California

Last weekend I visited my stepsister and her boyfriend out in Los Angeles. They have a six month old named Jake, whose birthday is the day before mine. He's very cute, very good-natured. It was a lot of fun to play with him and make silly faces and watch him be fascinated by all sorts of things.

It was also fun to go see Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive,. I actually bought some jeans there, so even though they were only like $40 I can still say I got them in Beverly Hills should it ever come up in conversation (doubtful). We also went out to Santa Monica Pier and my Mom and I rode the ferris wheel. It was gorgeous, and so unusual for me to see such a wide beach surrounded by mountains. Not like the beaches in Florida, where everything is flat. After that we drove up to Malibu and watched the sunset, then drove back through Topanga Canyon, stopping at a lookout point where you could see the San Fernando Valley all lit up in the early darkness.

I have been to California in the past, but it has been about fourteen years since I was there last. Back then I was a teenager and even though it seemed fun and cool to be there, I was very interested in doing things like seeing where the stars lived and buying keychains everywhere we stopped. It was nice to go back with a more mature perspective (although I still kept my eye out for any celebs--no luck). Hopefully one day I will make it back to Northern California, which I preferred over L.A.

The only thing I wish we had done more of was eat out at nice restaurants. Honestly, I flew 3000 miles from New York to Los Angeles only to eat at El Pollo Loco and a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. There was one really cool Cuban bakery called Portos that we went to on my last day there, actually. It was in Burbank, and it's the kind of place where you walk up and place your order and then they bring it out to your table. The food was very good there, though, and they had an amazing selection of desserts (chocolate mousse!).

Anyway, I can understand a little better now why people want to live there. The mountains are lovely and the ocean seems so much bigger than here on the East Coast, and let's not even get in to the weather. But it's not for me. Too much driving on "free"ways and mountains for my comfort. And no connectedness--if you're not working in the film/tv industry and don't manage to get to the beach very often it's probably easy to forget you even live there (like every other place in America).

Next stop: England!

New-s

Okay, so it has been almost a month since my last post, not that it really matters, I'm not exactly the most widely-read person out here. It's been a somewhat turbulent time for me personally and professionally. Another year older, hopefully another year wiser, and hopefully I will stop making all the same choices that have held me back over the years from things I've wanted. Blah.

So, as pretty much everyone knows, I quit my job at the Olive Garden, where I have worked for 8 years almost (both in FL and NY). It's something I should have done years ago, something I MEANT to do years ago, but I really like comfort, and I was really in a comfort zone there. I could practically do that job in my sleep. SO, after being made to feel like crap and subsequently torturing myself over a freaking job waiting tables, I decided it was now or never and I put in my notice. Yay!

I was quite upset at first, because it was a decision I made on an impulse, and while I enjoy spontaneity, I wouldn't characterize myself as that impulsive (unless I am shopping). I cried, I stressed, I worried about losing touch with friends I've made. But as the two weeks went on, I began to feel happier and happier about my decision and my future. It was really like being released from prison after my last shift. Part of me wanted to run back and tell them I'd change my mind. But I am too stubborn to do that. It's the Leo in me. Pride.

So I was off to Florida for a week to reconnect with my parents and my sister and some friends. It was beautiful, I worked on my resume, I worked on my tan, I went gambling at the hotel where Anna Nicole Smith died. Fun!! Very relaxing and very what I needed--time to just sort of think about what I wanted to do and to work on some interviewing skills, etc. My parents were very helpful and supportive and generous, and they are the best!

I flew back to NY on Sunday evening, and on Monday I started calling temp agencies and sending my resume out to a ton of postings on Craigslist. I was starting to despair on Tuesday, thinking I might have to take a medical transcriptionist course and buy one of those foot pedal thingies, when the phone rang and I was able to set up an interview!

The place is called I Coppi, it's a Tuscan restaurant in the East Village, very small, owned and run by a husband and wife (she is from Tuscany--Pistoia, to be exact), and they needed someone to be a bookkeeper and reservationist, and basically to be there and man the place during the day when they are not open. The restaurant is only open for dinner on weekdays. I believe there is a weekend brunch, as well. All of which is great with me. I'm gonna get to learn a ton of new stuff, and I'll have very little face-to-face interaction with the guests. I'm going to get to take care of a lot of stuff behind the scenes, and it's a business I am familar with, so I still have some level of comfort. My interview went well, and so I came in on Thursday evening to meet the owner. At the end of our conversation, he offered me the position! I start Monday! And I get to wear my own clothes!! No more stinking OG apron and effing shirts with button-down collars that I can only ever find in the little boys' department (and sometimes not even then)!!

I can't wait to get started and learn as much as I can about my new job. I don't think I've been this excited about work in a long time, probably since I worked at Zeta and that was like, 6 years ago.