Area Codes and Life Changes

Yesterday I was filling out application forms for a new dog daycare place for the Pups. Yes, in Los Angeles you have to apply for dog daycare and yes, the dogs (along with their human companions) are "interviewed" for these few and highly sought after openings. I did my research; identified our first choice and backups then went and toured the facilities. It is a highly competitive process and very stressful. Private school applications or college admissions are a walk in the park compared to this. It isn't often that you have to worry about your children leaving "doodles" in the reception area or biting the admissions officer. Well, in the case of a few unnamed children that I know maybe their parents should worry about the biting. But I digress.

In our most recent move I seem to be filling out more paperwork than ever. Everyone wants the standard information including address and phone number; using these to judge what kind of person you are and what type of life you live. In the case of the pups, breed information is provided too. Imagine the confusion when our form has us living at a residential hotel with a purebred English Lab and a mutt of undetermined breeding with a 435 area code for the phone number. The SO's job has an impressive title although in his world it doesn't really mean much. My current status as a domestic goddess/diva is also cause for concern. But then they come to the area code...

The area code we currently have (435) reflects our most recent way of life. Mountains, skiing, golf (or not in my case) along with career change and lots of airline time for work or fun. We lived in a world famous small town and loved it. It was a huge change from our prior area code (626) which invoked visions of a famous parade or football game; old money and traffic. For us this area code takes us back to the early time in our marriage; discovering a new way to look at life and give up our respective former single area codes.

Our individual area codes from when we were dating showed that on paper we were geographically undesirable. Mine (310) was for the Westside. The area code, to those in the know, meant beach, fun, dinners out (or delivered) and career. I would like to think career/hipster/Carrie Bradshaw type but those who know me would beg to differ. The SO's was a suburban area; Target, soccer, inland, family oriented and a long commute (949). In those days 949s and 310s rarely knew each other much less dated. But we were able to overcome this and - with some reticence about the area code not the marriage on my part - became the aforementioned 626 couple. It only made sense.

I got my first cell phone in the immediate days after the Northridge earthquake. The area code was for northern San Diego and Orange Counties (714) as I didn't have a place to live for a little while. My father was adamant that I needed one when they couldn't get ahold of me in the first hours after the quake. (I happened to live in one of the worst hit areas so he had cause for concern.) He had been on me to get one for awhile and this was the final straw for him. When my nieces do the math and realize how old I was they can't imagine how I lived without one. One the other hand they can't imagine how any of us lived without them or what a rotary phone is either.

Which brings me back to the application and our current situation. We are househunting in the 747/818 area code and will most likely end up there. What will that area code mean? It is relatively new so people might not know how to categorize us; not old money (or no money) nor hipsters; is it urban, suburban? Will we be able to get reservations at restaurants or strike up conversations with people over it? And most important will it be held against us in the quest for good dog daycare or kennels?

Because we all know that in Los Angeles you are what you drive or in our case - you are what your area code says you are....