Last weekend I turned 26. This year my birthday was spectacularly underwhelming which is to be expected when I had to be up at six in the morning to go to work. Eh, every birthday isn't going to be amazing. But this birthday story is a good one, promise. It actually goes back a couple months.
Jon and I had been talking about getting a dog since before we had even left New York. We knew it would be difficult because we work so much but we knew that having a pet would be incredibly rewarding.
One day Jon saw a puppies for sale sign and got the brilliant idea that he would get me a puppy for my birthday since they'd be ready to leave their mom around early April. Originally he was going to surprise me with a puppy but then he decided that he wanted me to pick her out and have a bond. So one day we made a plan to go meet the puppies. First of all let me say all 7 puppies were the sweetest things I had ever seen. When they woke up from their naps I got gang bombed my 7 little furry faces! But one little face just stuck out to me. Her name was Rose and she was just the sweetest little thing ever. She ran right into my arms and started licking my face and I fell in love instantly. I couldn't wait to get her home.
Our little bundle of joy came home on April 4th; ten days before my birthday. We had to walk home with her because the bus driver wouldn't let us on (really?) and it was chilly and she peed on both of us but having her home was so worth it.
She isn't really potty trained and that's a bit of a challenge but I think we'll get there. She also destroys everything with her sharp little teeth (she just chewed up the cord to my netbook) but she's just a bundle of love. We're so happy to have her complete our little family. It feels like things here are really coming together =)
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
One Month!!
I can't believe we've been in LA for one month!! Time has definitely flown! This has been a wonderful month; starting our wonderful new life here. I'm really enjoying my time here so far and I'm looking forward to all of the great things that I'm sure will happen.
First goal: Get enough money to finish furnishing the apartment! Right now all we have is a bed. Jon is going to hopefully buy us a couch with some of his tax return money. I hope to save enough to get all of the small pieces that will make our apartment truly home.
Second goal: Get more career focused! Working on our careers are the main reason we decided to move so it's very important! Who knows, I may even get back into acting. But that is for sure not a definite plan.
Third goal: Learn to drive! Even though we can't afford a car anytime soon, I still better learn to drive! I'm mainly working on getting over my anxiety of driving which is imperative before I can even get behind the wheel!
First goal: Get enough money to finish furnishing the apartment! Right now all we have is a bed. Jon is going to hopefully buy us a couch with some of his tax return money. I hope to save enough to get all of the small pieces that will make our apartment truly home.
Second goal: Get more career focused! Working on our careers are the main reason we decided to move so it's very important! Who knows, I may even get back into acting. But that is for sure not a definite plan.
Third goal: Learn to drive! Even though we can't afford a car anytime soon, I still better learn to drive! I'm mainly working on getting over my anxiety of driving which is imperative before I can even get behind the wheel!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Won't You Be My Neighbor(hood)?
Now that we've been in LA for two weeks (wow!) I'm starting to get more comfortable in our neighborhood. It's a nice neighborhood; relatively quiet and quite accessible. There are so many things that are within walking distance its amazing. Once Jon sent me the address of our apartment I googled the area to see what was in the surrounding area. On Hollywood Blvd there is a grocery store within walking distance...its in a plaza that also has a Starbucks, Jamba Juice (yay!) and even a T-Mobile store. Ralph's (the grocery store) is open until 2am everyday which is awesome because I usually like to shop later on in the evening. But if I did decide to go in the middle of the afternoon which I have a few times, its not really terribly busy. The prices are comparable to NYC prices and they pretty much have the same brands (except they don't Polly-O string cheese). The Starbucks is open until at least 11pm so if I ever want to go write I can stay pretty late. And there's Jamba! Not many people know about my love for Jamba Juice. But when my Super Shuttle drove past it the night I arrived I immediately Blackberry Messaged my best friend Tia about my luck and excitement.
