Especially when you're not really doing any kind of work. Chris is working on a show with his peeps and once in a while I have to come with because there is a show afterwards and to come back and get me is just silly. But I can't just sit there while they get their creative juices flowing so I hide in one of the thousand Starbucks in the Los Angeles area (preferably close to wherever he is writing). Usually it's pretty nice to sit and have a four dollar cup of coffee while I watch netflix or a DVD but tonight it's different.
It's raining here in Los Angeles and when it rains here people FREAK OUT. They called it a "winter storm" and currently it's drizzling relatively hard. I can still see two feet in front of me and my umbrella somehow manages to hold the weight of the storm as well as not crumble under the "howling wind." Anyway this "rain" has made people flock to the local Starbucks on a Saturday night. It's kind of annoying. I am currently sharing a table with someone who is charging his phone and I keep seeing people glance over at my non-typing hands wondering when I'm going to leave. So I started typing in my blog incoherently. Like it? I'm sure you do. When I'm not simultaneously watching terrible TV and typing I'll be more entertaining I swear...
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
21 again, again, again again... and again.
Quick post about being 21.
Last night Chris and I headed to a Hollywood bar (which closely resembled the vampire lair in the Lost Boys) to celebrate Justin's 21st birthday. Surprisingly to an old person like me, Justin isn't the last one to turn 21 either. As I was sitting there sipping my beer and watching Justin FREAK out and fall all over himself saying the most ridiculous things, I realized it's been awhile since I've seen or been a part of someone turning 21. All of my friends have been 21 for a bit. In fact some of us continually pretend we're 21 again. And again. And again... I'm on my fourth again and come 9 months from now I'll be on the fifth again.
Because I'll be 26. It'll be nice if by this birthday I have a job that cracks 20 thou a year (depressing as it is) and an apartment that might have a bedroom but most importantly has NO roaches.
While it was fun you could tell most of the crowd that came later to this shindig had been 21 for quite awhile. Justin even mentioned that the "cool" people had left the area to sit away from him and the "losers," more affectionately known as us, had stayed. Well the losers are old. And the young ones are hip. This is what happens when you work 8-5 kids. Luckily for Justin however, he doesn't need to make a living, "Workings for people who need to live. I don't live, I'm a pokemon."
Last night Chris and I headed to a Hollywood bar (which closely resembled the vampire lair in the Lost Boys) to celebrate Justin's 21st birthday. Surprisingly to an old person like me, Justin isn't the last one to turn 21 either. As I was sitting there sipping my beer and watching Justin FREAK out and fall all over himself saying the most ridiculous things, I realized it's been awhile since I've seen or been a part of someone turning 21. All of my friends have been 21 for a bit. In fact some of us continually pretend we're 21 again. And again. And again... I'm on my fourth again and come 9 months from now I'll be on the fifth again.
Because I'll be 26. It'll be nice if by this birthday I have a job that cracks 20 thou a year (depressing as it is) and an apartment that might have a bedroom but most importantly has NO roaches.
While it was fun you could tell most of the crowd that came later to this shindig had been 21 for quite awhile. Justin even mentioned that the "cool" people had left the area to sit away from him and the "losers," more affectionately known as us, had stayed. Well the losers are old. And the young ones are hip. This is what happens when you work 8-5 kids. Luckily for Justin however, he doesn't need to make a living, "Workings for people who need to live. I don't live, I'm a pokemon."
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
2011=My Year! Or it will suffer...
So I was home for a brilliant and large amount of time. It was glorious. Of course coming back to Los Angeles was a little difficult compounded by the fact that they tried to sit Chris and I apart while both of us were freaking out a bit (Chris doesn't like flying and I don't like leaving Chicago). As we started our final descent I woke up from my Chicago dream and was landing into reality. My job is here. My current apartment is here. And best of all my man is here (ugh the feminist inside riots, but damn if it isn't true). So in order to stay positive through all my crap here I have decided that I must must must have a better outlook here. Part of me knows that I hate so much of the things Los Angeles chooses to be because I love Chicago so much and know that my true home is there. The only problem is that I'm here for now (and likely for a little while) so I have get over it and let myself make a temporary home here. Part of that is being an "optimist." Perhaps the only optimist in Los Angeles...(who am I kidding people who are deluded are probably optimists. ZING) So I'm starting 2011 off right (even if it's a little late).
