From 2006

The following was a post from my old blog, Torporific, back in early 2006, when I was stunned at the irrationality of the Southern California housing market. We know what eventually happened to the housing market, but let's start this new blog by going back in time for a moment:

New lofts and townhomes are being built in downtown Fullerton, with billboards advertising “urban living.” Sounds cool, right? I thought so too, so I paid a visit. You know, I’d say it’s more like industrial living… or perhaps urban living, but with a pinch of imminent catastrophic death thrown in to spice things up.

The development sits within about 20 yards of one of the busiest freight lines in the US. Nothing says home like the rumble of a mile-long train of container cars moving tons of cheap Chinese-made crap to WalMarts across the nation.

But wait, there’s more. You also get to live next door to what appears to be an outdoor electrical substation! The wires hum like cicadas in the moonlight. And if you’re lucky, one of the many chemical freights will derail into it and light up the night. Nothing burns so pretty as a chemical fire.

Funny thing is, it will no doubt sell well. I imagine the tenants bouncing around inside their hip new homes like Lucy and Ethel in that episode where they stay in a motel near train tracks.