Reggie or Why I LOVE Southern California

You can say what you like about Los Angeles and Southern California; I know you will anyway...but I love it.

The way folks feel about Reggie and what he INSPIRES is just one of the many reasons that I still LOVE L. A.

Check this out:

When the animal was first spotted in the murky lake in August 2005, it became a sensation as crowds gathered to catch a glimpse. Locals named it Reggie, though it's not clear whether the reptile is male or female.

Gloria and Danny Gutierrez said they would go to the lake several times a week and watch for Reggie. Gloria Gutierrez wore a white T-shirt decorated with the words "Welcome back, Reggie."

"We'd bring our chairs out here and a bag of fruit, and we'd talk with people we didn't even know," Danny Gutierrez said.

The gator inspired a zydeco song, two children's books and innumerable T-shirts. Students at Los Angeles Harbor College next to the lake adopted Reggie as a second mascot.

[I added the emphasis because I enjoy being emphatic and/or irate under the right circumstances.]