Hollywood Blvd is to the west of the apartment. To the east is Sunset Blvd or as I like to think of it "The Blvd of Awesomeness." Sunset Blvd is the road most traveled for me. My job is on Sunset so I have to travel down it for that purpose but it is also the home to a late night Walgreen's, McDonald's, Burger King, 7-Eleven and another Starbucks within walking distance. There are also west coast places like El Pollo Loco and Panda Express and my recently discovered new favorite frozen yogurt place Yougurtland. Many friends know of my love for Pinkberry (and there is one further down Sunset that I have yet to visit) but Yogurtland is pretty delish. Its a self-serve place that charges by the ounce. They have huge either large or extra large but I think its because they couldn't get much money out of smaller cups. I have fallen in love with their Cranberry/Raspberry yogurt mainly its one of the few truly tart flavors. I love my frozen yogurt tart. The only good thing is that what I paid for my rather sizeable froyo at Yougurtland is what I would have payed for a small/medium Pinkberry.
Jon and I don't have a car (and really have no plans on getting one anytime soon) so I have become friends with the LA bus system. Its actually pretty reliable and gets to the important places pretty quickly. It takes me about a half hour to get to work by bus which is what it took by train back home. But taking my trusty 2 bus down Sunset can get me to all the things I need now. There's an In-N-Out Burger not far, and there are like 4 Denny's. There is also a little plaza/hub that houses one of my most favorite places on Earth...TRADER JOE'S!! This hub also houses my new favorite place; Salon Republic. It's basically a collection of salons all in one place. I like to call it one stop shopping. I can get my hair done, my nails done, my waxing aaaaand my brows!! So excited!!
All in all, I think I'm adjusting well to my new surroundings. I'm excited to being exploring outside my nabe as well!!
Hollywood Blvd is to the west of the apartment. To the east is Sunset Blvd or as I like to think of it "The Blvd of Awesomeness." Sunset Blvd is the road most traveled for me. My job is on Sunset so I have to travel down it for that purpose but it is also the home to a late night Walgreen's, McDonald's, Burger King, 7-Eleven and another Starbucks within walking distance. There are also west coast places like El Pollo Loco and Panda Express and my recently discovered new favorite frozen yogurt place Yougurtland. Many friends know of my love for Pinkberry (and there is one further down Sunset that I have yet to visit) but Yogurtland is pretty delish. Its a self-serve place that charges by the ounce. They have huge either large or extra large but I think its because they couldn't get much money out of smaller cups. I have fallen in love with their Cranberry/Raspberry yogurt mainly its one of the few truly tart flavors. I love my frozen yogurt tart. The only good thing is that what I paid for my rather sizeable froyo at Yougurtland is what I would have payed for a small/medium Pinkberry.
Jon and I don't have a car (and really have no plans on getting one anytime soon) so I have become friends with the LA bus system. Its actually pretty reliable and gets to the important places pretty quickly. It takes me about a half hour to get to work by bus which is what it took by train back home. But taking my trusty 2 bus down Sunset can get me to all the things I need now. There's an In-N-Out Burger not far, and there are like 4 Denny's. There is also a little plaza/hub that houses one of my most favorite places on Earth...TRADER JOE'S!! This hub also houses my new favorite place; Salon Republic. It's basically a collection of salons all in one place. I like to call it one stop shopping. I can get my hair done, my nails done, my waxing aaaaand my brows!! So excited!!
All in all, I think I'm adjusting well to my new surroundings. I'm excited to being exploring outside my nabe as well!!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Unpacking (Part 1) The Kitchen
Before I left New York I shipped 5 boxes of things from our apartment that we would need in LA. My mom and I packed up the bathroom, kitchen and most of the bedroom into 7 boxes (we didn't send the 2 boxes of books right away after deeming them too heavy to get to the post office). The boxes weren't terribly heavy save for one large box that held 95% of the kitchen's contents. I'm pretty weak and if I could lift them with general ease I assumed they weren't particularly heavy.
