So I'm a really bad blogger...

I've been neglecting this blog for months. My bad. Let's see... what in my life is interesting enough to share? I guess I can start with work. When I first moved out here and started my position at Dr. Sandy's Home Veterinary Care, I had NO idea what I was in for. Little did I know, my position as receptionist and Dr.'s Assistant would lead me to celebrity homes. First I went to Rick Springfield's (Jessy's girl) house to do acupuncture on his dog Scoobie. Then I went to Steven Seagal's house to do a exam and heartworm test in his German Shepherd Hamlet. Just an FYI- Rick Springfield was much nicer and gave me a hug goodbye, but Seagal only nodded his head in acknowledgment. I've also spoken to Bob Fogerty on the phone. Our clients let us into their homes and into their lives. Some are ordinary people, others are directors, editors, and actors. Others require our services because they have physical limitations. The one thing I really like about my position is that I get to develop real relationships with our clients. I know what's going on in their lives, and they genuinely care about what's going on in mine. Since there are only four employees they all know us by name and it feels good knowing we make their day better. Don't get me wrong- I absolutely LOATHED my job for awhile, but there's no point in rehashing that now. So, that's where I stand at work.

So, my mom would be proud because I'm making new friends. Haha. Our apartment complex is pretty much a dorm. The kids from Video Symphony (an editing school), the Mud (make up design school) girls, and the hairdresser school girls (and guys) all live in our building. We met one girl- Shannon who's originally from Rochester, and she is amazing. She's super funny and outgoing. She's made a lot of friends in the building and then introduced them to me. She's also an Eagles fan, which means I don't have to go to the bar alone anymore to watch the games! We also made friends with a group of guys who went to video symphony. One of their friends tried to pick Melanie up at a bar, then we later realized they lived in the same building as us on the first floor. Jude, Nick, and Owen live downstairs- but they've also introduced us to their other friends and hence the circle grows. So, we've made a lot of new friends from lots of different places with lots of different stories. Then there's Kelly and that group of people. Again- lots of new friends from lots of different places with lots of interesting stories to tell.

Today Jackie and I went to the Brewery Artwalk. I was expecting it to be expo style. I thought I'd enter a big open room with booths displaying local artist's work. What it really is is artists opening up their studios/homes to the public. It's a huge community of hundreds of artists living together. The studios are absolutely breathtaking. Most are lofts with views of downtown. Jackie has decided she's going to live in one one day. The most refreshing thing was how down to earth and friendly even the most established artists were. They were just happy to be able to share their gifts and talents with anyone who wanted to see it. It's this type of thing that you can only see in LA. It's this type of thing that makes me sure I made the right decision in picking up and leaving everything I know behind me.

I'm learning a lot about myself and the person I want to be. I'm also learning about the person I don't necessarily want to be. I didn't apply to vet school this fall. In a lot of ways I feel like I've failed myself and my mom because of that. At the same time I feel like California and Los Angeles has a lot to teach me- about myself and life in general. I really value the time I've spent out here. I'm doing things I never imagined I'd do. It's a completely different lifestyle. A lifestyle I'm glad I'm getting a chance to experience. People ask if I miss home, and my answer is- EVERYDAY, but I know that this was the right choice for me. I miss my family and I miss my friends, but I was stifled in New Jersey. Here I have the freedom to do what I want and be who I want to be. I have no idea when I'll return to the east coast. I have no idea where this journey is going to take me. All I can do is hold on and enjoy the ride.

Wow it's been a while...

Ok, so the whole I'm going to try and update this thing more ofter is clearly not working out... A lot has happened since my last post. Let's see- Work is going pretty well. I'm technically Sr. Staff/ Hospital Manager even though I've only been there a month or so. The entire office aka the three people who work there (including me) are new. Really new. It's kind of intense but I'm in charge of inventory and orders and paying bills, so I think it's going to be good exposure. Plus I'm going to start riding in the van more consistently which means I'll have more interaction with the actual animals which makes me happy. Overtime is always a plus : )

