want to be here in 10 years? Maybe. I'm in San Francisco right now (bought a house, complete with 2 car garage, allows me certain comforts while still being within a major city albeit it's a very gentrifying neighborhood where half the people give me a thumbs up in my GT3 and the other half give me the finger) and I don't want to stay here forever, but other parts of the bay (Palo Alto, or even moving out to Sausalito/Marin) are highly attractive to me in the near future. LA is also very attractive to me as I feel it offers way more diverse living options than the Bay Area.
The politics and inept city government is what drives me the most insane. I think I'd actually maintain a much healthier sanity if I was outside the city but still in the bay area.
The taxes, cost of living, etc. are all pay-to-play for me at this point. I know I wouldn't make as much money in most other states, have the same career opportunities, etc. so I consider it to be largely a wash and cost of entry. Will I feel that way forever? Probably not, but for me right now the pros simply outweigh the cons.
I too have a bit of a love-hate relationship with California but couldn't imagine myself being anywhere else. Every time we discuss leaving, our options seem to be California or moving (back) to NYC. Everywhere else simply isn't that appealing right now, for a multitude of reasons. The social aspect, having many friends and family here, the cultural and entertainment aspect of actually having stuff to do. I've spent time in a lot of cities and states as I travel frequently for work and there just isn't any place that has the same feel for someone my age or with my hobbies/interests. Plus for what I do (tech) the career opportunities here (LA too but a lesser degree) make it hard to leave. Even the big tech companies that have offices in other cities will give you a nice pay-cut for leaving the Bay Area.
Now, do I want to be here in 10 years? Maybe. I'm in San Francisco right now (bought a house, complete with 2 car garage, allows me certain comforts while still being within a major city albeit it's a very gentrifying neighborhood where half the people give me a thumbs up in my GT3 and the other half give me the finger) and I don't want to stay here forever, but other parts of the bay (Palo Alto, or even moving out to Sausalito/Marin) are highly attractive to me in the near future. LA is also very attractive to me as I feel it offers way more diverse living options than the Bay Area.
The politics and inept city government is what drives me the most insane. I think I'd actually maintain a much healthier sanity if I was outside the city but still in the bay area.
The taxes, cost of living, etc. are all pay-to-play for me at this point. I know I wouldn't make as much money in most other states, have the same career opportunities, etc. so I consider it to be largely a wash and cost of entry. Will I feel that way forever? Probably not, but for me right now the pros simply outweigh the cons.
03-20-2019, 02:25 PM
#349
03-21-2019, 03:49 AM
#350
Holy crap I think we are finally seeing spring out here in MT. February was a mess, second coldest and third snowiest in history.
I may dislike several things about California (my former stomping grounds), but I will ALWAYS respect the PERFECT weather out there.
Now please get the damn gravel off the roads so I can drive!
I may dislike several things about California (my former stomping grounds), but I will ALWAYS respect the PERFECT weather out there.
Now please get the damn gravel off the roads so I can drive!
03-21-2019, 04:28 AM
#351
Platinum Dealership
Rennlist
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Rennlist
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Whew finally finished this thread.
Grew up in Huntington Beach. Noticed really early on the value or lack thereof in a dollar. Saw some family members REALLY struggle (money, drugs, death etc) and some REALLY thrive (happy marriages, jobs, procreation) . Realized it has nothing to do with starting location and everything to do with attitude. But it is expensive and as 'A Car Dreamer' I knew my exotics would not buy themselves and I had to compromise and work smart and hard and tirelessly. I needed to make a lot of money. It was always a motivator. And UNLIKE Aunt Becky's kid- school was important and a means to an end. I NEVER wanted to have the college lifestyle. Don't care about sorority girls or whatever. Don't care about football.
Figured I'd play sports because it pays regardless of macroecon cycle. Loved watching the Lakers in 1980's-1990's. Have always loved California weather. But i decided baseball fit better than other sports so I decided that was the deal. No plan B, outside of getting great grades.
Lots of lessons young-
Booms and busts- mom was a mortgage broker, realtor, handy-lady and home improver. She got smoked in a hit and run accident...twice. She got hammered by S+L scandal/ DJIA crashed...she buckled down and came back each time. Her dad, my Grandfather was a mathematician and taught me to day trade as a 12 year old. So I hustled to mow lawns, saved up chore money and range traded through high school so I could buy a car. (GOALS)
Life goals are the primary driver of your focus and your efforts. Some people want to live on a lake, or be a lawyer. I wanted outcomes and knew that I needed certain process and success ratios or would never increase my chances or progress.
