Ok, so I've now been in "sunny" LA (hah it's rained at least 50% of the time since I've been out here!) for two full weeks. I'd like to say I've made more progress than I have but it's going slower than I was hoping. At least I've made some progress. I had an interview and a trial shift last week. The trial shift was very bizarre. I was there for a couple hours and I ended up answering phones and carrying food and things. It was very chaotic and somewhat awkward because they were conducting interviews for the position I was interviewing for...while I was standing there. I really wanted to throw out the turtle but I felt that was inappropriate. So, they said they'd call and let me know later and the week. I haven't heard anything, so I'm going to say they gave the job to someone else. Oh well.
It's not all bad news though, because last Friday I got a phone call about working for a mobile vet in Tarzana. She asked me a bunch of preliminary questions and told me she would be in touch soon. She called me this morning to set up and interview! I'm actually pretty excited about the whole thing because it would definitely be something different. The only downside is that every thing's pretty routine. There's no surgeries to watch or crazy emergencies. But at this point beggars can't be choosers. I do have an interview scheduled in March- but something tells me I'm not quite qualified for that since they need a whole month to interview everyone. I mean I'm going to try anyway, but I think it's a long shot. Hopefully the interview goes well tomorrow and I'll no longer be unemployed!
Anyway, I'll just recap my weekend for those who are interested. So it was Valentine's Day weekend and to be completely honest it was kind of sad for me. Even though I'm moving on with my life and starting a brand new chapter the holidays always make me a little sad for the past. Thankfully, I have amazing roommates who make all that emotional stuff more bearable. So, Mel and I thought we would have a nice quiet Friday night and just grab a beer or two at the Burbank Bar and Grill down the street. So we get there and it's kinda crowded and we kind of awkwardly standing on the dance floor. Then the band comes on. The 80's cover band! It was fabulous. Mel and I just started dancing and singing and it was fantastic. We even met the bass player "Billy Midol" who by day works at an accounting firm (Sara want me to try and get you a job out here??). Long story short we danced the night away to the wonderful sounds of the 80s.
Now, there is a very large network of Syracuse grads out here because Newhouse is one of the top communication schools in the country and LA is where they all flock to. I know some of these grads because I was in Newhouse for a couple semesters (before I became part of the 2% who wouldn't graduate from Newhouse). Some of the SU kids were having a house party on Saturday, so Mel and I figured we might as well go meet up with some of them. It was a little awkward for me because although I knew some of them, I'm not really friends with most of them. I did however meet a very nice man from South Africa named Hein. He was actually really nice and was looking out for me when my roommate disappeared for awhile. At one point he told me "be careful- that guys just not that into you" Yes. He actually said that to me. Thanks for lookin out for me buddy.
Last night was also fun. Jackie didn't have to go to work today since it's a holiday so we thought we'd go play some Bingo. Melanie won the first round she played. I did not win once. Story of my life... haha. It was pretty cool although we were all a little tired from our long weekend. So here I am. Excited for my interview, but still nervous because I don't have tons and tons of prior experience. I miss home and my friends and family- but I still feel confident in my decision to move out here. It's nice to live with friends again.
Here's to hoping the sun comes out soon : )
Monday, February 16, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Over a Week!
