The Beginning of Chapter LA

Finally! Here we go. I've been wanting to start a blog for some time now. Partly because I know that a few of you remember my promise to write a book about my many ridiculously outrageous stories surrounding my coming out and subsequent drama-filled relationships. You may get some of that here. The book is a daunting work in progress. Who knows what will come of it. A blog seems like a good place to throw some of that in...maybe. My main focus here is to share with you some of the thoughts that go through my mind each day as I learn more and more about this crazy place called LA. I grew up in Bremerton, WA, you gotta remember. What is this place?! I constantly have something to say about things I experience here but I hardly ever say them. So this is it. I thought I would start out with a general update on what has gone on since I got here. This is what I've been up to...

Sara came home to Seattle after her first semester of PT school at USC. At the end of her winter break, we packed my little SUV full to the brim with all of my belongings and set out on the three day road trip. Moving in was fairly simple. All of my things seemed to fit in nicely with Sara's without too much of a hassle. And living with a girlfriend for the first time? A breeze. Couldn't ask for a better roommate/lover/companion/friend. We have our arguments as every couple does, but it works. So glad about that.

A picture I took from the courtyard of our apartment building in February.

January for me was a lot of sitting on the couch all day emailing my resume out to all the surrounding physical therapy clinics. Sara even went to the trouble of making me a spread sheet of all the clinics in Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, and Arcadia with their websites and phone numbers. I was desperate. I probably emailed about 20-30 clinics with responses from only two or three. Low and behold, I got a call three weeks later for a full time position in Glendale (only about 15 minutes away). The catch, it was a temporary position. They couldn't tell me how long I would be secured a job there because the person I was replacing was on medical leave and they didn't know when she would be back. Whatever, I needed the money, right? Turned out not to be worth it. Who knew I would be so picky? It just wasn't my cup of tea. The people were nice, the money wasn't bad, but I just didn't get out of it what I needed. Too much paper work, not enough hands on experience. I needed something that would boost me into grad school, not keep me where I was. So I was on the job hunt again! I worked there for a total of six weeks while continuing my search for something better.

I baked them a cake and resigned from that job at the end of February and immediately started working at a top notch clinic in Beverly Hills (about an hour away). The experience? Phenomenal. Just what I need to get into school. The commute? Horrendous. There is lots more to say about all that but I will save it for future posts. The position unfortunately was only part time and I couldn't settle with only 16.5 hours a week. Luckily I had also just gotten a call from a clinic in Burbank (20 minutes away). Only a part time position as well, I started there as soon as I could. Both jobs combined only come out to 26.5 hours a week but hey, I get Tuesdays and Thursdays off which is nice considering Monday and Wednesday are from 7-noon in Burbank and 1:30-7 in Beverly Hills. I am one tired girl after those days, let me tell you. But it all worked out!

Other than work I found a place to do a little dancing. On Saturdays I have been taking an open ballet class at Pasadena Dance Theatre. Compared to the six days a week of dance I was doing in high school, the rehearsals til 10pm I was doing in college, and 7 hours a week of rehearsal with Karin Steven's Dance Company back in Seattle, this is hardly fulfilling. But it is something. And oh man, does it kick my butt. I am not in the ballet shape that I used to be. I feel like puking at the end of every class. After the first class I took I couldn't move for two days. That is not a joke. It is good though.

I better stop there. That is a pretty good recap on what I've been up to the last few months. You'll get the rest here and there. Now for some Cali commentary.