Getting the boxes to the post office however was quite another story. My parents don't have a car but the post office was only 10 blocks away. The biggest obstacle was getting them down the stairs. We lived in a 6 floor walk-up and while we had a dolly, it was definitely a challenge. The lip on the dolly wasn't long enough to hold the entire length of the box and with the weight of the boxes and the pressure of taking them down all of those stairs, the bottom box was about to split open. So now we had to carry the boxes down the stairs. Luckily a very nice guy carried the heaviest box down the stairs for us. Now we just had to huff all the way back up and get the rest...did I mention that we had less than an hour to get to the post office? Challenge times a million.
Once we got the boxes down the stairs I had to hail a cab. I believe 3 turned me down before one finally agreed. The driver was utterly useless though; he barely helped us load the boxes into the cab. Now at this point we have about 10 minutes to get to the post office. I also got the address wrong but only the cross streets so the driver was able to do a U turn. Somehow we manage to get there at about 5 minutes to 5pm which was the time the post office closed. I didn't have any cash on me to pay the cab driver so I had to run a block and a half to the atm to get money out. Like I literally ran. According to my mom the driver again didn't help her unload the cab but the nice guy who worked in the post office helped her bring the boxes in. We didn't realize that we could have addressed the boxes before we got to the post office so after I quickly did that we started loading them to ship. $184 later, the boxes were on their way. Since I was shipping everything parcel post to save money it was going to take about a week to get to LA.
Fast forward to yesterday. I'd been sitting at home most days waiting for the postal worker to come bring me my boxes. Save for one day. Yesterday there was a knock at the door. It was our nice postal worker; a black woman probably in her 40s. She only had one box which held the pot set my mom had given me. I didn't see anymore boxes and I was worried. She claimed the other boxes to be too heavy (remember that part when I said they weren't that bad? guess I was wrong). She asked if more were coming and I told her that my mom hasn't sent them yet. Her response "I have a feeling I'm not going to like your mom." When I asked about the rest of the boxes she said I'd have to pick them up at the post office. Oh great I thought...this is going to be an adventure. She said that they hold them for about 15 days which would give me plenty of time to figure out how to get them without a car. But I didn't want to wait that long because I'm tired of eating frozen dinners.
So today I was hanging out with my friend Tracy who also just moved back to LA. After a very fun afternoon I begged her to take me to the post office to retrieve my boxes. I told her if she took me I'd buy her wine and make her dinner. People are very willing to help when you offer wine =) The post office worker let us use their dolly to get the boxes to the car and helped me load them. They weren't heavy save for that kitchen box. The biggest problem was that they had taken quite a beating, especially the kitchen box that had split open despite the excessive amount of tape keeping it closed. As we loaded it into the car the box proceeds to fall apart, luckily the contents spilled out into the car. We got them back to my building but the next challenge was getting them into my building, especially since one was now falling apart. Again, luckily for me there were some very nice young men sitting in front of the building to offer to help carry the boxes in for me. I let Tracy go and led the guys into the building. I was just too exhausted from the afternoon to unpack immediately but once I got my second wind I decided to tackle the kitchen.
It wasn't as bad as I thought, mainly because I have more cabinets than I know what to do with. I was more concerned about where to put things so that they were in the most accessible. Because the giant kitchen box was obviously man handled, there were 3 broken glasses. Luckily Jon's beloved train mug made it through. He'll be pleased. Now I just have to tackle the medium sized bathroom box and organize my shoes and I'll be done...that is until the rest of the boxes arrive...
Getting the boxes to the post office however was quite another story. My parents don't have a car but the post office was only 10 blocks away. The biggest obstacle was getting them down the stairs. We lived in a 6 floor walk-up and while we had a dolly, it was definitely a challenge. The lip on the dolly wasn't long enough to hold the entire length of the box and with the weight of the boxes and the pressure of taking them down all of those stairs, the bottom box was about to split open. So now we had to carry the boxes down the stairs. Luckily a very nice guy carried the heaviest box down the stairs for us. Now we just had to huff all the way back up and get the rest...did I mention that we had less than an hour to get to the post office? Challenge times a million.