What's a good way to start of 2011 right you may ask? Why standing feet away from Jeff Garlin! Jeremiah (a friend of Chris' and I) had a show at the Comedy Store, a well know comedy club in Los Angeles. As we were driving down Sunset Blvd. the craziness of Los Angeles was a flutter. It was the night before the Golden Globes and parties were abound. Pretty women getting their car valeted and large homes full of party goers guarded by a woman with a list. There is no free parking ever in Los Angeles so Chris made us climb our way up into the mountains where the rich people live to try and find some non problematic parking. After some random turns up large hills (it's like Riverside, IL on large hills) we found a secluded spot where my car was likely to be left alone. Once we stepped out of the car I could feel the change in the air. Literally it was like 5-10 degrees warmer. It smelled sweeter and richer and the tiny pompous white girl inside of me wanted a big house in the hills where the air was clear and I could look upon the peons below and laugh. But since I'm still a peon, Chris and I walked the long way down to the Comedy Store. After seeing some questionable outfits question my outfit (hey man I dress how I feel yo) we made it. After sneaking in the back (if I pretend to be a comedian then I can get in for free) I watched about 10 minutes of the main stage where the famous comedians do their thing. After Jeff Garlin got off he wandered to where we were standing drinking some Coronas. I wasn't ballsy enough to ask for a photo and I didn't want to look like a nerd but I touched his suit passing to go to the bathroom so I'm OK with that. And I got a free cookie and 2 cupcakes (one of which was pretty special). Sometimes living in a city full of rich celebrities is fun. Especially when cookies are involved.
What's a good way to start of 2011 right you may ask? Why standing feet away from Jeff Garlin! Jeremiah (a friend of Chris' and I) had a show at the Comedy Store, a well know comedy club in Los Angeles. As we were driving down Sunset Blvd. the craziness of Los Angeles was a flutter. It was the night before the Golden Globes and parties were abound. Pretty women getting their car valeted and large homes full of party goers guarded by a woman with a list. There is no free parking ever in Los Angeles so Chris made us climb our way up into the mountains where the rich people live to try and find some non problematic parking. After some random turns up large hills (it's like Riverside, IL on large hills) we found a secluded spot where my car was likely to be left alone. Once we stepped out of the car I could feel the change in the air. Literally it was like 5-10 degrees warmer. It smelled sweeter and richer and the tiny pompous white girl inside of me wanted a big house in the hills where the air was clear and I could look upon the peons below and laugh. But since I'm still a peon, Chris and I walked the long way down to the Comedy Store. After seeing some questionable outfits question my outfit (hey man I dress how I feel yo) we made it. After sneaking in the back (if I pretend to be a comedian then I can get in for free) I watched about 10 minutes of the main stage where the famous comedians do their thing. After Jeff Garlin got off he wandered to where we were standing drinking some Coronas. I wasn't ballsy enough to ask for a photo and I didn't want to look like a nerd but I touched his suit passing to go to the bathroom so I'm OK with that. And I got a free cookie and 2 cupcakes (one of which was pretty special). Sometimes living in a city full of rich celebrities is fun. Especially when cookies are involved.
Monday, December 6, 2010
So Close...
I am so close to being home I can taste snow. In a few days I will be basking in the glory of most of you that dare read this really whiny blog (with the exception of roro and tracy). Being in Los Angeles during the fall and winter has been really trippy. It doesn't often dip below 50 degrees and even when I'm feeling toasty native Californians are wearing winter coats and beanies. Christmas decorations hang from palm trees and while "Let is Snow" hums at me from the radio it all feels like kind of a big joke. How can it be Christmas when it's not cold? How can Santa be on his way when my wet hair or boogers aren't freezing as I run to my car? It's pretty here and all with its' mild temperatures and mountains and glistening ocean but knowing that shoveling is in my near future warms my tiny grinch heart. Is it weird that I'd rather be cold and probably miserable than have incredibly mild weather all the time? I blame my stubborn Midwestern heart. I don't think it will let me enjoy mild weather too much in fear that I'll turn traitor. Besides I really enjoy making fun of my coworkers when they are "cold."