So, I've been in LA just over a week. I had a really good weekend. Mel took me out with her Friday night for dinner and dancing with a bunch of her friends. I was a little skeptical at first, but ended up having a really good time. Even when Melanie disappeared a couple times hmm hmm. Then Saturday we spent all day running around doing errands and picking stuff up for the apartment and our rooms. Then Jackie made us a fabulous Mexican dinner with all sorts of good stuff. Then we headed to this pub called Cat and the Fiddle for STRONGBOW <3. While we were there we happened to run into a bunch of SU kids we graduated with... so weird. Out of all the places to go and see we picked the same one, it still baffles me. On Sunday Al came over and we wondered around Melrose for awhile. Then Mel and I found a table and four chairs on Craigslist for $50 and we picked it up and set it up. It's a really nice set too, so we were pretty excited. Once we get a couch, we'll be set : )
Ok, so I was getting up to take the dog out for a walk and go to the gym and I got a call from one of the vet offices I sent my resume to and they asked me to come in and interview at noon. I quickly jumped on the chance and headed towards Santa Monica. I had my interview and I think it went really well. The Chief of Staff was from NJ as well (points!) then the office manager gave me a tour. They have enough room to board 65 dogs! Crazyness. So it seemed like they liked me and the office manager said she would call me later today to confirm coming in for a trial shift tomorrow. They also liked that I have experience as an assistant (more points!). So, hopefully I'll hear from her soon and start work and make money! I mean it's not ideal because it is a little far away, but if Melanie and I have similar hours we could totally carpool. Yay.
So, I think things are finally starting to fall into place. If I get this job such a weight will be lifted off of my shoulders. I may still need to get a second job, but we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I'll have some sort of set shifts so I can get a second job if needed. That's all I got for now. Peace out
Ok, so I was getting up to take the dog out for a walk and go to the gym and I got a call from one of the vet offices I sent my resume to and they asked me to come in and interview at noon. I quickly jumped on the chance and headed towards Santa Monica. I had my interview and I think it went really well. The Chief of Staff was from NJ as well (points!) then the office manager gave me a tour. They have enough room to board 65 dogs! Crazyness. So it seemed like they liked me and the office manager said she would call me later today to confirm coming in for a trial shift tomorrow. They also liked that I have experience as an assistant (more points!). So, hopefully I'll hear from her soon and start work and make money! I mean it's not ideal because it is a little far away, but if Melanie and I have similar hours we could totally carpool. Yay.
So, I think things are finally starting to fall into place. If I get this job such a weight will be lifted off of my shoulders. I may still need to get a second job, but we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I'll have some sort of set shifts so I can get a second job if needed. That's all I got for now. Peace out
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Rainy day in LA
Ok, so most of my day today was spent trying to get the wireless internet to work and emailing as many people as possible hoping to find a job! I even sent my resume to a couple cat only clinics...which makes me sad because I love the dogs (plus I wouldn't get a discount for Rusty!) This whole finding a new job thing is hard. But there are about a million places in a 15 mile radius so I'm sure something will pop up right?
Anyway, I thought I would tell the fridge story and give a little description of my neighborhood. So, our apartment came with a washer/dryer and a dishwasher but no fridge. No our kitchen is in a corner and there's a counter top in an l-shape. When Mel found a fridge she measured to make sure it would fit (smart girl). However, the counter top juts out a little bit into the walkway so the fridge did not fit... Then we thought if we took the doors off it might work. After about an hour of tilting the fridge to get to the screws, we had the doors off. Still not small enough. OK- lets put it on its side and slide it under. Perfect! Not quite. We were able to slide it under but when we tried to put it right side up again it hit the corner of the counter top! Only one thing left to do. Lift the damn thing over our heads and over the counter. Which we were able to do. Then we had to put the doors back on. It was hilarious but quite the ordeal. But now we have a fridge and can keep things cold!
Anyway, onto Burbank. Burbank is ridiculously cute. There's a strip that has all sorts of food and shops and it's very chill. There's also a bunch of bigger stores within walking distance like ikea and some department stores. The weather has been absolutely beautiful up until today. There's even a dog park in walking distance (haven't quite gotten to that yet) and I only have to go a couple miles to go hiking! The first day I was here we ran into anothe SU alum crossing the road. Crazy. It's been pretty sweet so far, now I just need a job! I'm currently on phase 1 which is emailing and calling. Phase 2, stopping in with my resume/ refrences will be next week. Then phase 3 will be expanding to non-vet receptionist positions, then phase 4 will be applying to Target. No lie. Hopefully we don't have to get past phase 2 : )
So, that's where I stand. I'm waiting for it to stop pouring so I can take the dog out. The construction workers all love him and think he's amazing and has such a strong will. Oh, one last thing about Rusty. At home people would glance and maybe look confused for a second. Here, everyone points and talks about it within ear shot. They all look mortified... it's very unsettling. And telling to story over and over again is starting to get old.
