LA en vie

The earthquake valve

The strange little red thing on the gas pipes (left) is an earthquake valve. It shuts off the gas automatically if there is an earthquake.

"It's required in Los Angeles County," said my landlord.

I found out about it when we didn't have any hot water one morning. It turns out our earthquake valve shuts off for garage doors, cars in the driveway, garbage cans and fence gates slamming, too. The gas company charges $60 to come and turn it back on again.

I was in an earthquake once, years ago in San Francisco, a little one that sent me into the street in the middle of the night, with all the other non-Californians. For a long time afterwards, I felt that my bed was moving all by itself. The house itself was moving. It was a creepy feeling.

Sometimes I ask people what the big Northridge earthquake was like in 1994. "I saw the freeway rippling like the ocean," one girl said.

Speeding ticket

I got a speeding ticket on Friday. I was going 51 in a 35-mile zone, according to the officer (along with everybody else; but I was in the front of the group, in the slow lane!).

It is my first speeding ticket ever. No, I'm not an unusually slow driver. I've been living in France.

I was surprised what a big deal it is. I had thought I'd have to pay a fine, and that would be it. But no. Apparently traffic school is part of my future if I don't want my insurance premiums raised.

"Don't worry about traffic school," said my cousin. "Everyone goes. It's kind of fun, you meet all kinds of people. Most of the teachers are actually stand-up comedians."

Venice, Las Vegas

Hmm, I don't seem to be able to stop. Stop me if I've told you this before.

Venice, Las Vegas

Five hours driving across an empty alkali desert with mountains-- that's how I remembered going to Las Vegas years ago. I decided to take a British visitor. He was most impressed with the drive and made the usual exclamations about how big America is (we went only three inches on our atlas map of southern California).

But since the last time I went, traffic happened. Las Vegas now has a million and a half people-- it's not the little town with skyscrapers that I remember. We were in lots of traffic the entire way, even while passing through Baker, home of the world's tallest thermometer and gateway to Death Valley, the hottest place on earth. The thermometer said 113 degrees (45° C) when we passed through.

Malibu has its own castle

Malibu: 13,000 residents, 26 rehab centers

December 2009: The "castle," a much-loved landmark which belonged to an Iranian princess, burned down in the Malibu fires of 2008.

What next?