I do think I have figured out why people who move to California will sometimes stay here. I believe most of them don't live in Los Angeles proper... Chris and I went to Redondo Beach this weekend to celebrate his second cousin's wedding anniversary with some seafood. Oh. My. God. We got there early enough to explore the edge of the ocean poking out from the harbor and words cannot describe. Well maybe some like inner peace, glorious sparkling water, sensuous sounds of lapping water, you know crap like that. When his family came, our meal consisted of fresh caught crab that was so good it made me want to cry. And eat ten more. We ventured onto the mini boardwalk and wasted money in the arcade as well as checked out the other seafood joints that hawked fresh fish cooked to your liking. I looked across the water and was like oh I see. To love California you have to be near the things that make it awesome. Not stuck in the city that makes it suck. Silly me. While part of me wants to have this "real" California lifestyle (hanging out by the ocean and beaches or scaling some crazy mountain), another part doesn't. I know that I have never loved a city more than Chicago and that is probably because it's the only city I've lived in and almost all the people I love most in the world live there. If we could afford living near the ocean or up in the mountains I'd be a little afraid that my heart would lean another way. I think it would kill me to love another place. I know that while my mom is sympathetic to my bitching about Los Angeles, she can barely contain her joy that I hate it so much. That means that whatever babies come from me will live in the same city as her. Lucky for me and her Los Angeles is where I have to be and thus far is in no way superior to Chicago. I think either way even if I ended up liking California I could never make a permanent home here. Most of my people are in Chicago and they mean more to me than a pretty ocean or a glorious mountain scape.
That being said I have to make a better effort in adjusting to living here. I'm here for at least another 9 months and if I can find a job after AmeriCorps longer than that. I'm driving Chris and myself nuts with complaining and I'm no quitter damn it. I can't let this city win. It needs to know who it is messing with. I have created a little cheat sheet for me to enjoy my time here: 1) Deal with roaches. Apparently roaches are as common here as spiders and centipedes are in the world. Alright I'm exaggerating but it's a huge problem here (everyone has them) that can't be solved really without breaking some laws (like making residents allow exterminators to spray or completely bomb the building). I've done what I can for my apartment for now (with the legal help of Ms. McKinney) and while I'd like to get out of my apartment I probably won't have the legal standing. So I have to just deal with it and not let it drive me insane. And when possible move out and bomb/burn everything I own and hopefully find a roach free apartment. 2) Get some friends. I've been trying to hang out with my coworkers after our meetings so I have some friendly interactions with people. I don't really have anyone I can hang out with on a regular basis (Sami is a mom and a nurse and lives an hour away) and I think I have to force myself to make some friends. Ugh. 3) I joined a gym. While I probably shouldn't of it just sort of happened and I feel like it might help me de-stress myself and break out of my sitting at home and doing nothing rut. Now that I'm paying for it I just have to exercise and get out of the house or I'll be wasting relatively hard earned money. 4) Do more fun stuff in/out of Los Angeles. The days I can get out and do stuff are almost always the best. It takes my mind off my crappy job and apartment and lets me believe in fun again. I got to shake my crazy annoyed rut or I'll implode. The good thing is that I can post more about my adventures than my misadventures in Los Angeles. We'll see how it goes. Keep up good spirits for me wherever you are.
Here are some Redondo Beach pictures so instead of counting on my word picture you get a REAL one.
I do think I have figured out why people who move to California will sometimes stay here. I believe most of them don't live in Los Angeles proper... Chris and I went to Redondo Beach this weekend to celebrate his second cousin's wedding anniversary with some seafood. Oh. My. God. We got there early enough to explore the edge of the ocean poking out from the harbor and words cannot describe. Well maybe some like inner peace, glorious sparkling water, sensuous sounds of lapping water, you know crap like that. When his family came, our meal consisted of fresh caught crab that was so good it made me want to cry. And eat ten more. We ventured onto the mini boardwalk and wasted money in the arcade as well as checked out the other seafood joints that hawked fresh fish cooked to your liking. I looked across the water and was like oh I see. To love California you have to be near the things that make it awesome. Not stuck in the city that makes it suck. Silly me. While part of me wants to have this "real" California lifestyle (hanging out by the ocean and beaches or scaling some crazy mountain), another part doesn't. I know that I have never loved a city more than Chicago and that is probably because it's the only city I've lived in and almost all the people I love most in the world live there. If we could afford living near the ocean or up in the mountains I'd be a little afraid that my heart would lean another way. I think it would kill me to love another place. I know that while my mom is sympathetic to my bitching about Los Angeles, she can barely contain her joy that I hate it so much. That means that whatever babies come from me will live in the same city as her. Lucky for me and her Los Angeles is where I have to be and thus far is in no way superior to Chicago. I think either way even if I ended up liking California I could never make a permanent home here. Most of my people are in Chicago and they mean more to me than a pretty ocean or a glorious mountain scape.
