House Sitting

After fending off a single skunk from the cat food for a good 30 minutes, Carly and I (only slightly feeling the effects of our beverages) were drawn to the window upon hearing a crashing noise. This is what we found.....

Mental Health Day

I've just had my first proper day off from work at the winery since returning from my week of travels, and it has been marvelous!

I slept in until 9am, made and enjoyed some tea, ran a quick errand to the local post office, went for a run and worked out for about an hour, layed out in the sun and listened to music for another hour, showered and finally dressed for the day.

It has been so long since I have been able to get some proper exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, and spend the day outside that my body is literally in shock from all the pampering and care it's getting! I love feeling energized so much and have been so long without it, that I am making a resolution to take advantage of my new, more care free working life that I am going to get back in shape.

I wanna hear which songs/artists pump you up or keep you going on a workout... I don't have the discipline to run for very long, and used to keep myself going with certain Rage Against the Machine songs. I have recently discovered that the heavy beats of Goldfrapp have also been doing the trick, but if I am going to make this whole working out thing a habit, I'm going to need more than just her rocking vocals to keep me going. So tell me what it is. If there's one thing I love, it's finding new music!!!

Down Time

Here is just a taste of the fabulous amount of mayhem and silliness that filled my week of travels and vacation.....

In case it is not clear, in the first of these videos, we are stalled at an intersection in the rain in Buffalo. Immediately after taking this video, I had to jump up to the driver's seat while the 3 boys I was with (all luckily in top condition) proceeded to run behind the car, pushing it into the next parking lot.


This next video is of two of the three friends I was visiting in San Francisco for a weekend - all of whom were old friends from my time at university in Paris. I think we set the standards for reunions. I'm not sure if this video illustrates that, but it was the only one I had. Enjoy.

A Fork in the Road

At the four month mark of starting my new job in Los Angeles, I promptly left it.  

After finding myself surprisingly disappointed with my first experience in the production world - a field I had long considered to be a potential life-long fit - I find myself right back where I started.  I am having feelings of buyers remorse in having jumped in head-first into living in Los Angeles, and relying on a steady paycheck in order to afford it.  

I am at the point where I am contemplating getting out of my lease early, making the move back to the wine country, and pursuing something in that arena for a bit, all the while saving up and figuring out where and when I want to make my next move.  Another traveling adventure is always appealing, but so is the potential of making a move to another part of the country - perhaps the east coast this time.  

There are many things to declutter in my head, and I am hoping that this small break will aid in doing so.  

Please, help and guidance is needed.

Hear-ye, hear-ye!!

I am taking a poll:

The next country that Sam should try her luck in on a semi-permanent basis should be:

A) Spain

B) South Africa

C) Argentina

D) Italy

E) Brazil (or Brasil, if you're actually from there)

As you can tell, I am more favoring the Latin-speaking nations, but I am by no means reserved solely to these options. I am open for any suggestions my readers might have...Even if my readers do only consist of my parents, and they opt for me to stay in California...

Game Plan

I am motivating myself to save. I would like to say that there was more depth to this statement, and that perhaps, I was even aiming to "save" in the more philosophical or metaphorical sense...whatever that might mean. But really, I am just trying to make those Numbers go up - or at least rest steadily where they are. No more of this depletion nonsense.

I always loved making money growing up, putting it in the bank account, and watching the numbers rise. I have had a summer job, every year since the age of 14, and all through university. I have never spent even half of what my earnings were, and so have been fortunate in knowing that there was always this little nest egg waiting for me to cash it.

First, it was saving for a car. Then the car came as a surprise, conveniently, right as I started driving.

Then it was for university. I was fortunate enough between financial aid, student jobs, and some savings my family had tucked away for me, that not even this effected the balance of my savings by much.

Graduation came, and I decided, it was now or never. I had been dreaming of Australia since I saw The Little Mermaid, and proceeded to become obsessed with the ocean. I wanted to have the ability to breathe underwater, or at the very least, become a marine biologist. Needless to say, I have done neither. I did, however, fly myself to Australia, and did a pretty fantastic job (if I do say so myself) of touring the East Coast over the course of 6 weeks.

Since my return, I have been working 24/7, and have not see the light of day. That, my friends, is what is known as "whiplash".

