This week started off really frustrating, I’m not going to lie. It’s been amazing moving to LA and starting a new life but moving is also incredibly challenging for many reasons. This week was constant calling and applying and interviewing for jobs… which had a very small return rate on all of my investment efforts. But I learned that you can’t let yourself give up because for every dead end situation you feel like you’ve reached, another more meaningful relationship with a networking connection or even a new friend presents itself. You just need to step back and see the big picture.
On Monday I was feeling pretty low. I hadn’t really made any new progress in my job search and was feeling alone in the city. *cue that Red Hot Chili Peppers song about feeling lonely in the city of Angels* I have people I know here and I’m very grateful for their support (keep reading to see what happens later in the week ;)) but on Monday I was feeling like I was running into a wall over and over again, just getting beaten down further each time.
Then, I was contacted by the woman who runs the Los Angeles Theta alumni page about a wine night at her house that evening. And even though it was too short notice for me to make it, she invited me to the “young thetas (under 35 age range)” meetup taking place on the upcoming Sunday. It was a light at the end of a tunnel which felt dark and damp.
Tuesday began at Bespoke’s 7:15am ride, as many of my days now do, because even if I’m feeling low exercise is a great way to get the endorphins going and raise my mood. Plus, just getting to talk to people and be social with other friendly exercise crazy humans definitely raises your mood 1000%. In the afternoon, I headed to Groundwork in Venice because I just wanted to be a bit closer to the ocean than the DTLA concrete jungle. Then, I did my work for trade shift at Bespoke which is always a highlight of my week believe it or not, because I love talking to the people there. I met a new instructor and he was so hilarious.
Wednesday I walked to the Central Library of Los Angeles! It is huge and amazing and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop being excited about how many books they have there. It’s insane and beautiful. After I tore myself away from the library, I had a phone interview with a woman I met through my Theta networking page. I’m so glad that I’m able to utilize resources like that in my search to find my place in LA. I finished off the evening with Conner at the rooftop pool reading ONE OF MY NEW BOOKS YAY! Then, we watched the sun set in Runyon Canyon park which is HUGE. We got lost, classic.
On Thursday I tried a new coffee shop: The Alchemist in Koreatown. It was pretty good. Not quite big enough of a cup for my standards though… 😉 Then, I had an in person interview which was really nice, to meet all of the people at this amazing company in person, finally. I finished off the day with a yoga class in Westwood and it took me 2 hours to get home (13 miles) with traffic because… Los Angeles.
On Friday I tried out a new coffee shop (SO MUCH COFFEEEEE) called Brasil Kiss on Wilshire and it was SO GOOD. I had a Brazilian coffee special and the baristas working there were so friendly. On Friday night Conner and I went to the Dodgers game with our friend Michael, who Conner went to high school with because we live 1.8 miles away from Dodger stadium! The Dodgers almost shut out the Padres. Our Uber driver on the way to the game had a dog in the car that really liked to lick us, and he played this really interesting new age music the whole time… which was a unique experience. After the game there was a fireworks show at the stadium! Everyone went onto the field and watched the show.
On Saturday I drove to Long Beach! I had brunch with my friend Alyssa at a restaurant named “The Breakfast Bar” and o.m.g. It was SO good. I had the “naked cakes” which was handmade pancakes with bananas, eggs, and a side of turkey bacon. I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day it was so filling. Alyssa and I checked out a street fair that happened to be taking place that night where they shut down the street next to the Rainbow Pier. We even rode the ferris wheel! I spent the rest of the evening wandering around the Pike Outlets.Â
On Sunday Conner and I had a very productive morning. We went to Porto’s for breakfast (look how long the line was…) which was this AMAZING Cuban place famous for its fried potato balls. Then we hit up Costco, IKEA again, and finally I went to the LA Theta group’s event at Smorgasburg which is a really cool food market that takes place on Sundays in the factory district, and has a different food special every week. This week’s theme was “ice cream ally!” Oh man, there was every type of ice cream you could think of from “Afters” to nitro ice cream that was set on fire, to the biggest bubble cone ice cream concoctions you’ve ever dreamed of! YUM. That night when we went food shopping at the Trader Joe’s at the USC village I got a little taste of back to college: what more could you need (see bottom picture)?
This week to come I know will be a lot more fun experiences… and maybe I’ll even get a job? 😉