That being said I have to make a better effort in adjusting to living here. I'm here for at least another 9 months and if I can find a job after AmeriCorps longer than that. I'm driving Chris and myself nuts with complaining and I'm no quitter damn it. I can't let this city win. It needs to know who it is messing with. I have created a little cheat sheet for me to enjoy my time here: 1) Deal with roaches. Apparently roaches are as common here as spiders and centipedes are in the world. Alright I'm exaggerating but it's a huge problem here (everyone has them) that can't be solved really without breaking some laws (like making residents allow exterminators to spray or completely bomb the building). I've done what I can for my apartment for now (with the legal help of Ms. McKinney) and while I'd like to get out of my apartment I probably won't have the legal standing. So I have to just deal with it and not let it drive me insane. And when possible move out and bomb/burn everything I own and hopefully find a roach free apartment. 2) Get some friends. I've been trying to hang out with my coworkers after our meetings so I have some friendly interactions with people. I don't really have anyone I can hang out with on a regular basis (Sami is a mom and a nurse and lives an hour away) and I think I have to force myself to make some friends. Ugh. 3) I joined a gym. While I probably shouldn't of it just sort of happened and I feel like it might help me de-stress myself and break out of my sitting at home and doing nothing rut. Now that I'm paying for it I just have to exercise and get out of the house or I'll be wasting relatively hard earned money. 4) Do more fun stuff in/out of Los Angeles. The days I can get out and do stuff are almost always the best. It takes my mind off my crappy job and apartment and lets me believe in fun again. I got to shake my crazy annoyed rut or I'll implode. The good thing is that I can post more about my adventures than my misadventures in Los Angeles. We'll see how it goes. Keep up good spirits for me wherever you are.
Here are some Redondo Beach pictures so instead of counting on my word picture you get a REAL one.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
What a Suck Hole
This blog is beginning to be less about my adventures in Los Angeles and more about my annoyances with this damn city. I think this place is providing a perfect storm of things that drive me insane and compacted them into my first couple months of living here. All the things that should be really cool about Los Angeles aren't and I feel like I'm at war at home and in the office. With the help of a lawyer friend (you know who you are) I'm currently trying to get out of my lease/ out of my apartment.
But what are the highlights of my life here?
Well Chris is the biggest and best one. When he is home he's the official bug killer and he can make me laugh even when I'm feeling like my brain is going to leak out of it's ears. You know you're with someone good when they watch fall completely apart and all they want to do is put you back together again. It's nice to have him by my side while I'm trying to figure this "life" out. I know that if we're together (yeah it's about to be a lame but completely true sentiment) I'll be alright.
My coworker Joey is another. My job consists of dealing with a broken down system that has people either unable to do their job or are unwilling to. The clients I serve can be amazing but can also be rude and lazy and all I want to do is scream at them "if you won't help yourself why should I help you?" I think AmeriCorps is supposed to be about working for nothing and loving it anyway. At least at City Year there were some amazing people and some awesome kids. Here it's just adults grasping at last straws. I was lucky enough to get paired with a random Midwesterner who shares my views on this job as well as being RIDICULOUS when we can be. We're surrounded by the crazy LAers and we have to be fight the sucking void by making fun of our lives.
The mountains. Really they are pretty amazing. From my strange half cubicle I can see them outside my coworkers office and they remind me of the good stuff California has to offer that Illinois doesn't. There are palm trees and I haven't had to worry about a winter jacket yet. And I think it's funny that all of Los Angeles' decorations have a semblance of snow or winter. I think it's ridiculous.
I know that I should have moved out here and forced myself from the wonderful womb of Chicago. I just wish that I wasn't battling everything on top of being homesick.
