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