Homesick for California?

Are you missing California?  Are you totally homesick for the Golden State?  Yeah, you.  Well?

During the past couple of years, many Californians became ex-Californians.  Are you one?  Did you give up and make your "escape" from California?  Are the reasons you left not as important now as they were back then?

Are you thinking twice about that decision?  Are you, perhaps, regretting your relocation as a bad move?  Was leaving California a kneejerk reaction that you're kicking yourself for now?

Many of you left California for other reasons, I know.  You might have been transferred somewhere else due to a job.  Some of you had to attend to pressing family matters.  You might be one of the thousands of Californians stationed abroad in the armed services.

My personal friends who made "the big decision" are calling and emailing me now to ask if things are really looking better these days back home in California.  Apparently, their new lives are not what they had bargained for.

I have made many new acquaintances on the internet who regularly visit Californiality.  These former Californians tell me that this blog makes them feel at home and, yes, quite homesick for the Golden State.

I have previously addressed this issue, based on my own experiences, in the post, "Ex-Californian Hell".  During a couple of California's past down-cycles, I had made the same decision to split.  I happily returned with a changed perception of what life's really about.

I prefer to live in the best location in the best society in the best state in the best nation in the world.  Nothing less.  Whatever it takes.  Period.

I can hear some of you starting to cry right now.  It's okay.  Let it all out.

You might as well go and get that box of Kleenex now, 'cause the following video will have you bawling your eyes out --- especially if you're dying to come home.  It's a real boo-hoo fest in Tearjerk City.

I've been where you are.  I know what you're going through.  I know the pain, guilt, regret and heartache.  You feel like you went from the frying pan into the fire, and you did not see it coming.  You really, really tried.  You honestly did.

Come back, my friend.  Come back to folks who know the real you.  Come back to freedom and acceptance.  Come back to your life.  Come back to your dreams.  Come back home to...

California

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Carly Fiorina: Christian Conservative

Carly Fiorina is a 2010 Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from California, she is conservative, and she is a Christian.

I had the opportunity to speak candidly with a California woman who knows a lot about Carly Fiorina as a friend, a colleague, a woman and a spiritual individual of faith.

Our talk was fascinating, but with a stipulation of anonymity.  The woman does not wish to jeopardize the Fiorina senatorial campaign in any way, which I completely understand and respect.

Carly is described as being assertive, aggressive at times, resourceful, and originally creative.  She is an innately curious fact collector.

Her quest for knowledge and love of exploration always have her initiating new enterprises and approaches in business.  Carly can notice the smallest details while performing different jobs simultaneously.

The only difficulty, apparently, is that Fiorina's free spirit sometimes conflicts with the caution and orderliness of her inner self.  Carly is, as most know by now, a cancer survivor.

Soul-searching and re-prioritizing have been thematic over the past few years for Fiorina.

Her life is now at a stage when she is looking back over what she has accomplished in life. After evaluating and understanding exactly what she has learned, and what it means for her personally, Carly has made a number of personal changes. 

Carly Fiorina began a relationship with Jesus Christ a few years ago and has a "growing faith", according to Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois --- where 23,000 worshippers attend each week.

Hybels is the author of many Christian books on the subject of Christian leadership, and he is the founder of the Global Leadership Summit.

Fiorina has been a featured as a speaker at Hybels' Leadership Summit, where Bishop T.D. Jakes and Southern California's Pastor Rick Warren have also been speakers.

Spirituality, in order to appeal to a very practical individual like Carly, must be applicable to real lives, and in real time --- not merely religious traditions.  It must transform.

According to my candid conversation with one who knows her, Fiorina has been turning attention to spiritual and inner needs in her life, and it is a deeply personal matter.  The effects have been liberating and have increased Carly's capacity to fully experience life.

A Carly Fiorina quotation that I agree with is:

"People will respond to higher standards quicker than low ones. Pure Christian love does not presuppose approval of all conduct."

Carly is an inspired, regenerated woman who is up for the next challenge.  I wish her much success on her spiritual journey, and in her professional endeavors.  Go, Carly!

For those who are asking me via email:  Carly Fiorina's personal views are conservative and pro-life.  She is a supporter of California's Proposition 8.

Here are some Fiorina highlights from the 2007 Leadership Summit.

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Montecito

Montecito is the jewel of Santa Barbara County and the ultimate in California splendor and seclusion.

Wedged between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Montecito is one of the wealthiest retreats in the world, one of the most gorgeous, and one of the most private.

Unified by publications like the Montecito Journal and Montecito Magazine, Montecito is an intimate community of 10,000 citizens.  The atmosphere is warm, family-oriented and, yes, celebrity-friendly.

