Archive for the ‘A More Personal Note’ Category

I’ve been a busi-bee.

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Yeah, OK, so that was kind of corny.

In any case, I decided that I had to take a quick break from the madness that has been my life to post an entry. Things have been really great lately, business is keeping me busy (hence the title) and the close of the semester has been harvesting quite a bit of stress. Regardless, my spirits are high and while my energy is low, I’m managing to stay sane!

I’m in the process now of changing career lanes. I’m still on the same road, with more or less the same emphasis, but I’m leaning more in the direction of Social Media representation as the means by which I pay the bills.

I’ve been reading a lot of white papers and case studies lately by companies like Burson-Marsteller, Cohn and Wolfe and InkFoundry. I’ve also been looking in to internships at the aforementioned as well.

So, such has been my life. Late nights researching social media, putting off laundry day until it can wait no longer, and balancing financial independence with my last year at Pepperdine. Life is great.

Letting Go of Possessions

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

** Disclaimer: In no way is this post intended to portray any sort of martyrdom or victimization. The outcome of events has been a great lesson. **

That said, I have found that there are few things in life that can have a very profound affect on one’s life and values. For me, one of those things happen to have been a house fire in which everything my family owned was destroyed. It’s been just a few days over 3 years since I learned some very valuable lessons about material possessions and appreciating the things I have.

My mother and I left for a movie, only to receive raving phone calls before the movie  had time to even begin. There were sirens, people yelling and a rush of energy penetrating my ear as I slouched down in my seat to pick up the call.

While rushing through red lights and speeding around corners, my life was to be drastically altered. Everything I had known was up in flames. We pulled up at 8:11, the fire roaring ten feet above the roof and three fire department trucks surrounding the perimeter of our home.

They had brought my cat back to life and handed her to me. My mother told me to find an emergency vet that was open and I sped off in her car, too stunned to shed tears, too shocked to function properly.  After $2k and 3 nights in an oxygen tank, the cat lived, and we were all safe. That was the most important part, but 90% of our belongings were either charred or too badly smoke-damaged to warrant saving- and at first, that was hard to get over.

For the next two weeks I lived out of a hotel, refusing to unpack my bag until I found a new apartment. Everything I owned could fit in my suitcase.

The weeks proceeding were…well, horrid. Filling out paperwork, dealing with insurance,  claiming and labeling items by value, brushing the ashes from old pictures in an album and letting go of memoribilia I had brought back with me from my round-the-world travels just a few months prior.

It was quickly that I learned to appreciate the things I did have and stopped dwelling on the things I was mis. I began to let go of the physical things and hold tight to those that really mattered. My goals, memories, friends, family and passions.

Sometimes I find myself staring at a flame. I catch myself in a trance, thinking about how something so small can affect us so greatly.

Time to Travel.

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Time to travelIt’s getting to be that time of year again, the time I usually start setting things into motion- a habit learned from the flawlessly consistent University academic calendar- and a time I usually wish I was somewhere exciting and new.

My ultimate goal is to incorporate my writing into a career that will allow me to travel, explore cultures unlike my own, visit historic landmarks and meet those who also value the excitement that ensues in the midst of a journey.

My feet are definitely itching to get back on the open road, vast skies and tumultuous waters.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” ~Seneca

Auto-Locking Shopping Carts- Whole Foods Venice

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

On a recent grocery trip to Whole Foods for all the new apartment necessities I caught myself stopping short before making it to my car. Why you ask? Well, good question… I was dumbfounded as well.  As I walked out of the store, strolling with the cart, I passed by a few policemen handling an angry couple’s outbursts and all of the sudden- WHAM. I ran into the cart as it screeched to a halt.

The cop looked at me, as I knelt down to inspect the faulty wheel, and said, “It’s locked.” He could tell I was confused and explained from afar- “There’s a wire around the perimeter that auto-locks the carts.”

Wheel locking mechanism

Wheel locking mechanism

What? Seriously? And apparently it’s been around for a few years- at least. How did I not know of this previously?

Just as I was about to discount the cop’s outlandish comment, sure enough a Whole Foods employee walked over with a remote that gave my cart the ability to become mobile again.

Being that theft and homelessness is an overwhelming issue in the Venice and Santa Monica area, it’s smart for Whole Foods to invest in this kind of deterrent. I can’t help but wonder what the ROI is on an investment like this.

USPS, Yet Again. Am I Paying Taxes For This?

