So Tell Me About Fresno, Ca

[WilliamTheIrish]

Thought I'd give you an update.

Been here five months today. This is a different place. I have never worked in a state that was this 'employee friendly". If you (claim) you didn't get your morning/afternoon break, the employee can claim a break penalty. A break penalty consists of 1 hour of OT paid.

If you don't punch out for lunch prior to the 6th hour? You get a "Missed meal" penalty: One hour of OT. I have never seen so many candyasses who try to claim this shit. It's an epidemic. And the sneakier types will try to claim them two or three days after the fact.

I've met a lot of great people. People who really care about what they do and how well they do it. Conversely, I've also met the not so nice people.

I was at a WalMart on a Saturday. Rode my bicycle there to get groceries. I get off the bike and, right next to mine, is fairly nice Canondale bike worth about 600$. As I'm getting ready to chain mine up, this big Mexican dude walks up with bolt cutters and pops the thick wire lock like it was kite string. He then picks up the bike and walks away. On a Saturday in broad daylight with a billion people walking around.

I was kind of stunned, but I realized what was happening and I turned and said: "Hey, you're a good union criminal". He turned back to me and said "I'll be back to get that one", gesturing to my bike. I hopped on my bike and rode away. He was serious as hell and I wasn't taking any chances. Plus he was bigger than me.

It's great to get the freshest, best fruit and vegetables I've ever had in my life. Even in the dead of winter I can find a non greenhouse tomato. And they are so ****ing good I eat them like they were apples. I had an orange from a coworkers tree in late January that was literally the best orange I've ever had. It's like the Garden of Eden here.

Cycling has been great. The winter was pretty mild and I rode my bike to work (28 miles round trip) every day. I'm happy that the time has changed and I can ride without it getting dark during the last 4 miles.

I've been up to Yosemite and to the central coast. I'm taking a bus tour to SF. They charge like 35$ and they drop you off and let you wander around the city for 6 or 8 hours and then return to the valley. I figure this is the best way to get a lay of the area before I drive into SF for a weekend. Good idea? Bad idea? I'm open to opinions.

The culture is, obviously, a little different. I'm white in a city that is 60% hispanic and black. So it's kinda weird. I can go ,ost of the day and rarely see another caucasion. I've met some great people. Lots of great Mexicans. It's funny because it shows just how small town I am. People are people. Most of the folks here want what I want. A good life. A better life for their kids. So they get up every day and go to work like I do. Like all of us do. It's been a good experience in that regard.

Of course there is also a large thug element here. Lots of bad dudes. They ran a headline here several weeks ago in the Fresno Bee detailing "The 10 Greatest Car Thieves Of Fresno". (Not kidding). Had their pictures and everything in the paper. The top guy had been arrested but not given a jail sentence because they had no place to put a "nonviolent offender" in the Fresno City Jail. If you google it, it's a funny - yet sad - read.

I'm a cheapskate about travel so I take the bus a lot. Saves on gas money. City bus travel is an adventure. The meth monkeys are everywhere. And they are entertaining. There are some real whacked out meth addled MF'ers out here. I had a bus driver stop the bus I was on in order to throw two meth monkeys off the bus who kept fighting with each other. The bus driver stopped the bus and said:

"Get OFF MY BUS" NOW!!!!!

They looked at each other and kept yakking. (one of them forgot a camera or a cracker and they were really bitching at each other about it). This time he said:

GET OFF MY BUS RIGHT NOW. (pneumatic doors open) GET OUT, OR WE CALL THE COPS AND YOU DON"T RIDE ANY BUS AGAIN! EVER!

I guess the Fresno transit system doesn't screw around. You **** up on the bus and they have to toss you, you get banned for a year. If you've already been in trouble, it's a lifetime ban. And they keep pictures of the banned people in the terminal. It was awesome.

There are more adventures to come I'm sure.