I'm so happy

It's true. I'm happy. For the first time in quite a while I feel totally at ease and content. And I don't even have a job yet! (I am stressed but normal stressed not to the max which I think is good, it's a normal reaction to circumstance.) I had my first class at UCLA tonight and it went well - I have homework, I have to write a story by next week. Actually, the instructions were to write a story tomorrow and then rewrite it every day until it's due next Monday. And when I turn it in I'm to pretend I'm turning it in to Steven Spielberg and make sure it's professional. Yeah, no pressure.

But things are just falling into place. I know how to drive around the city, something that never happened in Yuma, well not too well. I still freaked when trying to get the post office. But tonight I took Ang to a friend's house and then made it to school - on the other side of the city - without a map! And then after school I headed up to Hollywood, drove around till I found parking, and then met Ang and our friends at the local pub. It was so natural, so normal, so comfortable. It feels like I am exactly in the place where I am supposed to be at this moment.

And I'm glad for that. Sometimes, especially as I look around the UCLA campus or even around Beverly Hills or Hollywood I think maybe I missed my chance, maybe I should have come at 20 like others do but tonight I decided no. I wasn't supposed to come here until now. I was supposed to do all the things I did, have all the experiences I had, so I could be here now, in this program, with these people, doing these things.

Tonight we hung out with Sean, Steve, Pauley, Michael, and later Emily. I feel like I've known these people a lot longer than a couple of weeks. I feel accepted and loved (they sent a text message, collectively, five minutes ago to see if we'd gotten home okay!). And I feel like God has a plan. Finally! Not finally that he has a plan but finally that I feel it, I sense it.

I'm finishing my novel, about to start a screenplay, meeting people in the entertainment business and out of it, serving others, being blessed and fed and loved. And it's not to say that I haven't had that where ever I've been because I have. I've had a blessed life that way. I'm just so amazed that I've found it here so quickly. I even reconnected last week with a friend from grad school who just moved out here. I mean things are good!

Okay, off to bed! Homeless lunch and writing tomorrow, then another class! Life is good. God is good. All the time!

The beginning!

Thursday night I went to my orientation at UCLA. I was nervous, I know, surprise. I got there an hour early - it didn't take me as long to get there as I thought it would, even in 5 o'clock traffic. And then the lecture hall was very easy to find. There were about 100 other students there, and I'm happy to report I didn't seem to be the only one who was a little apprehensive.

The directors of the program spoke, there are several, and then an alum who was signed by an agent her 2nd quarter in the program. It was all pretty inspirational, positive, and good-natured which I appreciated. The basic message was everyone in the program has talent, what will set us apart from the rest of the industry and each other is the amount of effort we put into our writing. So that was encouraging.

I have my first class tomorrow - the lecture class, and then I have my section class Tuesday - seven students and a teacher. Again, I'm a little nervous but I'm excited. I have a list of films I need to familiarize myself with. We'll be using Lars and the Real Girl as our major film study this quarter and about 15 others in different ways, including Juno so that's exciting!

Also, tonight I finished up the fourth part of my novel - Harold's story! Tomorrow morning I'll start on the final part - David's story, I'm pretty excited!!! I'm hoping to have it done in a week or maybe two. I'm a little late on my deadline of finishing before school began but I'm confident that I can finish soon - I can see the end! And it's heavy (clocking in at over 400 pages so far! Eeek, I know, I'll work on the editing soon).

Homeless Lunch

Every Tuesday for over a decade the Hollywood United Methodist Church has served lunch from it's front gate to anyone who needs it. Today I got to be a part of that lunch by volunteering my time. And can I just say I was once again blown away by God's ability to bless me by the people in His world and by making me remember just how fortunate I am.

First off let me just say that HUMC has their stuff together! These volunteer programs run like a military operation. Everyone gets a job, with a job description (complete with rules!), and they begin and end on time. I got their early this morning and had the opportunity to see how things run in the background a little. Two older women run the program and have for years. Then there's another woman, Jasmine (who, I've been told, was in Rent on Broadway!) who's a full-time volunteer as well. Then there's the people who come every week to help out when they can. This week there was me, Reuben, Chris, Pauley, and Michael. And it was just enough considering we served 120 souls today! (Apparently a world record for Homeless Lunch!)

