LA observations. just a few to start...

We have a meeting, order pizza. The box is advertising some upcoming movie. The executive producer looks over at me apologetically and says, "Welcome to LA."

I open up the LA Weekly... I am struck by the number of botox and lipo ads. Nearly every page.

I really am surprised by all the lawns.

I saw a cyclist today.

The supermarket down the street here doesn't have a sidewalk to get to the front door. It's off the parking lot in the back only. I walked up the driveway.

I am afraid getting hooked on blended coffee with boba balls in it. Hooked in some strange overly-sweet mid-afternoon caffeine/sugar craving kind of way...

Nearly 2 weeks in LA... It's felt like an odd and somewhat disconnected time overall. The job is great, and the people turn out to be even more excellent than their first impressions led me to believe. Nice (and rare) when that is true. The odd part is being so clueless about where I am and needing all kinds of basic help (where can I go for lunch? where's a used book store? is that neighborhood far?) It's been a long while for me to be so out of it in a living-there type situation. I'm certainly feeling like a traveller -- only I'm supposed to have moved here. Hm.

For a place notorious for its cars, LA has a lot of trees. Looking around for an apartment, it seemed I was constantly turning a corner of some central city street and landing on another suburban block. It seems most blocks between the big streets here are filled with 1- and 2-story homes with lawns in front. Where I'm staying (Santa Monica according to my host, Sawtelle according to the Thomas Guide), it seems there's always someone out walking their dog. No matter what time of day or night.

High contrast to Koreatown, where I'm working, which oddly keeps reminding me off different places in the Philippines. Not fully, but every now and then. There's a boba tea/coffee place around the corner with a little outdoor deck that feels kinda like Boracay except that it faces a bank parking lot instead of the beach. I can pretend it's a beach...

As for the job, I'm learning tons about viruses, bacteria, and a couple of parasites. Even more about epidemics and public policy (or the lack of it). And I feel like a part of this little documentary-making machine, not just a side note. That's a nice feeling. For that, I'm sure that it's all going to be good. The verdict on the rest of my world down here is still to be determined. I suppose my sense of place will improve as I learn my way around and as I get some friends so I don't simply return home to read more about plagues, eat cheese and crackers, and wait until after our cell plans go to "evening minutes" to talk to Troy on the phone.

First day in LA, first day at the new job. Pretty dang cool place to work, I'm thinking. Day was slow, just getting oriented, but still actually productive. It's awfully nice to be working again. Something about my last consulting jobs just wasn't working for me. I think that they weren't absorbing enough. Not enough work. And it's nice to be back in an office with co-workers again.

Off to look at apartments now. Not looking forward to that at all.

It's coming down to the wire. Today is our day to rent the truck and throw stuff into storage. Even though I've brought several carloads to Goodwill, have donated other things to art programs, have thrown away many bags of stuff and have sold my couches and a dresser... I still have lots of stuff! This is insane.

Also insane is taking off for the weekend for a wedding and trying to pack for that at the same time. I'm feeling a little nuts.

And the countdown to moving away from Troy is not fun. I'm having a hard time letting myself think about that. It's mitigating my excitement about the job, although that is still exciting. But I worry for our future, knowing full well that worrying accomplishes nothing and I can only wait and see how everything turns out.

Time to make americanos and wake up my sleepy guy.