When I was a little kid, mom put me in Montessori. But S+L crisis and wham she lost a lot and then I'm in public school. Diverse cast in Socal. All races. Tons of languages. Lots of chances to get in trouble. Goals and motivation pushed me through hard times, and eventually through injuries that only desire to live the good life could keep me focused on.
I always had a 3.6-3.9GPA and scored a 34/36 ACT. Fountain Valley High School. In 1997-1998 our school was one of the top 20 academic schools in country. My GPA didn't even get me in top 1/4 of my graduating class! We had 4 kids get perfect SAT scores. But I also Played sports. Never had a hard time finding AP classes to take, in CA public high school I took AP Math, science, english, etc each semester. Used to sleep through AP Chemistry and still got a B+. Got in to every school I applied at: Dartmouth, Stanford, USC, Pepperdine, etc. Great grades and test scores but broke parents, Ivy League would have been cool but who cares. No money so I went to Junior College in Santa Ana (ghetto) and got a job. Anyone who says you can't get your classes and credits to advance in HS or College is not looking at whole picture...you make yourself. Not the teacher. You dig deeper to prove a point. Get smarter to challenge yourself. Destroy competition. Give the teacher an apple and maybe get tipped off about a pop quiz day before. Real world is about strategy and smarts!
Got a 3.8GPA taking 20+ units and was working on a triple major (no hot girls at Santa Ana College, they all go to Orange Coast College). I only cared about achieving the big goals. Eventually got my full ride to LMU (even after a lumbar stress fracture) and was astonished with how spoiled those pr-&k rich kids were. I was there on merit. They were mostly there for parties and proximity. I left early but could have pursued my other passion which was screenwriting and film.
Once I got a little money I began both buying cool cars and investing in cash flow properties in Orange County. Made it at 24 to MLB and gave up on the TV / Film backup plan. Then I moved to Texas and started buying more cars (more salary and no state income tax!). Bought a condo in Dallas in 2006. Thought I was so smart. "Real estate will make me rich"
2002: bought condo 335k in Huntington Beach. Rented it out, sold in 2018 for 605,000
2005, deposit on condo in Dallas for 500. Rented it, lived in it, rented it...
2019, probably selling for 405k. A loss that's
Only offset by the CGT worth of taxes I saved
While working in Dallas.
Home Tax in Texas is no joke. 2.1-2.7% housing tax! Plus, too much land. Even in Dallas- they just keep building. No scarcity. Dallas housing is like Aston Martin. Gorgeous stuff, no appreciation unless it's a weird unique one. Unless you keep house to buy cool guns etc no benefit to own!! Its a money pit to buy there.
CA real estate in:
SD
OC
LA
SB
pebble
SF
All expensive $/sq ft
But that's because that is either the most desirable spot to live or highest earning jobs nearby. I love the CA lifestyle and food. Only NYC can compare food wise.
I live in fresno now, left all the traffic behind. House is 2.5x size and 6 car garage for about 10-15% cost of my house in Corona Del Mar. LA, SF, Pebble, Sonoma all within a drive. My commute is 5-8 min. My daughter's school 6 min away. Love the food here (farm to belly). 3 tracks in 3 hours, 6 tracks in 5 hrs. It's hot here in Summer but not AZ hot.
I have lived in
CA
Az
VA
Tx
Ga
Fl
Ny
Ok
I'd only consider long term job or to live in 10-15 cities nationwide...nowhere is perfect. Austin, Scottsdale, Denver/Boulder, Pebble, CdM, Encinitas, Beverly Hills, Palisades, La Jolla Shores, Carmel Valley...only places I'd live forever and not want to travel a ton. I travel a ton now...but I like Fresno more then Dallas or Savanah, Georgia.
Goal now: grow the dealership group and end up owning a place in Pebble Beach. I like Pebble, it's like everything I love about Laguna and Montecito and Manhattan Beach but devoid of the density that crushes your spirit in traffic.
Whoever is still reading at this point, sorry.
Goal Lifestyle? That's the only thing that should motivate you to move. Forget the chatter about politics etc. We're on the GT3 forum. We'll have a bad day or week and go for a drive and smile. Can you recruit more friends locally to your car club? I don't want to talk too much in big groups- would rather go drive, go work, go make pancakes for my family. Have to work where working is most lucrative...otherwise you are working while wearing handcuffs. The job pays for the quality of life.