More updates soon!
Anyway, I thought I would tell the fridge story and give a little description of my neighborhood. So, our apartment came with a washer/dryer and a dishwasher but no fridge. No our kitchen is in a corner and there's a counter top in an l-shape. When Mel found a fridge she measured to make sure it would fit (smart girl). However, the counter top juts out a little bit into the walkway so the fridge did not fit... Then we thought if we took the doors off it might work. After about an hour of tilting the fridge to get to the screws, we had the doors off. Still not small enough. OK- lets put it on its side and slide it under. Perfect! Not quite. We were able to slide it under but when we tried to put it right side up again it hit the corner of the counter top! Only one thing left to do. Lift the damn thing over our heads and over the counter. Which we were able to do. Then we had to put the doors back on. It was hilarious but quite the ordeal. But now we have a fridge and can keep things cold!
Anyway, onto Burbank. Burbank is ridiculously cute. There's a strip that has all sorts of food and shops and it's very chill. There's also a bunch of bigger stores within walking distance like ikea and some department stores. The weather has been absolutely beautiful up until today. There's even a dog park in walking distance (haven't quite gotten to that yet) and I only have to go a couple miles to go hiking! The first day I was here we ran into anothe SU alum crossing the road. Crazy. It's been pretty sweet so far, now I just need a job! I'm currently on phase 1 which is emailing and calling. Phase 2, stopping in with my resume/ refrences will be next week. Then phase 3 will be expanding to non-vet receptionist positions, then phase 4 will be applying to Target. No lie. Hopefully we don't have to get past phase 2 : )
So, that's where I stand. I'm waiting for it to stop pouring so I can take the dog out. The construction workers all love him and think he's amazing and has such a strong will. Oh, one last thing about Rusty. At home people would glance and maybe look confused for a second. Here, everyone points and talks about it within ear shot. They all look mortified... it's very unsettling. And telling to story over and over again is starting to get old.
More updates soon!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
California Dreaming
Ok, so we arrive in California around lunchtime on Sunday just in time to head to the corner bar and watch the Superbowl. I can honestly say that one of the things I'll miss most is watching football games with my mom. Seriously, no one here will be as into the game as my mother. No one here will know all the players by their first names. So sad. Anyway, the last couple days have been a whirlwind. I've managed to accomplish some things, ie I now have a bed to sleep in and most of my clothes are unpacked/organized in my new portable closet. I still have to pick up a few things, but overall I'm getting there.
So, I decided that in order to save money I would decorate my room with my old black and white London pics. To make it look more classy I bought black foam board and mounted the pictures on them. Too bad I can't use a box cutter properly nor can I draw a strait line (even with the help of a ruler). Oh well, you can only tell if you stand closely... at least that's what I'm telling myself. This whole moving process is more expensive than I originally thought it would be. I mean I knew it would be expensive but there's no way I would be able to do this without the emotional and financial support of my mother. I'm not very good at expressing my feelings when it comes to my mom, so I hope she knows how much I appreciate all she's done for me in the last 22 years. I can't imagine how different my life would be without my mom. She's pretty much my best friend and confidant. I love her, and I don't tell her enough which makes me sad.
Anyway, I think my dog is more popular with my roomates than I am. They love him and can't get enough. All the things he does that drive me nuts, they find adorable. Go figure. At least I'll know he's being taken care of if I'm working two jobs. Melanie is determined she'll meet boys with him. She's probably right, because he is quite the conversation piece seeing as he only has three legs and all. So, I know there are a lot of minor details (like seeing seals in Santa Monica and funny waiters at the pizza joint), but this post is already too long. I'll give a summary of our apartment and I will tell the story about the fridge tomorrow, but for now I think this has gone on long enough.