So here's the game plan I am instituting with the aim in mind of planning a rather fabulous and exotic trip out of the country. I will do it in the year of 2008. This is my promise.
Step 1: no superfluous spending.
- No designer coffee. My travel mug and homemade brew does me just fine. = a savings of $5 per craving.
-Bring my own lunch to the office. = $10 per meal (at least).
-No going out on the town, unless on a weekend - or at least, no spending on the town.
-Drink at home. I hate to say it, but I can pretty much pay for an entire bottle of wine with what it costs to have a single glass at a shwanky bar in the city. I am going to save such occasions for, well....occasions.

In using this Plan, I am confident that even my poverty-level income will garner me a vacation.

Now, who's on board????

She works hard for the money

...dun-uh dun-uh....so harrrrd for it honey!

Sorry, I had to complete the verse. So good good news people. After a little over 6 months since their opening, and 3 months to the day since I have been with them, my company just signed their first job! This comes at the best time possible, since I have been sitting here wondering if it was time to move on, and if my bosses were going to have to call it quits. The job pays nothing, which is the only downside. The hope is that work begets work, and now that we have this, the momentum will build on itself. It is with a rather large company, so there is also the possibility of future (remunerated) work if all goes well and all are pleased at the end of this job.

The most important improvement that has come with this, is the suddenly cheery and productive mood of my employers. They are suddenly focused on more than just me, and I'm hoping this is a trend that will catch on. I still am in no way convinced that I will want to stick around here any longer that I would have to, but if this atmosphere continues for longer than 24 hours, it will make it a heck of a lot more bearable to be here.

On that note, the bosses have yet to show up today, so whether or not yesterday was a fluke is still uncertain. The jury is deliberating. I will report the verdict in a few days.

Oh, and DON'T think that I have in any way forgotten my wanderlust. In my spare time I have been checking travel recommendations and flight prices to various Central American destinations for the times surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas. The flights are more affordable during Thanksgiving, but there is the potential of having more days off around Christmas, as well as the more likely possibility that I will be able to find someone(s) to accompany me. Right now, the easiest seems to be Costa Rica. And while this would not have been my first choice, due to it's over-touristification in recent years - who am I to complain?? If I have more than a week off, I could easily hop a border or two, and I would still be able to cross another country off the list of those left unvisited.

So I'm totally serious, readers. Tell me what you're thinking. I know it's unconventional to spend one's Christmas holidays away from family (or at least it is for me), but one must take what one can get. My family still only live about 3 hours drive from me, and I see them regularly. If they want, they too can hop of the Costa Rica bandwagon, and we will eat, drink, surf and be merry!

Wanderlust Queen

Ok, so the actual song title is "Wanderlust King", but you're going to have to allow me this slight adjustment this one time.

So here's the sitch....My job is a dead end, and quickly coming to a close anyway. The company has not signed one job in the six months since it's opening, and my 3 months here have been without training, leadership, management, or company. The time is fast approaching to move on.

In addition to this, my rent is too high, my bills too many, and my pay too low. I have 2 jobs, and am pretty much unwilling to sacrifice any more time for yet another employer. I need an improvement, or if nothing else, a change. I have just returned from a whirlwind two and a half day respite in Colorado staying with my godparents and playing in the snow. It was wonderful to be outside again, in a new locale, and feeling the wonderful exhaustion at the end of the day that can only come from having used one's body all day. It is a feeling I have missed sitting at this desk for the last 3 months. It was, however, too short-lived to provide the rejuvenation that I was hoping it would.

The one plus side of having a rather large credit card bill at the end of every month, is that it means more air miles for Sammy. I was wise to pay the $30/year to get the rate of 2 air miles to every $1 spent, as opposed to the 1 to 1 rate. My miles are quickly reaching the point where I will be able to cash them in for a sweet sweet escape south of the border. So here's the deal - I'm aiming for Thanksgiving break, if not sooner, and my destination in mind is pretty much anywhere south of Mexico. This means Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, etc. It's cheap once you get there, the landscape/seascape is unmatched, and I can practice my Spanish.

So in the words of old blue eyes, aka, Frank , "So come with me, let's fly, let's fly away. " I need my friends to rally, and pull together in the name of R and R.