Reuben and Chris are familiar with the streets but help out often and helped me out a lot, telling me about the people coming through the gates and letting me know how things ran. Every person who wants lunch has to sign his or her name on the clipboard (apparently Denzel Washington came through the line today!) and then they get a sack. In the sack is meat (salmon, chicken, tuna, or Vienna sausages - any of which can be traded for sardines), crackers, cookies, apple sauce or a banana, juice and water. Then they can stop by the hygiene table and the clothing table. This is where some of the rules come into play. Only two clothing items per person per week, only one sack lunch and only one each of the hygiene products. Again, things run smoothly here!

I was helping out with the clothing, all of which had been donated, like everything supplied on Tuesday lunch days. Today it was mostly women's clothing and I helped a lot of people find their sizes, etc. It was truly eye-opening to see the different people come through. Some were obviously living on the streets. They had an odor about them, they looked like they needed a shower, etc. Others looked more put-together, some talked of jobs and job interviews. And then some were evidently junkies, higher than a kite today. All kinds. Most of the people thanked us and were extremely appreciative, others were upset by the lack of clothing (we ran out of socks early on) and certain items (also - razors went quickly). One of the women who came through the line was someone I had worked side-by-side with on Friday preparing lunch for the AIDS clinic and then seen again at church on Sunday. I couldn't believe she's been sleeping on the floor of some building.

We gave away almost everything we had - clothes, books, food, personal items. I know now what to do before next Tuesday - clean out the closets, hunt for bargains at the dollar store and Goodwill, share what I experienced today with others so hopefully they'll donate as well. I mean, it's one thing to hear about the problems of the homeless and it's a whole other thing to see it first hand, to hear about how it's getting cold at night and they just want a blanket or a sweatshirt. I mean I can go to my closet and choose from several of both. These people don't have that.

I know that in life we make choices, each of us make millions of choices that ultimately leads us to where we are at this very moment. I also know that somethings are beyond our control. There are external factors that influence our choices or sometimes make them for us. I know I have absolutely no right to judge any person for their choices or their circumstances but I also know that I have every responsibility to help everyone I can. Today these people made me smile, they made me sad, they made me laugh, they also made me pray. They made me think that God takes care of each of us in His own way and I am so thankful for that. I am also thankful He loves us all, every single one of us.

And He's helping me to learn from all those around me. I loved today when Raoul told us how he'd made a decision not to get high before coming to volunteer so that he wouldn't eat so much food while he was working so that there would be more for everyone else. That impressed me so much because regardless of his choices, his life circumstances, he's trying to make the world better for the people around him. How cool is that?

I'm hoping that I can go back next week. I have two job interviews tomorrow and my prayer is that God will find a way to help me find employment that allows me to continue helping my community because I am so blessed by the people I continue to meet. I'm making some great friends and I know that that's what's important in life. I was fortunate enough to spend this afternoon with some new friends, Pauley and Michael asked me to go to lunch with them afterwards and we were joined by their friend Scott, a producer (who used to work for Camerone Crowe! How cool!). It's truly amazing to me how quickly Angela and I are meeting people and finding community in this huge city. I know it's exactly where we are meant to be at this moment. What a choice!

New things

So it was the weekend and that means I went out and did some new things! Yep yep!

Friday night Ang and I hung out with Emily again. We hit Sunset Boulevard and Grauman's Chinese Theater. We had burgers and fries then saw Ghost Town which was funny. There's a bit in it when Ricky Gervais talks about Chinese people and while I know it's probably so un-PC, it was so so funny!

Yesterday we had the roto rooter men come to fix our water main issues which meant lots of loud noise and no water so we headed out. We went to Glendale, which has a beautiful downtown, did a little shopping, and then headed to Burbank. We hit IKEA and a few other stores before heading back home.

Today we went to church for "Homecoming Sunday" which started with a church tour at 9:30. We met a few other newcomers and learned a lot about the Gothic building and the church community. (Bit of trivia - when the Oscars were first held at Grauman's they asked the church to play the nominated songs in the bell tower, the bells had been damaged during an earthquake though and needed to be repaired so the Academy donated half the cost to have them repaired and the organist played the songs for the show!)

I had a great time at church today, mostly because I'm starting to meet people and feel a part of the community there. For example, right before the service Ric, the coordinator of the sandwich making from Friday, came up to me and got me involved in advertising for that ministry. Then I was so warmly welcomed by all of the people I met on Friday, it was so sweet! We sat with a new group of friends and then signed up for a small group and some service projects. Afterwards we went with 9 others to Denny's for lunch where we got a chance to hang out and chat. I'm feeling very blessed today!

