Hector Tobar wrote up a guide last week on how to be a true Angeleno. I don’t think there’s a checklist or even a “true” anything. (Yay, postmodernism). Anyway, his list is pretty spot on, especially #8.

8. Don’t ever say: “L.A. doesn’t have any seasons.” Our seasons just don’t look like New England seasons. Instead, we have a season when the jacarandas bloom (right now) and a season when ash falls from the sky. We have a season of gloomy mornings (which isn’t in winter) and a season of Technicolor sunsets. We have a season when Mt. Baldy is covered in snow — and a season when you can’t see Mt. Baldy at all.

It bugs me to no end when I hear “LA doesn’t have seasons” or a “real” winter. Yes we do. Our climate is different than your region. And thus, our seasonal changes are less dramatic.

The first item on Tobar’s list is about fawning over celebrities. It reminded me about our trips to and from Toronto. Early Sunday morning as we waited to board our flight, my friends (1 LA native, 2 transplants) spotted Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez ahead of them at Starbucks. They kept it cool and snapped surreptitious pictures. One of my friends has two young daughters who are big Justin Bieber fans. On the way back, Lucy noticed an actress (whose name we can’t remember) at the gate at Pearson International in Toronto. When Lucy passed her on the way to our seats in the plane, she simply said, “I love your work.” The actress smiled and said thank you. I didn’t say anything when I passed.

As for those seasons, I love June gloom. It’s perfect running weather. On the other hand, fire season sucks.