Once we got the boxes down the stairs I had to hail a cab. I believe 3 turned me down before one finally agreed. The driver was utterly useless though; he barely helped us load the boxes into the cab. Now at this point we have about 10 minutes to get to the post office. I also got the address wrong but only the cross streets so the driver was able to do a U turn. Somehow we manage to get there at about 5 minutes to 5pm which was the time the post office closed. I didn't have any cash on me to pay the cab driver so I had to run a block and a half to the atm to get money out. Like I literally ran. According to my mom the driver again didn't help her unload the cab but the nice guy who worked in the post office helped her bring the boxes in. We didn't realize that we could have addressed the boxes before we got to the post office so after I quickly did that we started loading them to ship. $184 later, the boxes were on their way. Since I was shipping everything parcel post to save money it was going to take about a week to get to LA.
Fast forward to yesterday. I'd been sitting at home most days waiting for the postal worker to come bring me my boxes. Save for one day. Yesterday there was a knock at the door. It was our nice postal worker; a black woman probably in her 40s. She only had one box which held the pot set my mom had given me. I didn't see anymore boxes and I was worried. She claimed the other boxes to be too heavy (remember that part when I said they weren't that bad? guess I was wrong). She asked if more were coming and I told her that my mom hasn't sent them yet. Her response "I have a feeling I'm not going to like your mom." When I asked about the rest of the boxes she said I'd have to pick them up at the post office. Oh great I thought...this is going to be an adventure. She said that they hold them for about 15 days which would give me plenty of time to figure out how to get them without a car. But I didn't want to wait that long because I'm tired of eating frozen dinners.
So today I was hanging out with my friend Tracy who also just moved back to LA. After a very fun afternoon I begged her to take me to the post office to retrieve my boxes. I told her if she took me I'd buy her wine and make her dinner. People are very willing to help when you offer wine =) The post office worker let us use their dolly to get the boxes to the car and helped me load them. They weren't heavy save for that kitchen box. The biggest problem was that they had taken quite a beating, especially the kitchen box that had split open despite the excessive amount of tape keeping it closed. As we loaded it into the car the box proceeds to fall apart, luckily the contents spilled out into the car. We got them back to my building but the next challenge was getting them into my building, especially since one was now falling apart. Again, luckily for me there were some very nice young men sitting in front of the building to offer to help carry the boxes in for me. I let Tracy go and led the guys into the building. I was just too exhausted from the afternoon to unpack immediately but once I got my second wind I decided to tackle the kitchen.
It wasn't as bad as I thought, mainly because I have more cabinets than I know what to do with. I was more concerned about where to put things so that they were in the most accessible. Because the giant kitchen box was obviously man handled, there were 3 broken glasses. Luckily Jon's beloved train mug made it through. He'll be pleased. Now I just have to tackle the medium sized bathroom box and organize my shoes and I'll be done...that is until the rest of the boxes arrive...
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Kindness of Strangers
People in Los Angeles are nice. It's not to say that people in New York aren't nice, its a different kind of nice I guess. Nice people in New York are like a rare gem; when you find one you want to thank your lucky stars. Here in LA, being nice is just par for the course I guess. On Friday, which was my first full day in town I came to the local Starbucks to go online and check my email. I have a Starbucks within walking distance...my dreams have come true! Not only is my normal drink like a dollar cheaper, the guys working were super nice to me. They asked me questions about back home and were just abnormally friendly. One of the guys who I refer to as "Starbucks Friend" since I keep forgetting to ask his name even told me to buy pepper spray if I'm going o be walking around late at night. I told him I was from New York and if I didn't feel the need to carry it there I'd have to think about it. I may look sweet and stuff but I'm pretty tough.