Come on. You know you want to....

Today

I have:

1. hit the snooze button 5 times before getting out of bed at 7am

2. showered

3. made tea

4. dressed

5. watched 5 minutes of a news special on Humpback whales

6. drank tea

7. driven to work in rush hour traffic

8. sorted through invoices, made calls, and researched the Cannes Advertising Festival

9. Called Delta for the 3rd time

10. drank tea

11. Called Delta for the 4th time

12. Discussed future work possibilities

13. Canceled a reservation at Benihana for 6 people (not my own)

It's Tuesday. The sun is not coming out. My company doesn't have work. It's Tuesday. Everyone here is depressed and sombre.

Did I mention it's Tuesday?

When the world hands you lemons....

...Put them in a Corona, and drink up!!

At least that was the conclusion to yesterday's attempt at celebrating the introduction of Catholicism to Ireland...aka, Drink-Green-Beer Day.

After having plans fall through for an official St. Patrick's Day party, my friend Lisa and I decided to make our own fun. There is a strange overabundance of British and Irish pubs in downtown Santa Monica, so we decided to throw on some green and partake in the traditional pint (or pitcher) of beer and some fries. After carefully selecting just the right place, we approached the door only to have a real life authentic Irishman (yes, they outsourced just for the occaision) tell us that there was a $20 cover charge.

"What?!?! Ah, Heeeeellll no!" Proclaimed Lisa, pulling me down the street in doing so.

It only took about 50 paces for the following conversation to take place:

"What the heck? I'm not paying 20 bucks to have ONE beer!"
"Well every place is going to have a cover charge. If only you could drink in public here...This nation is flawed!!!"
"We should just have our own party at your place....WAIT! Don't you still have all those Coronas in your fridge from when your Australian friend was supposed to visit?!??"
"YES!! A whole case!"
"There's Whole Foods - let's get green food coloring and snacks!"
"Saaaweeeet! GO!"


So there you have it. St. Patty's on a budget. Best one yet, I say - Mexican beer or not.

Jaded (yes, still a song title)

Stopped at an intersection, late on my way to work this morning, I sat and watched a large Arrowhead water truck turn onto the road ahead of me. In doing so, about a dozen large, full water-cooler-sized water bottles came flying out of the side of the truck, spilling all over the road and sidewalk. Luckily, no one was walking (no one walks in this city) down the sidewalk at the time. The light turned green, and I deliberated with myself as to whether or not I should pull over and help clear the bottles before they became any more of a problem to the heavy morning traffic.

I did not stop. I continued on my way, justifying my lack of participation by the late time and my crunch to get to the office on time. As I passed, I saw a homeless man approach the Arrowhead employee, and help him by clearing the street of the debris.

I hated myself for not pulling over. Living in Paris, I continually watched old women stumble in the subway, businessmen drop their belongings, and I always tried to lend a hand. So many people made an effort to look the other way, walk faster, change direction, all so they didn't have to participate. I hated this, and only hoped that one day when I would land flat on my face, that I wouldn't be treated as sidewalk roadkill.

The fact that this has been plaguing me for the last 6 hours reassures me in believing that I am not a completely lost cause, but the fact that I even did this makes me fear for the effect that this city, and the haste that it employs in it's citizens, has taken on me. I am promising myself that I will continue to acknowledge the people and events that surround me, and not to ignore or reject them so I can continue on my way.

Think happy thoughts...

I am going to temporarily forget the fact that my boss sent me 9 emails between the hours of 7 and 8am this morning, and instead write what I had been meaning to p.s. to all of you since my last post....

Despite the unlikelihood of my suspicion, it has turned out to be nevertheless true - parrots are living in the trees outside my apartment!!

On the rare occasion that I was actually able to have a lie in at my apartment in Los Angeles, I would sit there, half awake half asleep, listening to the unusual birds outside my window, and would reminisce of the tropical birds that would serve as my alarm clock in Australia. I kept wishing that it were true; that I was still listing to the songs of the Rosella, and Ibis, and not just another house sparrow or dirty crow. This last weekend, upon returning from an extended stroll through the neighborhood, I turned down my street only to glance up and see two medium-sized green parrots swoop out of one massive palm tree, and into another.

I am smiling just thinking about it.