So a few new things this weekend! And I have an interview this week, with the Los Angeles Film School (not sure what day yet) so that's exciting!!!!! New things, new things, all good! Oh - and I almost forgot! I ordered new shoes this week and wasn't sure when they came if I could actually wear them. They're 3 inch black patent leather slingback peep toe heels and so cute! But I decided to give it a try today and ended up wearing them (and walking and driving) for over 7 hours. And guess what, my feet are feeling fine! (If you know me and my feet, this never happens, I get blisters just looking at new shoes!) So I am pretty excited about that!!!

5P21 Ministry

Since I'm currently unemployed (but I am working, I like to make that clarification) I decided that I could help out at church a little. I figured this was a good way to give back and to meet some new people. This is exactly what happened today and I had a wonderful time!

5P21 is the name of the clinic where HUMC serves lunch the third Friday of every month. The name stands for a protein that everyone has in their bodies but that is affected or mutated when a person becomes HIV positive. It's on the USC medical center campus and it also has a children's clinic counterpart just a block over. Every single day, Monday through Friday, a different organization serves lunch at the clinic where people go for testing and treatment. The patients at the clinic often have to wait all day for treatment and if they leave for lunch, they lose their "place" in line, that's where "we" come in.

I got to church at 9:30 where I was immediately put to work setting out food and then making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is a ministry that has been going on for sometime with HUMC and runs like a well-oiled machine, or like a fifty-year old diner. The older woman in charge had very specific directions on everything to smashing the grape jelly with a fork before spreading it to how to cut and bag the sandwiches (in half, not diagonal, one per plastic baggie). Before we knew it there were 12 people in the kitchen which is apparently more people than they've ever had show up before. (This past Sunday the pastor had made a strong plea from the pulpit indicating their need for help, it worked.) So the sandwich making went fast.

But it was more than sandwich making. It was a chance for me to meet Jessie, a musician who's moving to Austin in four months to play his music. There was also Jenny, who moved to LA three weeks ago so her husband could go to Cal State for graduate school, there was Trixie, a woman in her fifties who had purple hair, there was Sarah who works at Starbucks for the health insurance (I know! I'm looking into it!), there was Ric who works in HIV/AIDS education for LAUSD, Dave who's an actor, and then there was Pauley. Yes, that Pauley (read a few blogs back if you need a refresher). And Emily who Ang and I have become friends with. It was a great time!

We had fun making sandwiches, joking about stealing spreaders, reminiscing about government cheese, and just generally enjoying each other's company. After we finished we cleaned up and headed off to the clinic. Jenny drove Emily and I and we had good conversations about our new LA experiences (all three of us have moved here in the past month) and I found out I am not the only one to fail the California drivers' exam. Jenny and her husband both failed it once (and she read the book!).

Once we got to the clinic we unloaded the food and set up in a waiting room. The volunteer coordinator, Nancy, who also works for LAUSD immediately grabbed me and asked me if I had a queasy stomach. I told her no and she took me back to the patient floor where three people were receiving IV drug treatments. We asked what they'd like to eat and after ascertaining they all wanted tuna (my Spanish does not include fish and they all spoke Spanish) we went back and made them plates. This time we added Pauley to our little group and we went back to the floor and then up to the women's floor. It was a great opportunity to interact with patients and staff and tell them about our lunch and thank them for their work.

A little while later Nancy, the volunteer coordinator (I FOUND OUT HER NAME!) (I wish I could remember her name - I know she's moving to a new apartment and has a 16 year old son and is positive, hopefully I see her again at church this week) grabbed Pauley and I again and we took food and headed off in her car to go to the children's clinic. This was a cool experience. There were only three kids in the playroom when we got there and one little boy was painting. He and I talked while I got him some lunch. His name was Abraham and he's in kindergarten but not today because he's sick. He told me Halloween's coming up and it's scary. He wants to dress up as a clown. He also told me his teacher at school is nice. All and all a good conversation! (I didn't even have to pull out my socks - I'd worn very colorful socks with a beach scene on them so if the kids wouldn't talk I could show them my socks and maybe get a smile out of them). While this was going on Pauley was holding a little press conference with staff and parents and it was pretty cool to see how happy people were to see her. Very cool actually.

