Stranded in Stereo's editor has jumped ship and is living in Los Angeles now! The west coast is a weird place, and it's even stranger when you're a native east coaster. Read the new column "Stuck on the (Wrong?) Coast" for all of Dany's observations while he is on what very well could be the wrong coast.

It was said with a smile and a wisp of the hand, signaling the next customer in line. I am sure this cashier at Starbucks meant well, but really, are you kidding me? You want me to have a beautiful day? Come again? is this the kind of hippy shit that goes on out here? It's enough to make me want to find a new Starbucks, one where I can get simple greetings like "Good morning" and "Have a great day!" If I was an angry person, I would have slapped her, but since I am passive aggressive, I just didn't tip.

One good thing about being out here is that my office is quiet. There's just a few of us here and everyone is focused on their work, so there's not a lot of fucking around or chatting about going to the bar the night before and waking up in the alley. While I am not exactly knocking that, I am 29 and way past that sort of university age party all night bullshit.

I am finally settling into a 9 to 5 schedule, which is rather nice. There's
no harm in waking early to beat the traffic, getting in a full eight hours,
and then going home for dinner. While in Boston, I'd roll into the office
around 10 and often leave between 7 and 8. I wouldn't say I was busier when
I was back east, it's just that it's much easier to utilize my time
effectively here. Less chatter and more work. There's nothing wrong with
being focused.

One bad thing about the neighborhood in which I work is that there isn't a
good lunch spot within walking distance. I am in the middle of the second
largest city in the United States -- why is this happening? I know this is
a car city, but come on. There are too many cars on the road and this is an
area with a lot of offices, perhaps we can get a deli going on up in here?

Maybe I'll just start making sandwiches from my desk. It could be a
lucrative business, especially since everyone is willing to pay more for
convenience. Talk about diversifying -- marketing, editing and sandwich
making. It might happen, but it would be a little weird wearing plastic
gloves all of the time.

You know what? On second thought, forget it. I am just going to get a
fridge and pack everyday. It's even more convenient, and then I can save
money and eat healthy.

Past columns: "Welcome to California"