Slick,
I too appreciate your candor. Obviously, your CAL job is better than no job...BUT, there is a huge cost in QOL. Depending on circumstances and expectations, there is a huge range of how good a "deal" this opportunity is.
I can "pay my dues" for a year or two if I believe I will progress upward steadily to a decent career with benefits of seniority, etc...BUT I have gone down that road twice at UAL only to be s#$tcanned and having to start all over. I just don't know how long I could stomach the CAL rules as a commuter.