I moved to L.A. back in the mid-80's from Kent, OH, a town so small compared to L.A. that it might be deemed "rural." My first experiences in L.A. with the police helicopter occurred when I lived for one quarter, as a grad student at UCLA, near the intersection of Washington and LaBrea.

As I was going through the culture shock of having moved away from the future mother of my oldest child, living in a 3 bedroom house with a large front and back yard with a creek running…