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Train Wreck
A book about Love and Deceit among the Southern California Elite.
Get Free ExcerptA book about Love and Deceit among the Southern California Elite.
Get Free ExcerptMost of this story takes place in the communities along the coast just north of San Diego. “North County,” as it’s called… is known for its affluent residents, especially in the beach communities of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Encinitas, and Carlsbad. They say that money is power, and that power corrupts, so the result can be a mix of twisted ideals and bizarre behavior, especially when it comes to relationships. It’s hard to dream here, or have much of an imagination, because that which you dream or imagine is already being played out by somebody in real life. It’s a reality show of sorts, of which I have become a part.
"Match.com has been good to me, I nearly said out loud, as I weaved my way north on Interstate 5 toward Del Mar.
“The Five,” as it’s called, will take you from the Mexican border crossing at Tijuana, Baja California and San Ysidro, CA all the way north to the Canadian border crossing at Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. Fortunately, my travels were only taking me as far as Del Mar to meet my next Match.com victim. I realize that “victim” is a crass way to refer to my future soulmate, but I’ve found that a sense of humor goes a long way in the online dating world.
There had been disappointments along the way, like the women who’d posted pictures of someone else to reel me in, or those not-so-few who posted pictures of themselves but twenty years younger.
What the hell were they thinking?
I’ve heard that men do some quite dishonest things as well, especially when it comes to pictures, age and well, wealth. This was Southern California after all, where as a man, you flaunted your wealth even if it didn’t exist. And if you were actually wealthy, it pretty much gave you license to behave however you wanted and to ignore the collateral damage along the way.
How’s that for cynicism?
It’s actually an awesome place to live, especially for the weather, which on this mid-February day had been a typical sunny “winter” day, with even more brilliant blue skies than in summer.
Richard Phelps hails from San Diego, California, and has also lived in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He speaks four foreign languages fluently and is proficient in another three. Richard owns a successful luxury language learning travel business languageandluxury.com
that has operations worldwide and has even been featured in the ROBB Report.
He also has a strong business background, having held several executive management roles in both large companies and startups during a successful 20+ year career in telecommunications. Richard holds an M.B.A. from Thunderbird School of International Management. His first book is a memoir of an amazing life lived on the California Coast in and around the San Diego area.
Richard Phelps
Author
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