Oh, I'm going to fill out an aplication for a job tomorrow. Kind of nervous, but excited at the same time. I just want to walk in there and them be like oh we're super desperate so we'll hire you on the spot! Here's to hoping.
So, I decided that in order to save money I would decorate my room with my old black and white London pics. To make it look more classy I bought black foam board and mounted the pictures on them. Too bad I can't use a box cutter properly nor can I draw a strait line (even with the help of a ruler). Oh well, you can only tell if you stand closely... at least that's what I'm telling myself. This whole moving process is more expensive than I originally thought it would be. I mean I knew it would be expensive but there's no way I would be able to do this without the emotional and financial support of my mother. I'm not very good at expressing my feelings when it comes to my mom, so I hope she knows how much I appreciate all she's done for me in the last 22 years. I can't imagine how different my life would be without my mom. She's pretty much my best friend and confidant. I love her, and I don't tell her enough which makes me sad.
Anyway, I think my dog is more popular with my roomates than I am. They love him and can't get enough. All the things he does that drive me nuts, they find adorable. Go figure. At least I'll know he's being taken care of if I'm working two jobs. Melanie is determined she'll meet boys with him. She's probably right, because he is quite the conversation piece seeing as he only has three legs and all. So, I know there are a lot of minor details (like seeing seals in Santa Monica and funny waiters at the pizza joint), but this post is already too long. I'll give a summary of our apartment and I will tell the story about the fridge tomorrow, but for now I think this has gone on long enough.
Oh, I'm going to fill out an aplication for a job tomorrow. Kind of nervous, but excited at the same time. I just want to walk in there and them be like oh we're super desperate so we'll hire you on the spot! Here's to hoping.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Day two on the Road
So, I'm sitting in a Super 8 Motel in Amarillo, Texas after driving all day. Yesterday we left bright and early (and slightly hungover- thanks to all who helped contribute to that, haha) and drove to Effingham, Illinois. Drive wasn't too bad only hit a little bit of bad weather and not much traffic. Today there was slightly more traffic, but still not too bad. Being crammed in a tiny car with my mom and dog is going more smoothly than anticipated. My mom and I only argued about the giant cookie. I wanted to just throw it out because it kept falling on the dog and getting icing everywhere. She did not. She did not have to keep crawling into the back seat and clean icing off of everything. I won in the end and the cookie got tossed. Other than that it's been pretty drama free. She drove the entire day today and I'm pretty sure that was just because she wanted to listen to her book on tape. Side note, I am NOT a fan of books on tape. They're just way to slow and it bothers me that one person does the voice for every character. Thank goodness for ipods.
So, driving through very flat countryside at night causes one to think- way too much. I couldn't help but notice how many stars you can see. It makes you feel so small. I've had way too much time to think. I know I said I was giving fear the finger... but fear is much more powerful than I originally thought. As I was driving 15 hours a day for the last two days, it made me really think about what I'm leaving behind as well as the fact that I have no job and know a handful of people. I'm less worried about not having a job than I am about feeling lonely. I'm confident in my ability to get a job and less confident in my ability to meet people and make new friends... how messed up is that? I even started crying becuase I missed my cat. I felt really bad that I'm not bringing him considering he has been abandoned by his last two owners. I mean it's not like I'm putting him on the street he's just gonna hang out with my parents, but eithe way it made me really sad I left him behind.
I also realized how blessed I've been with the people in my life. My family is ridiculously supportive of the decisions I make. I have amazing friends that I've known forever and even though we may have grown apart in the past, we always make it back to each other. Randi accepted me into her group of friends with no hesitation. Dan has showed me that chivalry is not dead and there are still nice boys out there. Kate's free spirit is always refreshing, and Jen has been family to me for over ten years. She knows me better than most and sometimes it's a little scary. There are plenty of others who've made my life up to now pleasurable and bareable. I can only hope that I meet people out in California who are half as amazing as the people I left behind. I mean I know my roomates are amazing people, but I'm worried we'll have opposite schedules and I won't have anyone else to hang out with (at least not at first).
