I've only ever been to California once in my life. I wish it was something exciting, but it was more of a whirlwind visit that I am not sure I can actually even count. It was also back before phones became cameras (whether that is good or bad), so I don't even have any photos to prove that I was actually there.
I was working for a small-ish IT consulting firm that just happened to have a contract with one of the largest chemical manufacturers in the country. I'm guessing proximity was a factor or someone knowing someone in the right position that they were able to get the contract. The IT company is actually still around, but they have been bought and sold a couple times and go by a different name now.
The chemical company has also gone through some mergers, but for the most part, it stays largely intact as part of the Dow Chemical/Dow Corning/Dupont trifecta.
I was fresh out of college and looking to get some experience from this job so I could eventually move on to something bigger. It was right during a time when Dow as purchasing some smaller companies like one called Cargill (agriculture) and another called Celotex (building supplies/insulation). Once Dow would buy the company, they would send us to all of their locations to move their workstations over to the Dow network. It was actually a pretty cool job and it allowed me to have my first real taste of flying and the corporate lifestyle.
So my boss at the time and I hopped on a flight to either Oakland or San Francisco. Whatever the main airport is out there. We headed to the Fisherman's Wharf(?) to walk along the boardwalk and we stopped into a nice little place for lunch/dinner. I remember I got to see Alcatraz from off in the distance, but that is about it. Then we got back in the car and headed inland to Tracy, California where our hotel and the work site was.
We spent a couple of days getting them all set up, then we were supposed to spend another day back in San Francisco just for fun. However, my boss was in the middle of selling his house and he didn't want his wife dealing with it all alone, so we cut the trip short and came back a day early. I was pretty bummed.
As you might recall. I am in the middle of a #threetunetuesday series sponsored by 
Needless to say, California is probably one of the easiest ones there is. I did a quick Google search and discovered that when it comes to songs simply named "California", there are at least 50 of them. Then when you add in other words, the list gets even longer.
After taking a quick look last night, I decided I wasn't going to put too much thought into this. I decided I wanted to just go with whatever mood I was in this morning.
Needless to say, Led Zeppelin is always a mood that I enjoy being in, so "Going To California" absolutely had to make the list!
Now, I realize I could have taken the easy route and just thrown three songs by the Beach Boys or the Mamas and the Papas in here and called it good, but I kind of wanted to stay away from the obvious choices. Though Led Zeppelin would probably fit that bill. So, no Beach Boys, no Red Hot Chili Peppers, no Snoop Dogg or Tupac. Also, no Eagles.
Instead, I am giving you "Queen of California" from John Mayer. I've really started to like John Mayer thanks to his radio station on Sirius/XM channel 14. It's been really fantastic to listen to and get into his head. The way he thinks is pretty amazing and though some might find him pretentious, he is a musical genius. There is no doubt about that.
Finally, I am going to leave you with a song that I absolutely know I have shared before. I know this because it is one of my most favorite Steely Dan songs. "My Old School" has a pretty obscure reference to California and it doesn't come until close to the end of the song, but it is definitely there.
"California crumbles into the sea".
See, I told you it was there. I've heard that Steely Dan gets a lot of flack. In fact, one of my favorite artists (Jason Isbell) isn't really a fan of the band. At least his wife isn't, I'm guessing by default he isn't either. Despite that, they had some amazing songs with a great groove, fantastic production and clever lyrics. There is a reason that Aja is considered one of the top ten albums of all time by many audiophiles.
So there you go, this trip to the west coast is complete. I guarantee I left out your favorite California track, so I challenge you to do your own #threetunetuesday post and share with us your three favorite songs that have California in the title or lyrics. Be sure to tag me and
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