But what are the highlights of my life here?
Well Chris is the biggest and best one. When he is home he's the official bug killer and he can make me laugh even when I'm feeling like my brain is going to leak out of it's ears. You know you're with someone good when they watch fall completely apart and all they want to do is put you back together again. It's nice to have him by my side while I'm trying to figure this "life" out. I know that if we're together (yeah it's about to be a lame but completely true sentiment) I'll be alright.
My coworker Joey is another. My job consists of dealing with a broken down system that has people either unable to do their job or are unwilling to. The clients I serve can be amazing but can also be rude and lazy and all I want to do is scream at them "if you won't help yourself why should I help you?" I think AmeriCorps is supposed to be about working for nothing and loving it anyway. At least at City Year there were some amazing people and some awesome kids. Here it's just adults grasping at last straws. I was lucky enough to get paired with a random Midwesterner who shares my views on this job as well as being RIDICULOUS when we can be. We're surrounded by the crazy LAers and we have to be fight the sucking void by making fun of our lives.
The mountains. Really they are pretty amazing. From my strange half cubicle I can see them outside my coworkers office and they remind me of the good stuff California has to offer that Illinois doesn't. There are palm trees and I haven't had to worry about a winter jacket yet. And I think it's funny that all of Los Angeles' decorations have a semblance of snow or winter. I think it's ridiculous.
I know that I should have moved out here and forced myself from the wonderful womb of Chicago. I just wish that I wasn't battling everything on top of being homesick.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Really Los Angeles? Really?
So I've been trying to make friends with Los Angeles. Really, I have. I am terribly homesick, I miss my real friends, and all I want to do is pack up my crap and move home. However I haven't thrown in the towel yet. This is the first time I've moved away from home and I get to live with my boyfriend. And screw you Los Angeles I'm no quitter damn it. Talk to my pelvis and your understand. I've even had some fun here to be honest. We went to the Los Angeles Zoo yesterday (doesn't hold a candle to Brookfield or Lincoln Park... The animals all looked sad... like the people) but we frolicked and looked at the crazy animals. It was a good day and it was a pleasant 75 degrees outside in November.
Then Los Angeles kicked me in the non-existent balls this morning. I called in sick because the food we ate last night punched me in the stomach and I was still feeling awful. After I made the call and got ready to have a sleep in Chris and I heard a huge gurgling sound from our sink. Then we heard a splashing noises and ran into our kitchen to find the sink overflowing with gray water. WHAT THE FUCK. As Chris was standing in utter shock I grabbed all of our towels and tried to staunch the flow away from our wood floors. As Chris ran upstairs to try and find our new landlady (the other got fired) I tried to call the numbers we had for our management. I'm pretty sure I scared alot of people because I was really pissed and still am. I think this might get us out of our lease and I'm going to try my damnedest to leave. UGH. I don't understand why Los Angeles has to suck this much.
Is every "official" moving away experience supposed to be like this? Full of shitty apartments with roaches and overflowing sinks? Are you supposed to miss your friends this much? BLARGH.
Then Los Angeles kicked me in the non-existent balls this morning. I called in sick because the food we ate last night punched me in the stomach and I was still feeling awful. After I made the call and got ready to have a sleep in Chris and I heard a huge gurgling sound from our sink. Then we heard a splashing noises and ran into our kitchen to find the sink overflowing with gray water. WHAT THE FUCK. As Chris was standing in utter shock I grabbed all of our towels and tried to staunch the flow away from our wood floors. As Chris ran upstairs to try and find our new landlady (the other got fired) I tried to call the numbers we had for our management. I'm pretty sure I scared alot of people because I was really pissed and still am. I think this might get us out of our lease and I'm going to try my damnedest to leave. UGH. I don't understand why Los Angeles has to suck this much.
Is every "official" moving away experience supposed to be like this? Full of shitty apartments with roaches and overflowing sinks? Are you supposed to miss your friends this much? BLARGH.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Updates... Sort of?
Let's see... what has changed? What have I done...