Back at the adult clinic we cleaned up the food, took a picture for the pastor (she's very into technology and likes to show what people have been up to on Sunday mornings when she talks about it in the service), and headed home. But not before scoring some very cool Obama gear. I got t-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers, all courtesy of Pauley who makes and distributes the gear in support!

Curiousity

We were talking to my parents tonight and joking around how we were glad we didn't buy our house. Don't get me wrong, I love my little bungalow on Abbey Place. It's the perfect size, it's a great location and it has tons of storage space. Also, two days running, no ants! However, it does have a leaky pipe in the front yard which the nice man from the city assured me today was on the property side, not the city side. Go figure! So I made the comment that I was glad I was renting. My dad wondered how much our house would go for if we were to buy it so I did a little research.

I remembered friends in Yuma using www.zillow.com to find out the value of their home versus those of others in their neighborhoods. Guess how much our little house is valued at?!!?!?! $463,000 - yeah, that's right, almost half a million dollars. I can't imagine! We have 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and 1,120 square feet. Half a million dollars. Yeah, that's LA for you. I can't even begin to imagine what the houses on the other side of the street go for! (Okay, I looked just now, there are two for sale on Freemont Place, which is just the other side of Olympic (2 blocks from here, our main cross street and they're going for 2.9 and 3 million respectively. Wow!)

So yeah, just some fun facts about the west coast tonight. Oh yeah, we drove to campus tonight after Ang got home from school and I got my parking permit! That's exciting, I can now officially park and not pay per minute. And on our way to and from campus we pass right by the Academy of Motion Pictures building where tonight they are hosting the premiere of Appaloosa, which seems to be a western starring Ed Harris. At 5pm there was a lot of red carpet and paparazzi but no stars yet. Maybe we'll catch sight of some this weekend. It's Emmy weekend here in LA which apparently means lots of people out and about! Maybe we'll crash a party or two;-)

Victory!

(And yes, I'm knocking on wood!)

Not a single ant has been seen in this house today. I'm pretty excited since last week both of our pantries were invaded. Then my bedroom was invaded, then the bathroom, and it became a process. I had to clean out the areas, spray them down with poison (yes, I'm killing them, the poison kills on contact and let me tell you, it was war!), then wait until it dries, wash out the cupboards (we all know how terrified I am of poisons after the toilet bowl cleaner incident) or the areas and put everything back. A process.

But no ants is good news so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I get that I'll have them occasionally but I'd prefer them away from the food and beds, that's all I ask really.

In other news I had a job interview today. It went well - I got offered the job. But it turns out they wanted me to get paid for the job I interviewed for but actually perform a pretty involved job. So I said no. It was hard at first, I thought about it all day, talked it over with my friends and family but in the end decided it wasn't where God wants me right now.

So tomorrow I'll look for other job opportunities (and Dad will keep helping I'm sure! My dad rocks, he found me several leads today, including the opportunity to be an extra!) and work on finishing this novel. I'm a quarter of the way through Harold's story and it's coming along. Only thirteen days until I start school - I can't wait!!!

9 to 5: The Musical

It was early this past spring when I read about Allison Janney staring in a new musical rendition of 9 to 5: The Musical. I was pretty excited because a) I love Allison Janney from The West Wing, Ten Things I Hate About You, Juno, etc. and b) I knew that when it began in September, WE'D BE LIVING IN LA! And guess what?!?!? We are, and we got tickets!

So yesterday we got all dressed up, headed downtown and found our seats (well first we had to find the theater, the parking garage, and the box office). We got great tickets, row T on the floor. And I was glad we did. It's something to be able to see actors faces while they're performing, it makes you feel such a part of it. The storyline was basically the same as the movie, they added a subplot consisting of a love story so they could have a couple of love songs but other than that very reminiscent of the movie, in a good way. And the 1970s clothes and copy machine, etc. were great!

The show is here until the middle of October then headed to Broadway in April, I recommend it if you're in either area now or then! Two thumbs up!!!

(P.S. - Ang and I were about 2 blocks from the theater, headed home, when we saw a bunch of police motorcycles pull into our intersection. We weren't sure what was going on but stopped and all of a sudden a huge truck pulls around the corner, then another pulling a car on a flatbed. Someone was filming a driving scene for something! Very cool! I love this city!)

News from the city

Well, not a lot of news but I felt like blogging. Today was a busy day for me. Trash day which means coordinating 3 cans, cars on the street, etc. Yeah, it's exciting here in Hollywood. Also I made the trek to Walmart which is about a half hour drive from here. They have some stuff I can't get at the local store and it's cheaper so we plan on going there once or twice a month. I stocked up and made it home in about 2 hours which wasn't bad I figured.