Well I should probably stop there, although I'm sure I could continue. We're only driving 11 hours tomorrow! haha We should make it to Kingman, Arizona. Happy Trails
So, driving through very flat countryside at night causes one to think- way too much. I couldn't help but notice how many stars you can see. It makes you feel so small. I've had way too much time to think. I know I said I was giving fear the finger... but fear is much more powerful than I originally thought. As I was driving 15 hours a day for the last two days, it made me really think about what I'm leaving behind as well as the fact that I have no job and know a handful of people. I'm less worried about not having a job than I am about feeling lonely. I'm confident in my ability to get a job and less confident in my ability to meet people and make new friends... how messed up is that? I even started crying becuase I missed my cat. I felt really bad that I'm not bringing him considering he has been abandoned by his last two owners. I mean it's not like I'm putting him on the street he's just gonna hang out with my parents, but eithe way it made me really sad I left him behind.
I also realized how blessed I've been with the people in my life. My family is ridiculously supportive of the decisions I make. I have amazing friends that I've known forever and even though we may have grown apart in the past, we always make it back to each other. Randi accepted me into her group of friends with no hesitation. Dan has showed me that chivalry is not dead and there are still nice boys out there. Kate's free spirit is always refreshing, and Jen has been family to me for over ten years. She knows me better than most and sometimes it's a little scary. There are plenty of others who've made my life up to now pleasurable and bareable. I can only hope that I meet people out in California who are half as amazing as the people I left behind. I mean I know my roomates are amazing people, but I'm worried we'll have opposite schedules and I won't have anyone else to hang out with (at least not at first).
Well I should probably stop there, although I'm sure I could continue. We're only driving 11 hours tomorrow! haha We should make it to Kingman, Arizona. Happy Trails
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
This is my last day in New Jersey
So, if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me why I was moving to California, I'd be a very happy girl. If I had five dollars every time I got a funny look after I explained I'd be even happier. It's hard to explain why I'm picking up out of the blue and driving 3000 miles to live on the other side of the country. The easiest explanation is the opportunity came up so I took it. There's a little bit of a backstory leading up to this so let me explain.
I graduated from Syracuse University in May. My group of friends, my support system, my rock- well they were all going off to chase their dreams, and they were going far. I mean really far. As for the roomates- China (yes China), Boston, Chicago, NYC, and DC. As for my APO loves- London (yes England), couple in Cali, Rochester, Georgia, Louisiana, you get the idea. Melanie was one of the closest in NYC (it only took 3 hours to get to her, no biggie) and then she dropped the bomb. She was moving to LA, and jokingly she said you should come with me! And I laughed, and then I stopped laughing and I thought you know what I should. Why not? I've lived in Jersey my entire life (minus the four years I was at Syracuse) how about a change. Now I'm not telling the entire story, so once again let me go back.
I said that I graduated in May, well about a week and a half after that I went on a two week roadtrip to move my other friend Jackie out to LA. Good times with good friends. Well when it was time to go home my boyfriend of four years picked me up from the airport and broke up with me in front of my house. My life was quickly spinning out of my countrol and it hit hard. Really hard. I had just lost the comfort of my best friends and roomates being available 24/7 and then my best friend and the one I loved was telling me he no longer wanted to be with me. It hurt. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. I had my routines, I went to work (which in all honesty is probably what kept me sane). I loved my job, I enjoyed going to work and I got a "blind" kitten and a three legged dog out of it in the process. I had my routines and things were going ok, and I was content, but that's not enough for me. I needed to get out of the rut I was living in. And then Allison moved to London and Melanie was moving to California and I was going to be alone yet again. I was tired of people leaving me, so I was going to be the one leaving this time.