Ish ma burfday

There were many times in the last week or so when I could have sat down to write a scathing review of my professional, and personal life. The job was rough, and treating me equally so, which in turn, lead to my personal life (or the lack thereof) being lackluster. There was more than one occasion when I was ready to pack up, and ship off -preferably to a foreign country on the other side of the world, where the presence of such challenges as learning a new language, or adjusting my ingrained cultural behavior would have been a welcomed change, and beautifully effective distraction from the frustration that my current situation has put upon me.

Instead, I am choosing to write about the glorious weekend that has just come to pass.

After a long week of exhaustion and disappointment, my Birthday came on Friday. I was informed that I was going to be treated to lunch by my bosses, and so generously accepted. My employer offered to drive me to the restaurant, and as we were approaching, Andrea was beaming with excitement. As we turned the corner, I saw that we were arriving at a quaint little establishment called Le Petit Café.

"We're taking you back to Paris for your birthday!!" Andrea gushed. I was touched. How thoughtful and generous. Alex, the other party of this husband-wife dynamic duo was there to meet us. After stumbling through a bit of French with the owner, and receiving "felicitations" for my happy "anniversaire", we were seated. I was happy to find a genuine French menu with plenty of variety. I ordered poached salmon, with fries - extra dill sauce. I savored the salmon, and used my experience with the French cuisine to mop up the extra sauce with the fries. Delish.

Over lunch, the couple surprised me with a small box, beautifully wrapped. In it, a necklace that, while I would have never chosen for myself, have proceeded to wear for the last 3 days straight. Even more, I returned to the office after lunch to find an array of beautiful cupcakes, worthy of Alice's tea party, and a group of singing office colleagues. ...I am spoiled, it is true.

That evening, my family met me at my apartment to don me with gifts, and treat me to yet another amazing meal.

The rest of the weekend was filled with friends, and plenty of outdoor activities - something that had been missing from my life the last few weeks. I took an extended walk/jog through my surrounding neighborhoods Saturday morning, went grocery shopping, cleaned, and kept every single window in my apartment open all day. It was fantastic. I went to a club with some good friends that night, and awoke Sunday morning to spend half of the beautiful day at the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena, where I practiced restraint and only purchased one dress, after talking the vendor down to 15 of the originally 25 dollar price. I caught up with a friend I had not seen in years over lunch, and proceed to catch up even further over a few chilly ones at a patio bar, and then all the way through dinner and into the night.

This was exactly what the doctor ordered. Now, if I could only get another dosage...

S-A, T-U-R, T-U-R...DAY!!

Yes, I am still alluding to various song titles as subject headings...and anyone who got this latest one, is a true connoisseur of music.

This last weekend was my first off in a record 3 weeks. I was looking forward to it from Monday morning, with no particular event included in my plans at all. As the week progressed, work became more and more unbearable. It was the first time in my life when I can honestly say I hated my job. My bosses were stressed, and traveling for business (which puts no one at ease), and I was stuck alone in the office, responding to every frantic email, phone call, and text message; the latter of which were arriving, at times, faster than I could read, let alone respond to.

For these reasons, I was cherishing my weekend before it even arrived. Friday night was flown solo (to no disappointment of my own). I treated myself to sushi and beer on the promenade before seeing a cheesy romantic comedy - all of which hit the spot. I drove home on a then traffic-less freeway, and went to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour.

The next morning, I awoke earlier than I would have hoped to on a day off to go get my hair cut. And boy did I! I am now sporting a funky, slightly boyish cut reminiscent of Keira Knightley's kick-ass-and-take-names portrayal of the British bounty hunter, Domino Harvey. I forced myself to avoid any mirrors for the first 24 hours, knowing that I would regret my decision. The look is quickly growing on me, and I am loving the no-frills, hassle-free process of getting ready in the morning.

I had been dying to hit up all the amazing thrift stores and flea market in Hollywood for the longest time, and so after a much needed cleaning session in The Bungalow, I headed out. I made it to one store before suddenly realizing how over-worked an exhausted I was, and instead of shopping, opted for a 2.5 midday nap. The day continued with a friend's birthday dinner in Santa Monica, and a late movie at the famous Arclight cinema. Sunday, I finally made it to my thrift stores, and am now sporting a beautiful and beyond comfy sweater, originally priced at a ridiculous $588 dollars by some Italian designer, but purchased by me at $50.