Grew up in Huntington Beach. Noticed really early on the value or lack thereof in a dollar. Saw some family members REALLY struggle (money, drugs, death etc) and some REALLY thrive (happy marriages, jobs, procreation) . Realized it has nothing to do with starting location and everything to do with attitude. But it is expensive and as 'A Car Dreamer' I knew my exotics would not buy themselves and I had to compromise and work smart and hard and tirelessly. I needed to make a lot of money. It was always a motivator. And UNLIKE Aunt Becky's kid- school was important and a means to an end. I NEVER wanted to have the college lifestyle. Don't care about sorority girls or whatever. Don't care about football.
Figured I'd play sports because it pays regardless of macroecon cycle. Loved watching the Lakers in 1980's-1990's. Have always loved California weather. But i decided baseball fit better than other sports so I decided that was the deal. No plan B, outside of getting great grades.
Lots of lessons young-
Booms and busts- mom was a mortgage broker, realtor, handy-lady and home improver. She got smoked in a hit and run accident...twice. She got hammered by S+L scandal/ DJIA crashed...she buckled down and came back each time. Her dad, my Grandfather was a mathematician and taught me to day trade as a 12 year old. So I hustled to mow lawns, saved up chore money and range traded through high school so I could buy a car. (GOALS)
Life goals are the primary driver of your focus and your efforts. Some people want to live on a lake, or be a lawyer. I wanted outcomes and knew that I needed certain process and success ratios or would never increase my chances or progress.
When I was a little kid, mom put me in Montessori. But S+L crisis and wham she lost a lot and then I'm in public school. Diverse cast in Socal. All races. Tons of languages. Lots of chances to get in trouble. Goals and motivation pushed me through hard times, and eventually through injuries that only desire to live the good life could keep me focused on.
I always had a 3.6-3.9GPA and scored a 34/36 ACT. Fountain Valley High School. In 1997-1998 our school was one of the top 20 academic schools in country. My GPA didn't even get me in top 1/4 of my graduating class! We had 4 kids get perfect SAT scores. But I also Played sports. Never had a hard time finding AP classes to take, in CA public high school I took AP Math, science, english, etc each semester. Used to sleep through AP Chemistry and still got a B+. Got in to every school I applied at: Dartmouth, Stanford, USC, Pepperdine, etc. Great grades and test scores but broke parents, Ivy League would have been cool but who cares. No money so I went to Junior College in Santa Ana (ghetto) and got a job. Anyone who says you can't get your classes and credits to advance in HS or College is not looking at whole picture...you make yourself. Not the teacher. You dig deeper to prove a point. Get smarter to challenge yourself. Destroy competition. Give the teacher an apple and maybe get tipped off about a pop quiz day before. Real world is about strategy and smarts!
Got a 3.8GPA taking 20+ units and was working on a triple major (no hot girls at Santa Ana College, they all go to Orange Coast College). I only cared about achieving the big goals. Eventually got my full ride to LMU (even after a lumbar stress fracture) and was astonished with how spoiled those pr-&k rich kids were. I was there on merit. They were mostly there for parties and proximity. I left early but could have pursued my other passion which was screenwriting and film.
Once I got a little money I began both buying cool cars and investing in cash flow properties in Orange County. Made it at 24 to MLB and gave up on the TV / Film backup plan. Then I moved to Texas and started buying more cars (more salary and no state income tax!). Bought a condo in Dallas in 2006. Thought I was so smart. "Real estate will make me rich"
2002: bought condo 335k in Huntington Beach. Rented it out, sold in 2018 for 605,000
2005, deposit on condo in Dallas for 500. Rented it, lived in it, rented it...
2019, probably selling for 405k. A loss that's
Only offset by the CGT worth of taxes I saved
While working in Dallas.
Home Tax in Texas is no joke. 2.1-2.7% housing tax! Plus, too much land. Even in Dallas- they just keep building. No scarcity. Dallas housing is like Aston Martin. Gorgeous stuff, no appreciation unless it's a weird unique one. Unless you keep house to buy cool guns etc no benefit to own!! Its a money pit to buy there.
CA real estate in:
SD
OC
LA
SB
pebble
SF
All expensive $/sq ft
But that's because that is either the most desirable spot to live or highest earning jobs nearby. I love the CA lifestyle and food. Only NYC can compare food wise.