So, now that work's been covered let me try and recap what's been going on socially... this could take a while. We'll start with celebrity sightings. We went to the midnight show of the Labyrinth at a little indie theatre and Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, and the cousin from Arrested Development were there. They all seemed to be having a fabulous time. I also went hiking with my new friend Kelly. Kelly works at the Pizza place down the street and we were stopping in for dinner once a week and we got to know him that way and a friendship has developed. He also had Melanie and I over and made us this huge dinner- chicken, steak and fish. It was delish, and much appreciated- even if we didn't eat until 11 pm. Then yesterday we all went to the Angel City Theatre which is just a big screen on the top of a parking structure and they were playing The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon dubbed over the sound. Lets just say the evening ended with me calling my mom at 4 AM EST and crying because I'm so irresponsible because I thought I lost my purse (which I did not by the way). Melanie moved it from the backseat and forgot to tell me while I was freaking out. . . ok she just forgot that she moved it.

We've also hit up a couple beaches in the area- I think I've already covered Venice in a previous post. We went to Marina Del Ray the other day as well. I've now been hiking in Malibu and Placareta Canyon. Melanie and I have also gone to a couple parks by our house. We tried to have a picnic and it was an epic fail. Not only was it way cold but we went to the nature center instead of the park and sat on a bench under the blanket while some little kid was having a birthday party. It was a little awkward and we felt a little like creepers.... little did we know the picnic area was down the road- live and learn. Oh! We saw a bobcat! ( Not really Mel just wants to tell people we did and took a blurry picture of a bobcat).

There's so much else to talk about but I'll end on BAMBOOZLE!!!! Oh my gosh it was the most fun I've had in a really long time. We got there a little late because traffic was really bad, but we managed to catch the end of Mercey's set. Then we found them afterwards to say hello. I even rode the carnival ride with the drummer, Mickey- haha. Almost lost Melanie's car keys in the process- that would have been a disaster. We totally rocked out all day and danced in the middle of crowds of people who were not dancing and sang along to songs we knew. We have a new favorite band now- Anarbor, look em up. But I have to say my favorite part was getting to see The Get Up Kids- I loved every single song they played. The boys behind us were way into it and flew all the way from Ohio to see them play. That's dedication. It made me feel like I was in high school again- and we all know how much I love that feeling. I really wished Jennie could have been there with me- it would have made my life complete. After a long day of dancing, singing, and drinking Fall Out Boy came on stage and we peaced outtt haha. It was seriously the most fun I've had in a really really long time. I'm so happy Melanie stopped being such a brat about going and committed- we were not disappointed. Melanie felt like such an asshole about being a brat because she had just as much fun as I did.

Love you and miss you all! Unless I don't know you and why are you reading my blog? Farewell from the West Coast

Most amazing day ever :-)

so I've had a pretty amazingly ridiculous 24 hours. Last night I came home from work and took a little nap before heading to Los Feliz to meet Phil for dinner and drinks. After a little confusion we ended up at this little Italian place. Good conversation, good friends, good bread. Then we thought we'd go to a bar. We walked although way to a bar and it was closed... so we starting walking to another on and I happen to mention that I like dive bars. So, Phil changes the plans on us and takes us to Ye Rustic Inn, and there happen to be a booth open in the back- sweet. So we sit down and Jackie says- I'm not drinking. Then Mel says- I'm not drinking, and I say I wasn't going to drink! Why the hell are we at a bar?? So we decide we'll stay and have one beer because we're already there and we might as well. Well a couple minutes later Mel decides she's going to go drink for drink with Phil. Long story short- Mel and Phil are drunk and Jackie and I are not. While Mel and Phil are sharing there $9.00 Melonball I look over and say to Jackie- hey that guy kinda looks like Jack Bauer. Jackie tilts her head and says yea he does. Then I realize that IS Jack Bauer!! Keifer Sutherland was sitting ten feet away from me! TEN FEET! And he was drunk. Two girls try to sit down and talk to him and he is NOT happy about that. Probably because he's drunk and has issues with Alcohol. As we're leaving at last call we hear him order a triple- bad news, haha. We were all in such shock. That was probably my biggest celebrity sighting since I've been here.

