California Dreamin' Only Reasonable

Thought it would be a good day to hear this. I miss California and not just the weather! I lived there from July 1990 to July 2000. Ten great years.

I miss LA where I lived and SF where I worked. I miss wandering the lots -- Paramount, Sony, Disney, Universal and a particular favorite, Warner Bros. I bet after 9/11 you didn't have such casual access to the movie lots. On a busy afternoon at the WB lot, on the way to see a client, I once parked my car on a phony street where they were shooting a film -- by accident. When you see the camera trucks rolling up the street heading straight for you, you realize you made a mistake. I miss tearing at top speed up Motor between the Sony and Fox lots.

I miss wandering the hills up near Berkeley, smell of eucalyptus. I miss things like watching the buildings on the Cisco campus being built ... Tasmania / Zanker ... it was pretty empty there in the beginning (circa 1994). I miss coffee with friends south of Market when nobody worked over there, except for bums asking for money. I miss funny meetings on Sand Hill Road where one time I'd written a business plan for a very young CEO, expected him to deliver it, he didn't even bother showing up. He asked me to do the $25M pitch instead, to a really obnoxious VC who started the meeting by announcing, "I'm 25, I've only got 25 minutes and then a hard stop." We did get the money eventually. I even miss getting fogged in at SFO on a regular basis, trying to get home to LA, hanging at the United Red Carpet Club.