Well I went "nazi" on the roaches. They need to be exterminated because they are disgusting and I don't feel bad about saying it. I take my domain as human to kill anything pissing me off in my apartment (alright fine not people or domesticated animals). There have been two more sightings (one dead, one running... although Chris says it wasn't one) not counting the two I've seen in the hallway. They sprayed on the 7th and it is obviously a useless treatment especially with all the crap we had to go through to prepare. You have to have all of your furniture 2 feet from the wall and take everything out of cabinets and closets so they can spray all along the walls and cabinets. This would be easier if our apartment wasn't freaking tiny and we didn't have so much shit... It all had to be done the night before since putting all of your stuff in the middle of a room makes everything much more difficult. As Chris and I sniped at each other we boxed and moved all of our shit into strategic piles while covering things up so they didn't get sprayed. It's like moving out of your apartment but without the new awesome apartment. After hours we moved the bed in the middle and crashed at 3am. Then we had to get up at 7:30am to put all of the shit on top of our bed and get out of the apartment by 8am and off to work. I think this experience could be a litmus test for any relationship. If you kill each other during the process than you know you're not meant to be. Especially because one of you is dead. Anyway Chris and I survived and are pretty awesome. I even made him watch all of Friends. Hehehe.
But what else have I done you say other than attack roaches? Well....
I've been trying to see the cool things in the Los Angeles area. It's so spread out though that seeing something usually takes all day and I have to research parking and other crap like that.
Also Chris and I had a good date night where we went to the Grove mall which is a unnecessarily fancy. We saw the Social Network (for a whopping 25 dollars). Along with the fancy stores this mall has a gorgeous pond and fountain as well as a trolley. It's ridiculously expense too so it's more of a walk around mall than a buy things mall...
But they do have a pretty awesome year round farmer's market (don't have to shut down when there is no winter weather) and it was pretty sweet. It has a bunch of different food stands and 2 bars. It makes me want to eat my way through it. We stopped at the New Orleans food stand and I got some drunken shrimp with sweet potato chips and corn bread. It was so tasty. I earmarked like six different places I want to eat at there including a crepe place and bakery. It's like fatty paradise.
We also visited Randy's Donuts in Inglewood (not as scary as it seems) and got some famous fritters. They were tasty that's for sure.
FRITTER!
I love these little signs because there is no way our drains in Illinois lead to the ocean. The only problem is that Los Angeles people don't care and they are usually clogged with trash.
This was near the Santa Monica Pier. It was part of "glow" a festival and this was supposedly an art instillation. However Chris, Omar, and Tom and I thought it was like a game where you pull on the strings to get the balloons to fall. But if you did that you got scolded... like I did...
On the Santa Monica 3rd street promenade where there is no car traffic. This man, who smelled like sweat and beer, danced to the guys playing guitar on the street. I don't know what the taxi hat means but he was entertaining nonetheless.
Well I went "nazi" on the roaches. They need to be exterminated because they are disgusting and I don't feel bad about saying it. I take my domain as human to kill anything pissing me off in my apartment (alright fine not people or domesticated animals). There have been two more sightings (one dead, one running... although Chris says it wasn't one) not counting the two I've seen in the hallway. They sprayed on the 7th and it is obviously a useless treatment especially with all the crap we had to go through to prepare. You have to have all of your furniture 2 feet from the wall and take everything out of cabinets and closets so they can spray all along the walls and cabinets. This would be easier if our apartment wasn't freaking tiny and we didn't have so much shit... It all had to be done the night before since putting all of your stuff in the middle of a room makes everything much more difficult. As Chris and I sniped at each other we boxed and moved all of our shit into strategic piles while covering things up so they didn't get sprayed. It's like moving out of your apartment but without the new awesome apartment. After hours we moved the bed in the middle and crashed at 3am. Then we had to get up at 7:30am to put all of the shit on top of our bed and get out of the apartment by 8am and off to work. I think this experience could be a litmus test for any relationship. If you kill each other during the process than you know you're not meant to be. Especially because one of you is dead. Anyway Chris and I survived and are pretty awesome. I even made him watch all of Friends. Hehehe.
But what else have I done you say other than attack roaches? Well....
I've been trying to see the cool things in the Los Angeles area. It's so spread out though that seeing something usually takes all day and I have to research parking and other crap like that.
I ate some very very delicious In N Out. It's a California favorite and I can see why. Chris and I devoured this before heading off to a party. Nom nom nom.
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