Last night Ang and I went to church to the fellowship dinner. It wasn't what we expected but it turned out to be a good experience. Apparently the dinner's usually for parents/kids who are in choir which meets at 6:30. After an awkward beginning we got a chance to talk to the assistant pastor's wife for a while, then him, then the senior pastor who blew me away by knowing Angela and I by first name. I was impressed because I'd never introduced myself to her but I did join the church's facebook page which she has apparently been checking out which I thought was really cool. So we had a good pasta/salad/fresh strawberries dinner for $3 and headed home. Stopped at Pinkberry on the way to treat ourselves to a HUGE bowl (Thursday is last day to use WW flex points!) and headed home. So overall good day.

Also, I have an interview Monday. It's at an elementary school about 5 miles from here to work as a Teachers' Assistant. Not sure what that means yet, and not sure if it'll be full-time with good pay (which means I could accept) but I figured I'd check it out. Monday 10am, good thing I bought that new suit last weekend! I got 2 more emails back about jobs but both are part-time and just not enough money right now to justify taking interviews. I know God has the perfect place for me to be so I'll try and be patient a little longer.

On the upside, I've been writing A LOT. Got another section of the novel well underway. This one is from a father's perspective and I'm finding it interesting to stretch in a new direction. Also in doing some research I've been reading blogs by parents of deployed soldiers and a lot about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome so that's been very interesting. Also been practicing introducing myself as a writer. I got a new book last weekend, How I Write by Janet Evanovich (who writes the Stephanie Plum mystery books which if you haven't read yet, run out and get!!! And if you live in Howell, visit the library at my parents' house and borrow the first few - we're all reading them and loving them!) and in it she says to own your career, your work. So I tried it last night when I introduced myself and someone asked me what I did, I said, "I'm a writer." So yeah, working on that!

Tonight Ang and I are going out to dinner and to a movie with a new friend from church, Emily. She moved here about a week before us, to be an actress and she goes to our church. I'll keep you updated on that:-)

Oh, Ang and I have been walking in the neighborhoods around our house and Tuesday afternoon we went north which is a little more affluent area (rumor has it that's where some of the old LA money is) and we came across 2 little kids out with their caregiver. The boy was maybe 3 and on a little push scooter. He was too cute. He drove past us and I commented to him that he was really fast. He said thank you very much and then proceeded to hang out with us for a while. He would whiz past us and then fall behind. At one point we'd heard him yelling for about a block and finally turned around to realize he was yelling at us to "Wait up guys!" He wanted to know if we were going to the same place he was, his friend's house. We laughed and said no, said hello to the caregiver, and smiled. Too cute!

The parable of the tree and the neighbor

So these are before and after pictures of my front yard. Yeah. We had this nice, flowering tree. It had some large, overhanging branches that whipped you in the face when you walked up the front sidewalk but other than that, very nice. So this weekend Ang and I borrowed some gardening tools from our neighbor Bill and went to work on those branches. I thought I did a good job but there were a few that needed to be sawed off. Just the ends at the front. I had only cut what I could reach and it looked trimmed, neat. Bill offered to cut off the ends with his saw. We agreed.

So this morning as I'm outside watering (the place looks greener already, and you can see at the bottom of the pictures how we cleaned out the beds) and Bill comes over and offers to trim the tree. I tell him sure, go out back to water then go inside. Before I did he'd asked if I wanted the stuff at the bottom cleaned out, I said sure, if you want to weed it more go ahead.

When I next saw the tree, it was naked! Yeah, completely bald. Bill does have a beautiful yard he works in every day, all day so I guess we'll just have to trust him that he knows what was best for the tree. He was very proud of his work. I'm still not sure what to think, the tree is gone! But I'm hoping it'll grow back better than ever. Right?

UPDATE: Just got an email from my grandma. She had just called my grandpa in to read the blog and see the naked tree. According to my grandpa, Bill did a great job and it's just what he would have done. He said you have to trim it back for new growth and it will be fine. She said he should know as he has made most of their trees look like this at one time or another and they turned out okay! But apparently she's just like me and used to worry he had killed them. Whew, I feel better now!

