Going To the Dogs

So I arrived home tonight to find a valet at the end of the drive asking if I'd like him to park my car!? It turns out next door are having a house party so why wouldn't you have valet parking? This is just one of the weird and wonderful things about living here that I'm not sure I'll ever get used to. Here are a few more. Actually forget wonderful, most are just weird!

- there never seems to be a house number 1. Ever! I live in 2680. The road is about half a mile long and all of the houses are quite detached from each other. 

- you cannot buy wine at Trader Joes using a driving licence as id unless it's from California (the driving licence, not the wine. Neither would surprise me.)

- it is illegal to pay someone to fix your car on your drive. 

- you cannot turn right into the tiny country road by where we live between 7am & 10am. Remember turning right is like turning left in England, it's not causing any traffic jams. It's just so the police can hide in the bushes and give you a 'citation'. I'm not even really sure what one of those is but apparently people get them a lot here (see the next two points, these will also get you a citation and possibly even a prison sentence if you're really unlucky with your choice of location in shooting your firearms) 

- they simply do not have roundabouts, just a stop sign every few hundred yards, even when there's nothing to stop for. 

- you are not allowed to shoot firearms on a highway or at traffic signs (I kid you not, please see attached photo taken from the California Driver Handbook, used to pass my written test this week) You better choose a car park or a bike lane if this is your plan. 

It's just dawned on me that all of these but one are all car related and what a difference a few months makes to my LA probs so I'll move on to another old favourite of mine - dogs! I know I've blogged about this topic but I just can't get to grips with it. At the risk of being politically incorrect, this time it's service dogs specifically. Now I know you're probably thinking how can she have a problem with the poor old guide dogs for the blind, we didn't think she was that bad. Oh no! These are 'emotional support' dogs. Their main method of transport (when not in a 'stroller') is a Louis Vuitton handbag and their owner is allowed to take them where they want, a favourite location being restaurants that normally don't allow dogs. They are given paperwork to prove this. Heaven forbid if you ask to see the paperwork because you just don't believe that this dog is offering any kind of emotional support whatsoever because it's too busy trying to figure out how to get out of its pink leopard skin tank top and matching shoes! 

I caved and got a car, if my next blog is about my new dog someone please come and take me home!