Random Scrap:
I would now hang out with Akira almost on a daily basis. With gas costing just over a dollar per gallon we started taking more trips outside of Palm Desert. We would discover the nearby Big Bear Lake or Pasadena. The trips, when we didn't fight about directions or my style of driving, were great but what I quickly started discovering that apart from friends and family I was also missing simple things. Back in Poland I would have often walked to the train station to look at the schedule and train destinations. Knowing that I could just jump on any of those trains would give me a sense of freedom. Public transportation in California, especially in the desert, was lacking that magic. With some effort I could probably catch a Greyound to Los Angeles but if I wanted to come back the same day I would need to catch another one to get back as soon as I arrived. For now I would need to stay happy with occasional trips on a local SunBus which would at least take me to Palm Springs where I would sit outside of Starbucks with a Mocha Frapucinno studying for my classes.