Today was a good day

I wrote for over six hours, which is quite the stretch. Sure there were breaks for food and water. I had to let Axle the handyman in and explain to him that the kitchen cupboard still won't latch. I had to battle the ants that invaded the food pantry (this involved poisonous spray, a smooshing spree, and some mild grumbling). And I might have checked my email once or twice (okay, thirty-two times but maybe I'd get something back about a job - I didn't but whatever). In the end, it was all worth it because I finished part 3 (of 5) of my novel: Crystal's story. Crystal is Molly's best friend. Molly's husband is deployed and she has a baby. Crystal has an interesting past and becomes friends with Sam who deploys mid-way through the story. To tell more would ruin it for those of you waiting to buy the hardcover.

So it was a good day because a part of a goal was reached. Mind you, there's a whole list left to tackle tomorrow including paying bills, going to the grocery store, finding a dentist and a job (and yes, in that order, Ang is having dental issues), and securing car insurance (which is ridiculously priced here in LaLa Land). But today was one of those days where, to paraphrase Virgina Woolf (I need to read one of her books some day), I arranged whatever pieces came my way. And, at least to me, the result isn't half-bad!

Unexpected friends

When I went to hang out in Texas this spring for 2 weeks I was looking to spend time with Jamee and her family and relax. I didn't know I'd make a new friend. And even though it's probably bragging, I'm going to share what he wrote here. Thanks Justin. You're pretty great yourself!

One New Thing

Since I now live in the second largest city in the United States I decided that I need to explore it a little. I've decided that I need to do at least one new thing every weekend. Last weekend Ang and I did several new things, we went to a couple of malls, including the well-know Grove. While shopping certainly isn't new, shopping where there's a Tina Turner impersonator hosting a concert was.

For my one new thing this weekend I decided to try Pinkberry. It's a frozen yogurt chain that opened it's first store in LA just about two years ago. I've seen it in the news, and of course in magazines like People. It's apparently all the rage in LA and NYC. So last night after doing some yard work (more on that later), we headed off to find our local Pinkberry.

We headed back to the Grove, the big outdoor mall area that is adjacent to the Farmer's Market that has a grocery store and a bunch of shops and restaurants. After driving around the parking lots for about 20 minutes we gave up and headed down Melrose Avenue hoping the next area we found a Pinkberry in wouldn't be quite as busy. Just as we got to La Brea (which is one of the bigger crossroads near our house), we found another Pinkberry, yep, less than a mile from our house.

It's a fairly simple menu. They have original, green tea, and coffee flavors. Then they have toppings: fresh fruit, nuts, Fruity Pebbles, cookies, etc. I chose original with strawberries and coconut, Ang tried original with Oreos. And we ate. At first, the yogurt was a little surprising, it's very tart. But then we ate some more and let me tell you, it was gone quickly. All the talk is true, it's as good as they say. And it should be for $5 a bowl. But I figure that's about what we've paid for Coldstone in the past so not too bad. And it's way better for us. Let's just say, I think we'll be visiting Pinkberry again. Soon.

Back to the yard work. Yes, we've spent some time outside this weekend. Our house was a little uncared for/overgrown. We trimmed some tree branches, raked, watered, cut back the hedge, and it's beginning to look a lot better. Once it greens up a little I'll take some new pictures to post. Also, I trimmed the lavender bushes and can I just say, it's quite fragrant around here now. It was before but now doubly so which is great!

Ang and I also went to church this morning, which was quite an adventure seeing how there was a triathlon going on in town and most of the major and minor roads were blocked off. Luckily we had a map and were only about 10 minutes late. The cool thing is we're meeting people, one girl in particular we've talked to three weeks in a row now and today we exchanged contact info to hopefully go to movie next weekend. She's new in town too, wants to be an actress, and we're glad to have made a friend!

Also I got another letter from UCLA this weekend. I got my class schedule, I'll go to school on Mondays 7:30 to 9pm and Tuesdays from 7-10pm. We have orientation in a few weeks where we'll meet our teachers and some alumni so I'm pretty excited! In fact I bought another writing book last night (we found a Borders along the way) to get me more motivated. I'm working on finishing the novel still, hopefully I'll have another section done tomorrow!

As for the job front, nothing new to report. I'm going to do some more applying this week, I know God has the perfect job for me, it just has to be in His perfect timing. Ah, that patience thing again! And if all else fails, there was an 'accepting applications' sign at Pinkberry:-)

The cost of living

When I would tell people of my plan to move to Los Angeles some of them combated with "Isn't the cost of living ridiculous there?" or "It's so expensive to live in California." Many said it with some sort of authority even though they'd never visited the west coast or had only been here on vacation. I would nod and say yes, I've heard that. Then I would tell them how it is also expensive to live in Yuma and how even though the vegetables and fruit were grown mere feet from the grocery stores, they cost three times more than the people in Michigan were paying. (I still don't get it.)