I live in fresno now, left all the traffic behind. House is 2.5x size and 6 car garage for about 10-15% cost of my house in Corona Del Mar. LA, SF, Pebble, Sonoma all within a drive. My commute is 5-8 min. My daughter's school 6 min away. Love the food here (farm to belly). 3 tracks in 3 hours, 6 tracks in 5 hrs. It's hot here in Summer but not AZ hot.
I have lived in
CA
Az
VA
Tx
Ga
Fl
Ny
Ok
I'd only consider long term job or to live in 10-15 cities nationwide...nowhere is perfect. Austin, Scottsdale, Denver/Boulder, Pebble, CdM, Encinitas, Beverly Hills, Palisades, La Jolla Shores, Carmel Valley...only places I'd live forever and not want to travel a ton. I travel a ton now...but I like Fresno more then Dallas or Savanah, Georgia.
Goal now: grow the dealership group and end up owning a place in Pebble Beach. I like Pebble, it's like everything I love about Laguna and Montecito and Manhattan Beach but devoid of the density that crushes your spirit in traffic.
Whoever is still reading at this point, sorry.
Goal Lifestyle? That's the only thing that should motivate you to move. Forget the chatter about politics etc. We're on the GT3 forum. We'll have a bad day or week and go for a drive and smile. Can you recruit more friends locally to your car club? I don't want to talk too much in big groups- would rather go drive, go work, go make pancakes for my family. Have to work where working is most lucrative...otherwise you are working while wearing handcuffs. The job pays for the quality of life.
03-21-2019, 10:54 AM
#352
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: West Los Angeles & Truckee, CA
Posts: 3,898
Received 795 Likes
on
545 Posts
Great post C.J. Totally agree about leaving politics off of at least the car discussion threads. It ruins everything. Also like the points you make about goals and working to accomplish them. Cheers 🍸
03-21-2019, 11:17 AM
#354
Race Director
Enjoyed that, CJ.
Regarding OCC that place was the perfect place to go if you were planning on being a career student. Inexpensive, great location, good facilities, and loaded with cute girls. I was one of the dumb ones. I left after 2 years. I should have milked it longer.
Regarding OCC that place was the perfect place to go if you were planning on being a career student. Inexpensive, great location, good facilities, and loaded with cute girls. I was one of the dumb ones. I left after 2 years. I should have milked it longer.
03-21-2019, 11:56 AM
#355
Banned
Nice post CJ.
I live on a big house in a gated community in San Juan Capistrano on 2 acres. It's about as nice as I think is possible in Orange County, and a lot less congestion than north Orange County for sure. Couldn't imagine going full rural in Fresno, but sounds cool..
I live on a big house in a gated community in San Juan Capistrano on 2 acres. It's about as nice as I think is possible in Orange County, and a lot less congestion than north Orange County for sure. Couldn't imagine going full rural in Fresno, but sounds cool..
03-21-2019, 12:06 PM
#356
Race Director
I propose this thread gets locked down at CJ's post, and made into a sticky at the top of Rennlist. Also want to post it at the entrance to every school (just his post not the whole thread).
I thought i knew you Buddy.. but man you've got some depth.
I thought i knew you Buddy.. but man you've got some depth.
03-21-2019, 12:34 PM
#357
Race Director
03-21-2019, 03:38 PM
#358
03-21-2019, 06:43 PM
#359
I left early but could have pursued my other passion which was screenwriting and film.
Goal Lifestyle? That's the only thing that should motivate you to move. Forget the chatter about politics etc. We're on the GT3 forum. We'll have a bad day or week and go for a drive and smile. Can you recruit more friends locally to your car club? I don't want to talk too much in big groups- would rather go drive, go work, go make pancakes for my family. Have to work where working is most lucrative...otherwise you are working while wearing handcuffs. The job pays for the quality of life.
Goal Lifestyle? That's the only thing that should motivate you to move. Forget the chatter about politics etc. We're on the GT3 forum. We'll have a bad day or week and go for a drive and smile. Can you recruit more friends locally to your car club? I don't want to talk too much in big groups- would rather go drive, go work, go make pancakes for my family. Have to work where working is most lucrative...otherwise you are working while wearing handcuffs. The job pays for the quality of life.
BTW - i also ditched my passion for screenwriting and film once my day job started taking off. I've completed 4 spec scripts, 5 shorts, and working on another feature spec, also produced 2 small short films. Had the opportunity to sell 2 scripts but decided to put this "hobby" on hold. Hopefully in the next 2-3 years the business will get acquired and i can spend time to pursue this passion.
If anyone ever wants to collaborate, let's work together!
03-21-2019, 08:53 PM
#360