Once one has experienced the magic of Montecito, nothing else compares. The tranquil, casually-elegant vibe of Montecito provides a matchless location to raise children.  Beverly Hills and Bel Air simply cannot compare.  Montecito excels in community closeness, family values, and stunning beauty.

In Montecito, beauty is guaranteed. The Montecito Association ensures that all new construction conforms to strict aesthetic building codes, so that Montecito's Spanish Mediterranian architectural community theme prevails.

Montecito's beaches are just an hour from Los Angeles, making it a magnet for Hollywood royalty. Charlie Chaplin built the Montecito Inn during the 1920s. Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier married in the seclusion of San Ysidro Ranch, where John F. Kennedy enjoyed a honeymoon with Jackie.

Legendary American families, like the Rockefellers, Carnegies and DuPonts, each realized the dream of a magnificent estate in Montecito.

The most famous Montecito property open to the public is Lotusland, whose owner, Madame Ganna Walska, created an eye-popping 20 acres of themed gardens.  It's like the Garden of Eden on the Pacific --- and very photogenic.

Also open to the public is Casa del Herrero, an estate with exquisite Italian and Spanish antiquities and gardens designed by famed architects.  It is an official National Historic Landmark that stuns with grandeur.

Today, many successful Californians call Montecito home, including a great many famous musicians, actors, producers, writers, artists and business moguls like Oprah Winfrey.

No, Oprah is not the Queen of Montecito.  Local folks all know that Oprah lives on East Valley Road and they let her enjoy her privacy --- just like they enjoy theirs.  Having spent up to $75 million for a home, Montecitans highly value privacy, seclusion and peace.

The prestigious establishments of higher learning in Montecito include Westmont College and the Music Academy of the West, which hosts a summer music festival for the community with concerts and workshops directed by famous composers, conductors, and artists.

Montecito locals sometimes act like the 15-minute drive to Santa Barbara is torture, but they gladly make the drive for the Santa Barbara Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, Center Theatre, the International Film Festival and concerts at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

A spectacular place to vacation.

The Montecito experience is at its most extreme with a stay at the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel, a leased exotic car from Montecito Motors, and a chartered jet from Stratos.  The Montecito Country Club is a must.

A supreme place to live.

When folks decide to put down roots in Montecito, wealth management services are fantastic at Montecito Bank & Trust.  As well, there are several real estate professionals in town who know Montecito's finest properties.

One of Montecito's real estate experts, Kathleen Winter, has put together an enchanting video of a property I am totally in love with --- the music is great!  Watch and dream...

Enjoy Montecito!

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California, BYD, China and Google

California is an unusual place, but so is China.  Both lands love to make money while spreading philosophy and influence, but will the two ever truly share the love?

Los Angeles County officials are salivating over the possibility of BYD Auto, China's #4 auto maker, setting up its U.S. car manufacturing headquarters in Southern California.  Several cities in L.A. County, including Los Angeles, are kissy-kissy with China right now.

Excuse me, but is China still communist?  I live down the road from where Ronald Reagan is buried, and I think I hear some rolling sounds.

Analysts have been watching BYD like hawks since '08 when it sold a 10 percent stake to megabillionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway for $230 million. Los Angeles billionaire Charles Munger, Buffett’s partner from way back, helped make the investment possible.

Heard anything in the news lately (ad nauseam) about Toyota cars?  Just sayin'...

Silicon Valley's own Tesla Motors is looking to build a manufacturing plant in L.A. County as well.  The North American headquarters of Honda is already in the county, as are electric auto makers Coda Automotive and Balqon Corp. 

Yeah, I know "nobody walks in L.A.", but gee whiz!

How big is China's muscle in this possible deal, I wonder?  BYD has recently vowed to become China’s top auto maker by 2015 and the world's biggest by 2025. It's new partnership deal with Daimler doesn't hurt.

Umm, Toyota?  Hello?

Speaking of the Silicon Valley, local giant Google is still duking it out with China's "censorship central".  Li Yizhong, the minister of industry and information technology is throwing around another threat?  Please.

Every Chinese-Californian I know is laughing their heads off.

Google is a totally California corporation from the land of protests and riots.  Did China really expect to sleep in the bed of censorship with a free-thinking, entrepreneurial information company from Hippieville Karmafornia?

Political dissent is California's gift to the universe, after all.

Google finally threatened to leave China after discovering that a hacker attack on its computers (and scores of other U.S. targets) had originated in China. The hackers’ targets also included e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.  Xie xie!

Internet regulation in China is "managed" by a bunch of different Chinese government agencies.  Perhaps they should "get it together" before lobbing any more threats across the Pacific Ocean.  Honestly.

When Mr. Li spoke of bearing "the consequences", was he dreaming of California being flooded with Chinese cars?

Chinafornia Dreamin'.

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