So as I set off on my big move, I tried to prepare. I saved, a lot (by my standards). I stuck to my budget and I knew it would be expensive. It was also expensive to live in Kalamazoo and again, in Yuma. But I wouldn't trade either experience for anything in the world.

And yes, the move was expensive. But I don't care if you're moving to Topeka, Kansas or Beverly Hills, I think moving is just plain expensive. It costs money for the security deposit or the down payment. It costs money to rent a truck and drive it. It costs money to hook up the cable and turn on the power. It costs money to restock the pantry and by new shelves. Moving is expensive. I'll give you that.

But so far, Los Angeles isn't all that expensive. Since we've moved I've heard reports from back home (those who've shared such reports shall remain nameless, ahem) that a carton of orange juice costs $12 and that 18 eggs costs over $5. I am not sure where the people who bought these items were shopping. Yes, there are places here where things are expensive. If I am at the West Hollywood Target for more than an hour (it's been known to happen), it costs me $1 an hour to park (the first hour is free). Gas is about 30 cents more expensive the further north you get toward Hollywood (but then when you get into the Valley, the price goes down again). But I can drive a mile, literally, and get cheaper gas.

As for the groceries, I've gone shopping at Target, Super Walmart, Trader Joe's, and Ralph's (the equivalent of Kroger in Michigan and Fry's in Yuma - why they can't all just be Kroger like it says on their dairy products, I don't know) and let me tell you, from what I've seen and bought the food is cheaper than it was in Yuma. Walmart prices seem to be Walmart prices regardless, even a little cheaper here because we have to drive to the suburbs to get to a Walmart. But we went to Trader Joe's last night and got some awesome produce at ridiculously cheap prices. $1.25 for a two-pack of red peppers. I paid over $2 the last time I bought a red pepper in Yuma (and it wasn't often, let me tell you). Same price for a three-pack of green peppers. Fresh green beans, a dollar for a pound. Bananas, 23 cents a pound. And to top it off, every single town around here has a farmer's market at least once a week. I can't wait to go exploring.

So no, the prices aren't as ridiculous as you've heard. Yes, I'm sure somewhere in Beverly Hills or Bel Air or Westwood (well maybe not, according to my Not for Tourists book on LA there are no grocery stores in Bel Air) people are paying through the nose for things. And yes, you can eat thousand dollar meals here and pay $2 million plus for a two-bedroom "condo" (I saw it on a Bravo reality show today) but that's not what everyone in LA does. Some of us shop at Walmart and Target and go to Chipolte for dinner (ooh, I love their chips!).

Oh, but I am very excited to go to the famous Arclight Cinema in Hollywood. It's apparently a great movie theater where you pay $12 to reserve your seat, not just your ticket! I'll let you know how it is!

My Superstar

My dad flew into Yuma on August 19th, and left on Sunday. It was a whirlwind 13 days to say the least. There is nothing he didn't do while he was with us. He sprayed for ants, he bought us groceries, he took pictures, he hung pictures on the wall, he unpacked boxes, he sweated inside a metal truck rearranging furniture so it'd all fit, he organized the garage, he went out for chocolate milk and gas and food and mollies, he did it all. I have no idea how I could ever thank him enough.

Saturday we finished up the unpacking and did a little more sightseeing. We had dinner at Universal's CityWalk and took pictures of the cityscape and the Hollywood sign. Sunday morning we took him to the airport at 4am. On the way to church that morning Ang summed up what we both were thinking, "It's weird without Dad here."

I'm not sure how many people have parents who would take 9 days off work, spend hundreds of dollars on plane tickets, pricier one-way tickets at that, and come help their grown children move. Yes, I could have done it by myself. No, it wouldn't have been easy or enjoyable. My dad made it both. He knows how to do all the "house" stuff, he waited around for the cable guy, he took us out to dinner when we were almost too tired to lift the fork. And he kept rooting for us, cheering us on, making sure we were going to be all right.

So yes, my dad's a superstar. I know I am blessed beyond belief to have him in my life. I know a lot of people don't have people like him to count on. I know I'm one lucky girl.