I think the reason people here are so nice is because of all the sunshine. It's only been moderately cloudy since I got here and it rained on and off most of today. Saturday night I came back to Starbucks and got my usual Chai and Starbucks Friend was asking me about writing (I told him I was a writer on my first day) because he is also a writer and wanted some feedback on some ideas. Since I was here for a while I got another drink (it does get chilly once the sun goes down) and Starbucks Friend hooked me up! And the other guy that I also made friends with made my drink sooooo deliciously! I got a caramel apple spice and there was sooooo much caramel in it! Yum!!
Yesterday Jon and I went on an adventure to Target to get towels because we're both idiots and while we were on the bus some guy actually gave Jon his seat so we could sit next to each other. Back home you could be a quadriplegic with a bullet wound and no one would move. After we went to Target we went to another Starbucks and I swear the guy making drinks was one of the most cheerful people I've ever seen. He reminded me of the dad from "Juno." After sitting there for some time listening to him interacting with the customers I couldn't help but catch his cheerful attitude. It was infectious! Even the bus drivers are nice. They say "hi" when you get off and when I say "thank you" they're so nice! Even the grocery store employees are nice! When I got stuck behind some guy who didn't realize he had to buy two 24 packs of beer to get the discount, the checkout girl actually apologized, as did the guy for holding me up. I mean its not like I had anything to do but at least they were nice enough to respect my time. I'm very excited about the prospect of encountering more nice people. Until next time!
I think the reason people here are so nice is because of all the sunshine. It's only been moderately cloudy since I got here and it rained on and off most of today. Saturday night I came back to Starbucks and got my usual Chai and Starbucks Friend was asking me about writing (I told him I was a writer on my first day) because he is also a writer and wanted some feedback on some ideas. Since I was here for a while I got another drink (it does get chilly once the sun goes down) and Starbucks Friend hooked me up! And the other guy that I also made friends with made my drink sooooo deliciously! I got a caramel apple spice and there was sooooo much caramel in it! Yum!!
Yesterday Jon and I went on an adventure to Target to get towels because we're both idiots and while we were on the bus some guy actually gave Jon his seat so we could sit next to each other. Back home you could be a quadriplegic with a bullet wound and no one would move. After we went to Target we went to another Starbucks and I swear the guy making drinks was one of the most cheerful people I've ever seen. He reminded me of the dad from "Juno." After sitting there for some time listening to him interacting with the customers I couldn't help but catch his cheerful attitude. It was infectious! Even the bus drivers are nice. They say "hi" when you get off and when I say "thank you" they're so nice! Even the grocery store employees are nice! When I got stuck behind some guy who didn't realize he had to buy two 24 packs of beer to get the discount, the checkout girl actually apologized, as did the guy for holding me up. I mean its not like I had anything to do but at least they were nice enough to respect my time. I'm very excited about the prospect of encountering more nice people. Until next time!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The Eagle Has Landed
Well, here I am in Los Angeles! I arrived on Thursday, January 19th to start my new life. It's only the second full day I've been here but I can already tell that I've made a good choice.
A little background on the story if I'm allowed...my boyfriend Jon decided that he wanted to move to LA from New York to pursue his acting career and to live someplace new for a while. He definitely has that gypsy side to him! I had no problems leaving NYC; I've lived there pretty much my whole life and I was ready for a change of pace. We made the decision to move for sure in late August of 2011...giving us approximately 4 months to prepare for the move. It may have seemed sudden to some people but I have to give Jon credit; when he puts his mind to something he makes it happen.
Fast forward four months, January 2012 was looming closer. Jon had already set up his job transfer and I had already put mine in motion as well. Right after spending Christmas with me and my family in NYC, Jon got on a plane to see his family in St. Louis, MO for two weeks before heading to LA to get set up. I followed about a week and a half later.