All in all, a good weekend.

22 going on 45

The last few days at work have been stressful, to say the least. I find myself in a job where I am fulfilling the roles of what would be 3 jobs in a normal company, and have been given none of the required training I was promised I would receive - making me just another flaw in a stumbling, start-up company. The last two days, my boss has found reason to make me the scapegoat for her unpreparedness. If I am to screw up my own responsibilities, I understand that there will be a lecture and possible consequences to follow, but to have to deal with the same flack as a result of someone else's mistake - I'm not sure I'm on board with that.

It got so bad that I started researching jobs in the field of travel in the middle of the day yesterday.

You're done with school. Get a career. Settle in. Make a life for yourself. - These are the sorts of obligations that run through my head every time I get the urge to try out a new path. Yet, every time I mention these same thoughts to anyone but my parents, they can't believe that I am serious.

"You're 22! Test the waters! This is not permanent. Do what you want to do before you nail yourself down"

You can imagine how difficult it is to get up in the morning for more abuse after receiving advice like that. For a wanderlust queen like myself, the only thing keeping me from booking my next voyage to a far off land, is the fact that I don't even have enough time to book the ticket. I guess that's a good thing in a way. If I ever cut back to one single job, this could be a problem...

Everyone says I love you

Valentine's Day has always brought a certain grimace to my usually smiling face. I can't even claim that it is for lack of a romantic relationship, for even when having been in one at this certain time of year, I found the whole concept of being romantic on demand ridiculous. Who thinks a Thursday is romantic in the first place? People (especially women) tend to build up the expectations to an unattainable level - leading to ultimate disappointment. And the poor men are most often placed in a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don't situation.

Working in my new office, inhabited almost entirely by women, I decided to go retro on Valentine's ass. This day was oh so fun when we were children - the day of school was broken for an hour for everyone to exchange their colorful Disney I-love-you's, and friends spent the rest of the day taking inventory of their loot and arranging nonsensical phrases with their worded heart candies. No one was left feeling alone or depressed, curled around either A)A bottle of Scotch, or B) a bucket of Ben & Jerry's.

This year, I bought a bunch of the aforementioned Valentine's cards, addressed them to each person in the office, and attached a dark chocolate heart to the inside of each one, before sealing and delivering them to my Valentines. The response was overwhelming - exactly that of a little child. I got more hugs and beaming smiles flashed at me than I have in ages.

That was sooo worth my $10.

Happy Valentine's Day

Only the lonely

The weekend was horrible. There, I'm just going to say it. None of that typical, Samantha spin of the silver-lining shpeel. It was just plain abysmal. This is saying a lot, considering that I actually managed to get both days off from working at the winery, and so technically HAD a weekend to enjoy.

Long story short - people let me down, plans were abandoned, I showed up to work on a day when no one else thought I was meant to be working, and I had nothing to do but laundry. My current mood right now is one of prolonged stagnation and dissatisfaction. In order to remedy this, I am signing on to start taking dance classes about a 15 minute walk from my apartment at least twice a week, and if I don't change my mind in 2 weeks - I'm cutting off all my hair..... again. Yes, that's right. I will no longer be defined by my "Spanish mane" (pun intended). I need a change, and I need more activity in my life besides just work.

So p-p-please, let's do something! I'm open to any and all activities, even if it means me making a fool of myself in some unfamiliar territory. I need an adventure, an experience, or just a good conversation.

What goes around...

Ok, so the first two subject headings just happened to be song titles, but now, I'm just going to roll with it...

So I was sitting in my new living room the other morning with a creamy cup of coffee before heading off to work, when I looked out my window, and noticed that I could just see the top of some towers reading, "Cedars Sinai Medical Center," - the hospital where I was born. I found it amazing that after all these years, I have moved myself a mere 3 blocks from the exact location of my birth in order to start a new life.

After all the places I have traveled, countries I have lived in, here I am; just another member of the overwhelming majority of people in this world who live their adult lives within 50 miles of their place of birth.

