Contrary to the popular mantra: location, location, location — when we moved to Concord, we moved for the house… not the location. The thought of living this far outside our former comfort zone was frightening — and leaving our old neighborhood in West Oakland was bittersweet. The Eichler-built home was the brass ring — not the ZIP code. We moved on the 4th of July… an auspicious date and easy to remember: "Our independence from West Oakland!"

However, each day we're away, we find a new thing we love about Concord. Yesterday, it was the fact that there are 6 supermarkets in 2 mile radius — and 2 Home Depots (soon to be 3). Tonight it's tree-frogs… or crickets — I can't tell. But not gunshots… or the thump-thump of an 86 Olds with a blown subwoofer and rims worth more than the rest of the car… or drunken crack-addicts yelling at each other in the street. Instead it's a cool jasmine-scented breeze and the chirp-chirp of summertime. Nice.

But back on track… in reference to the title: when we lived in West Oakland, we kept a blog about living there as well… and compared to where we came home to this evening, it's a world away. I'm beginning to like it.

Christmas night, 2004, a stolen run-away van full of porno crashed into the front of our house in West Oakland. It took the OPD more than three hours to respond.