This is far from home

Tonight was my first night as a resident of Irvine. After moving my belongings into the area and settling in for the night, I can officially confirm that Irvine is remarkably unremarkable and so secure that my underwear is currently soaking in the sink. In other words, all commercial establishments close at nine o'clock and the apartment complex I am staying at takes the welfare of its residents so seriously that I don't have keys to the laundry facilities.

The only upside of the past five hours as a resident has been my environmentally friendly detergent purchase from Target. I love that detergent. It is the only sign of eco-awareness I have seen in Southern California, where I have yet to come across a single facility for recycling. That detergent, and also the Indian children riding their bikes around the development, have really pulled me through this night. Somehow, seeing them race up and down the block without worrying about what would happen next made me feel at home in the strange, strange land.