So we get home chat for a little and then go to bed. I set my alarm and get up at 9 to watch the SU/Arizona game. As I was watching the game Melanie was in the kitchen whipping up some AMAZING breakfast- eggs, pancakes, turkey bacon, toast it was amazing. Then- SU won the game! Sweet 16 babydolls. YAYAYAY! So, quick recap- Jack Bauer, breakfast, and SU winners. So now it's noon and we have all day left! So exciting.

So Mel and I decide to go hit up Venice beach and see what it's about. It's hard to explain. First off, it was a little chilly today and apparently very windy. We got there and it was like we were walking in a cyclone. There were people everywhere who looked like they enjoy the reefer and then there were the tourists. I think I would consider it a trashier place than Wildwood if you can believe it. I can only imagine what it would be like when the weather's nice. We couldn't even walk on the beach because it was a sandstorm of wind. We had sand in our ears and hair and it was amazingly ridiculous. We couldn't stop laughing. Mel went into every smoke shop so she could compare prices, haha. After we walked the strip for awhile we decided we had enough. Especially after some guy was trying to sell pit bull puppies off the street : ( Made me very sad.

So, we're about a block from the car when Mr. Dennis Jacobs calls Mel and says he needs girls to play dodgeball NOW. So we put the intersection into the GPS and are on our way. We got there and wondered around until we realized that dodgeball would be played inside. We walked into the most intense games of dodgeball I had ever seen. The guys that we know were all shirtless and yelling commands and stratagizing. It was intense. Brought back bad memories of crutches and broken ankles for me... haha. So we congratulated the boys on games well played. I guess next weekend are the playoffs. Mel wants to play- I'd cheer her on. We came home watched a little tv, took the dog for a walk and here I am. It's been the most random day but I was smiling all day. This was probably one of the BEST days I've had in a long time. I was happy for an extended period of time. Truly happy. I haven't felt truly happy since everything happened in June. Granted it took this long, but I think it's a pretty amazing sign. It makes moving here make sense again. I've been stressed in the last weeks, but today makes all that seem irrelevant. I'm sad the day has to end, but it's back to work in the morning. Goodnight everyone!

Finally

So, it's the moment you've all been waiting for... I'm finally updating my blog. Please hold your applause. Ugh, so much time has passed I'm not sure where I left off. We'll start on the employment front I guess. So, I'm currently employed by Dr. Sandy's Home Veterinary Care. Basically Dr. Sandy has a van and she goes to appointments throughout the San Fernando Valley. Right now I'm working in the "office" meaning her house. I have to take my shoes off when I get to work, so I wonder around barefoot. I really don't know how I feel about working for Dr. Sandy. I mean beggars can't be choosers, and when you move across the country with no job- you're a beggar. It just makes me sad because I don't get any interaction with the animals. I don't get to see and surgeries, I basically don't get any of the perks I had at CCVH. Don't get me wrong- I don't regret moving out here in the least. I think that this is something I needed, but I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm settling. I don't settle. It's not in me, yet here I am. The other problem is that Dr. Sandy loves me. She's so happy I've joined her "family" so far she's bought me a McFlurry and gave me a card and bought pizza and ice cream for us to eat on Friday. So, the fact that I'm interviewing at other places makes me feel a little guilty.... ok a lot guilty. But I keep telling myself that this is my LIFE, this is my FUTURE. I can't sacrafice that because I feel bad for someone I barely know. She was fine for 12 years without me- I think she'll be ok if I left. HOWEVER, to make matters more complicated she wants to start training me in the Van. So, I will be going out and seeing the animals. But I just don't know how much I'm going to learn from her. However, it's not like I have other options... It's all very emotionally draining. So I think this is going to be my plan- I'm only going to apply for jobs that are for assistants (except the one that I may have a working interview for on Wed.) and see what happens. I mean it's not like people are breaking down my door to give me a job. So that's the bottom line.

Anyway, the rest of my life is pretty fabulous. I love my roommates, I love my apartment, I love my neighborhood. I've been meeting some new people and hanging out with SU kids that I know but not very well. It's like an extended college. But instead of paying to work my ass off. I'm getting paid to exert less work. Pretty sweet. However, I would love to find a way to work more than one job... I would also love to know that I wasn't going to possibly switching jobs... ugh. Ok now I'm annoyed and I don't want to write anymore becuase it always comes back to work. Life is funny that way. Soooooo0- I know I promised pictures so here are some pictures of my room/loft. Enjoy.