Jon works really fast! Within two days of being here he had found us an apartment! I scrambled around like a mad woman getting all of the paperwork on my end taken care of; trust me it was an event! I was also worried that my incredibly bad credit would inhibit us from getting said apartment but thank God for Jon and his super-credit, we got it! Its a great little place in between what they call "Little Armenia" and Hollywood. For what we're paying in rent we have a palace compared to what we'd have in NYC for the same price. Our apartment in NYC was what I affectionately came to call a "hovel" meaning, it was small and cramped and generally sad. There were NO closets (for real) and our bedroom was super tiny. We also had a roommate who lived in the living room, effectively slashing the little space we had in half. The kitchen was laughable and there was no counter or storage space but the bathroom wasn't so bad; just oddly shaped.
Our new place has more storage space than I know what to do with really. We have HUGE closets which is great for a clothes junkie like me. There's a dishwasher in the apartment, laundry on site aaaaand a pool!! In NYC this would be an urban legend apartment...or it would be in a condo that costs million of dollars. I will definitely post some pictures just for everyone to see the space since we're not even close to be decorated or furnished yet. We have a bed and that's about it right now. I already picked out most of our furniture from IKEA so its just a matter of affording/buying it. I'm excited.
This is really mine and Jon's first place that is just ours. We've lived together on and off since the fall of 2010 since I was going through some personal things with my living situation. I know that this is the right decision for us because I trust how secure our relationship is. Its definitely going to take a lot of adjustment but luckily I adjust and adapt quickly. Stay tuned to the rest of my adventures in the city of Angels including learning my new surroundings, re-connecting with friends and working in a new city. It's going to be a wild ride!
A little background on the story if I'm allowed...my boyfriend Jon decided that he wanted to move to LA from New York to pursue his acting career and to live someplace new for a while. He definitely has that gypsy side to him! I had no problems leaving NYC; I've lived there pretty much my whole life and I was ready for a change of pace. We made the decision to move for sure in late August of 2011...giving us approximately 4 months to prepare for the move. It may have seemed sudden to some people but I have to give Jon credit; when he puts his mind to something he makes it happen.
Fast forward four months, January 2012 was looming closer. Jon had already set up his job transfer and I had already put mine in motion as well. Right after spending Christmas with me and my family in NYC, Jon got on a plane to see his family in St. Louis, MO for two weeks before heading to LA to get set up. I followed about a week and a half later.
Jon works really fast! Within two days of being here he had found us an apartment! I scrambled around like a mad woman getting all of the paperwork on my end taken care of; trust me it was an event! I was also worried that my incredibly bad credit would inhibit us from getting said apartment but thank God for Jon and his super-credit, we got it! Its a great little place in between what they call "Little Armenia" and Hollywood. For what we're paying in rent we have a palace compared to what we'd have in NYC for the same price. Our apartment in NYC was what I affectionately came to call a "hovel" meaning, it was small and cramped and generally sad. There were NO closets (for real) and our bedroom was super tiny. We also had a roommate who lived in the living room, effectively slashing the little space we had in half. The kitchen was laughable and there was no counter or storage space but the bathroom wasn't so bad; just oddly shaped.
Our new place has more storage space than I know what to do with really. We have HUGE closets which is great for a clothes junkie like me. There's a dishwasher in the apartment, laundry on site aaaaand a pool!! In NYC this would be an urban legend apartment...or it would be in a condo that costs million of dollars. I will definitely post some pictures just for everyone to see the space since we're not even close to be decorated or furnished yet. We have a bed and that's about it right now. I already picked out most of our furniture from IKEA so its just a matter of affording/buying it. I'm excited.
This is really mine and Jon's first place that is just ours. We've lived together on and off since the fall of 2010 since I was going through some personal things with my living situation. I know that this is the right decision for us because I trust how secure our relationship is. Its definitely going to take a lot of adjustment but luckily I adjust and adapt quickly. Stay tuned to the rest of my adventures in the city of Angels including learning my new surroundings, re-connecting with friends and working in a new city. It's going to be a wild ride!
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