That said, I am enjoying my new routine and new surroundings enormously. The only downside to all this is that, due to some recent changes and upheavals at the winery, my every-other-weekend job has turned into an every-weekend-obligation. I am working 4 weekends in a row, meaning my next day off is in March. Surprisingly, I am taking this all in stride, and accept that this is only a temporary situation. My mother on the other hand, seems to be more concerned for my well-being than I. I will let you know if I lose my marbles, or maybe you could let me know if my posts start going downhill...or if they stop appearing at all.

Frankie says, "relax"

This has been my first day off in 2 weeks. the next time I have a weekend off, it will be 3 weeks from now. I am trying to cherish every moment.

I used Friday night to stay in Santa Monica a bit later after work, treated myself to some deliciously fresh sushi, had a glass of wine, and saw a French film I had been wanting to see. By the time I got out of the movie, the dreaded evening rush hour had passed, and it took me a mere 15 minutes to make the drive home (as opposed to the 1 hour it had often been taking). I went home, and tucked myself in to a nice 10 hour sleep - much needed.

Saturday I drove back to the Santa Ynez area, and met up with some people to get a ride up to San Luis Obisbo for the night, where I had been invited to catch up with an old friend I had not seen in about 8 years. I was taught all the - apparently necessary - drinking games one is meant to learn in college, and which I had not, and had a amazing time. I made it home early enough to run most of the errands my boss had given me Monday to do, so now I am going to use my Martin Luther King Jr. Day to go wine tasting, instead of to brave the Los Angeles traffic hauling myself from Home Depot to Bed Bath and freaking Beyond. Even my down time now is jam-packed with things to do, but hopefully they will all be enjoyable.

A Hard Day's Night

So, I am sitting here at my new job, and as you can see by the time stamp on this post, it is waaay later than anyone should have to be sitting at their desk.

Long story short, I have been left responsible of making sure that certain video files are uploaded for a competition by midnight tonight, and no one is holding their end of the bargain but myself. I have had to get on the phone to a 3rd party company 4 times now because they are royally effing up.

I am tired, hungry, hypoglycemic, and all I wanted to do today was buy groceries for my new apartment, and clean it and set up house and be happy and domestic and feminine for a day. This whole "career woman" thing is sooo not my bag, baby.

So for now, I am microwaving my soup, and saying many a prayer that this either fails, or succeeds, but that it makes up it's mind and does one or the other fast. If it works, I will most likely be here until midnight - and that's no exaggeration.

Limbo

Well, as it turns out, I'm glad I sat down and posted something on Boxing Day, because since then, I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, and have not found more than 5 minutes worth of personal internet time. I am even pushing my time as we speak....

So, brief recap: I worked the day following Christmas at the winery, and stayed behind an extra day while my parents braved the long drive to Las Vegas for the New Year. The next morning - New Year's Eve - I woke up at 3:30am to drive to Santa Barbara, drop off my car, and take an Airbus to LAX where I was meeting my friend arriving from Australia. We met without any confusion, checked in, and then lounged around, trying desperately to stay awake until our flight to Vegas at 11am. We got in, and there was little time for rest. The added crowds turned what should have been 10 minute drives, and 5 minute check-ins into hour long processes.

Peter was dragging, bless his poor little jet-lagged heart.

We celebrated with coctails, a beyond fancy dinner (family and godparents included), and watched the Australian stunt driver, Robbie Madison, break a world record by jumping a motorcycle the longer than the length of a football feild.....Literally. Through one goal post, our the other. We then braved The Strip for the countdown, and managed to be safe and sound in our beds by apprx 1am.

After a couple days rest through the rain at the farm, Peter and I headed to LA to do some sight seeing and some apartment hunting - the latter of which was somewhat fruitless.

As of this last Monday, I have started my new job in Santa Monica, and am residing at the local youth hostel until an apartment comes through. Don't pity me, it really isn't that bad. I am using it purely as a bed to sleep in, and it is a meager 6 blocks from work, and is just around the corner from The Promenade; providing me with limitless entertainment, food, and services until this whole limbo phase is resolved.

I had taken Peter to the airport at 4am the morning of my new job, and he is now beginning his new life in Buffalo. Brave boy from Brissy. It is a week, and perhaps a year (now that I think about it) of beginnings. It seems they all have the potential to be good, and let's hope that they are.

Happy New Year