My room is above the kitchen.

















I know I say this every time, but I'm really going to update this thing more ofter : )

Slacking

Sorry for the lack of updates! Update soon I promise : ) I'll even throw in some pictures of my apartment for being patient.

Happy Birthday Baby

So, I'm at a standstill. I had an interview yesterday for a job. I won't say too much because I don't want to jinx it, but I will say this- it would be a lot like my old job, but with more responsibility and more hands on experience (yay!). But I won't know if I got the job for at least a week or so. In the mean time, I was offered a job with the mobile vet, but it would be much less hands on since I'd be working out of her home. So, here's my dilemma. Hold out and see if I get the "dream" job risking losing a sure thing in a time of economic crisis, or take the sure thing and settle for less than ideal. Things are not running as smoothly as desired, but oh well.

In the meantime I called Dr. Sandy today to be completely honest with her, but she's out on calls today so it will have to wait until tomorrow... so today I sit and do laundry and try not to get wrapped up in emotional turmoil (haha). Haha, so the dog has been a pain in the butt. He's so attached to me it makes things tough with anyone else. So I got him an easy leader and he hates in and I LOVE it. Haha, he listens so much better to me now... poor thing.

So, lets see- we covered work, the dog, I guess we should discuss social activities now. So, we (meaning the roommates) decided we were going to make the pizza place down the street "our" place. It didn't hurt that the waiter is a young guy and Melanie is a huge flirt (LOVE YOU MEL!!) haha. No, she's just very sarcastic and funny and makes friends easily, so now we get a discount when we go in. My goal is that when we walk in Kelly (the waiter) brings me a blue moon without me having to ask : ). After dinner (mmmm garlic knots) we came back and decided to turn Mario Party into a drinking game. Let's just say the three of us are ridiculously competitive and probably should not play games. Our friendship may not survive it. I was having taboo flashbacks... WALLPAPER- sorry inside joke. So that's where I stand. I love my roommates and I love the weather. I do miss home, though. It's hard because I don't know when I'll get to see anyone again and it makes me sad. Soooo- COME TO CALIFORNIA PEOPLE!!

Peace and love

oh decisions, decisions

Ok, so it's been a crazy couple days. I really need to try and update this more... So anyway, I had an interview with Dr. Sandy's mobile vet on Tuesday. It went pretty well, so they asked me to come back in on Wednesday to have interview part two with Dr. Sandy herself. It was a pretty intense interview that lasted about an hour and a half. She asked a lot of work related questions as well as personality type questions because she believes everyone should be a happy family and get along and love each other, so she wanted to make sure the personalities didn't clash. The interview ended by telling me I was an earth and metal person, just like her. So, she invited me to go out in the van with her the next day to see how it works and runs.

So, yesterday I got up at 6:15 am to get to work by 8 and they showed me around the van and we headed out on the road. The first appt was just drawing blood for a thyroid test. The second appt was a dental (not under anesthesia) as well as exam/vaccines, the third appt was an exam and broken toe nail, and the last appt was a quality of life appt. We didn't get back to the office/house until 7:30. Then Dr. Sandy and I had a little chat about how happy I would be there since I would mostly be doing office work and wouldn't have to much face to face interaction with the clients. She was really understanding about the whole thing, so she's giving me some time to mull things over.

Meanwhile, I got an email about an assistant position in Pasadena. So, now I have an interview on Monday, but an offer on the table! Crazyness. I don't know, maybe I can work full time in Pasadena but still put some time in at Dr. Sandy's. I mean I could definitely use the extra money. It's all so confusing. I just need a job! Preferably a job I'd enjoy doing and would help me reach my goal of going to vet school eventually. Sheesh. Oh wait, I had that job... and I quit. What a dummy, haha. Things will work themselves out... i just have to be patient. I hope. : )

At least it's the weekend which means roomie fun : )