Fate was in my favor and it turned out Jackie was looking for a new place to live as well. So here I was with the chance to move to California and try something new with two of my best friends. Now anyone who has known me for a long time would think there's no way I would just pick up and move for no good reason- it's not practical. To hell with Practical. I've lived my entire life by the rules. I went to school, got good grades, joined clubs, made everyone else around me happy- put my heart and soul into my relationship- it's exhausting! I want to screw up, I want to make mistakes, I want to live my life. Life's too short and it's a great big world out there. I want to see as much of it as I can before I die. Now I'd be lying if said being dumped had nothing to do with this. I'm tired of the constant reminders of him. I NEED a change of scenery. Some people might say I'm running from my problems and that won't solve anything, but I don't see it that way. I think getting dumped was a wake up call. Part of me was ready to settle down with him and stay in New Jersey and live in my nice little bubble. But I would have missed out on so many things. I don't want to miss out on anything. I'm still young and I have a lot of living to do.
So, I hope that clears some things up, but I wouldn't be surprised if you still don't understand because honestly I still don't understand. My gut is saying go, get away from here and for once I'm going to listen to it. Am I scared? ABSOLUTELY! But I'm through with fear. I'm looking fear in the face and giving him the finger. I'm doing what makes me happy for once. Bottom line. I'm doing what makes me happy for once, and it feels great.
I graduated from Syracuse University in May. My group of friends, my support system, my rock- well they were all going off to chase their dreams, and they were going far. I mean really far. As for the roomates- China (yes China), Boston, Chicago, NYC, and DC. As for my APO loves- London (yes England), couple in Cali, Rochester, Georgia, Louisiana, you get the idea. Melanie was one of the closest in NYC (it only took 3 hours to get to her, no biggie) and then she dropped the bomb. She was moving to LA, and jokingly she said you should come with me! And I laughed, and then I stopped laughing and I thought you know what I should. Why not? I've lived in Jersey my entire life (minus the four years I was at Syracuse) how about a change. Now I'm not telling the entire story, so once again let me go back.
I said that I graduated in May, well about a week and a half after that I went on a two week roadtrip to move my other friend Jackie out to LA. Good times with good friends. Well when it was time to go home my boyfriend of four years picked me up from the airport and broke up with me in front of my house. My life was quickly spinning out of my countrol and it hit hard. Really hard. I had just lost the comfort of my best friends and roomates being available 24/7 and then my best friend and the one I loved was telling me he no longer wanted to be with me. It hurt. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. I had my routines, I went to work (which in all honesty is probably what kept me sane). I loved my job, I enjoyed going to work and I got a "blind" kitten and a three legged dog out of it in the process. I had my routines and things were going ok, and I was content, but that's not enough for me. I needed to get out of the rut I was living in. And then Allison moved to London and Melanie was moving to California and I was going to be alone yet again. I was tired of people leaving me, so I was going to be the one leaving this time.
Fate was in my favor and it turned out Jackie was looking for a new place to live as well. So here I was with the chance to move to California and try something new with two of my best friends. Now anyone who has known me for a long time would think there's no way I would just pick up and move for no good reason- it's not practical. To hell with Practical. I've lived my entire life by the rules. I went to school, got good grades, joined clubs, made everyone else around me happy- put my heart and soul into my relationship- it's exhausting! I want to screw up, I want to make mistakes, I want to live my life. Life's too short and it's a great big world out there. I want to see as much of it as I can before I die. Now I'd be lying if said being dumped had nothing to do with this. I'm tired of the constant reminders of him. I NEED a change of scenery. Some people might say I'm running from my problems and that won't solve anything, but I don't see it that way. I think getting dumped was a wake up call. Part of me was ready to settle down with him and stay in New Jersey and live in my nice little bubble. But I would have missed out on so many things. I don't want to miss out on anything. I'm still young and I have a lot of living to do.
So, I hope that clears some things up, but I wouldn't be surprised if you still don't understand because honestly I still don't understand. My gut is saying go, get away from here and for once I'm going to listen to it. Am I scared? ABSOLUTELY! But I'm through with fear. I'm looking fear in the face and giving him the finger. I'm doing what makes me happy for once. Bottom line. I'm doing what makes me happy for once, and it feels great.
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