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Well, I ordered contacts because I was running low, and well… I need to see. My glasses are scratched and I’m getting sick of them anyways. So, I ordered some Acuvue Oasys for Astimagtism contacts, which, if I had to review them would get 5 stars! I look at my VisionDirect.com account and see that my contacts were delivered! Exciting! Except…dun dun DUN!

Sure enough, the USPS was the carrier. I’ve been checking my door every day because they were late in arriving, and when I checked today, June 16th, the DELIVERY CONFIRMATION number was available and it stated that my contacts had been delivered yesterday…except dun dun DUN! They had not.

So, like any disgruntled “customer” of USPS, I looked on their website for a phone number to call. I had to call my local branch, who didn’t even understand that when I gave him a “DELIVERY CONFIRMATION” number, it meant my packaged was supposed to have been “delivered.”

I told him I had not received my package, that the USPS website said it was delivered, and he replied with “Are you sure it was delivered?” Oh goodness. “No, that’s the problem, it WASN’T delivered. I SAYS it was delivered (I was speaking slowly this time) but I did not receive my package.”  The gentleman sounded almost exactly like Cleveland Brown from Family Guy, that it was hard to take him seriously.

In any case, once the guy figured out that what I wanted was my package, He told me that I should call back tomorrow at 8 AM… as if I have nothing better to do than track down my own mail.  So frustrating.  My package was coming from less than 2 hours away!

I wish there was a way you could choose not to have USPS deliver a package when ordering online.  United States Postal Service is so unreliable!

Thanks United States Postal Service, yet again.

Moving Back To Los Angeles

Friday, March 6th, 2009

The signs were all there…literally.

At 1:45 I headed out to meet a friend at the beach “See you in ten, then” I said.  Little did I know the road ahead was full of road blocks- both metaphorically and literally. Calabasas has me trapped.  As I drove through Malibu Creek State Park, where the 40 minute detour left me, I thought to myself-

Why? Why am I living in a place that has very little to offer me, even less to motivate me and far less to entertain me?  The ever-so-present detour signs were the signs I needed to confirm my decision. The road I travel on a daily basis, reminding me of those deep within the countryside of the mid-west, now had signs telling me I needed to change it up a bit.  Ok…so maybe I’m working the metaphor a little, but hey- it works!

I’d been thinking of moving back to LA for a while but had debated becoming one of the innumerable commuters.  Was it worth the 40 minute drive from home to school in order to be in  a more pleasant living situation? I don’t know why I even question it.

So, that’s it. My lease will be up in a few months and I’m headed back to the Westside!

A Bicoastal Lifestyle

Friday, February 27th, 2009

After a long walk on along Zuma Beach this afternoon with Lindsey and Sarah I decided that the topic requested by a former classmate in New York would be a perfect one for today.

A few days ago Anthony P. wrote in:

“Hey,

It’s the first time I’ve checked out your website. You’ve penned some great articles. If I could recommend a topic: Can you speak about the lifestyle in Malibu as compared to NY when you were over here? Perhaps the entertainers you see? Maybe talk to a celebrity on the street? I can already feel your eyes rolling, because you see them everyday. Still, for an easterner, it would be interesting. Let me know if you at all decide to pursue this.

-Anthony”

It’s been a couple years since my Bicoastal lifestyle so I wracked my brain for all the things I loved and despised about having a home base on either side of the continent.

Courtesy of McGlinch

There are a few things that differ dramatically depending on the coast.  The People, The Pace and The Culture.

New York and Los Angeles (especially Malibu) have obvious differences in pace.  Malibu, a city of the laidback and over-priveleged, promotes an entirely different (neither better nor worse) vibe than say… New York City.  New York’s  fast-paced, cemented city promotes a hustle and bustle you’d have to search high and low to find anything comparable in Los Angeles.

I don’t have to make you aware of one of the most major differences between the Northeastern and Southwestern regions of our country and for me this was the biggest issue. The weather.  Aside from this years particularly rainy season (see Our Rainy Season post) you can’t beat the Los Angeles climate. It’s almost always a beach day, bikers speed down Pacific Coast Highway and lonely wives chit-chat in every corner Starbucks.

Contrary to Anthony’s belief I don’t see celebs on a daily basis (unless you count Angelyne, eek!).

angelyne

Angelyne

But with great weather and constant sunshine, pop icons are definitely more noticeable that the bundled celebs you frequently miss when walking down 5th Ave.

On occasion you’ll see Pam Anderson and her golden retriever running the hills of Pepperdine University. She’s been a fan of the baseball team for quite a few years. Pam Anderson at Pepperdine

The team has, on more than one occasion, been invited to events at her Malibu home.

And more often than not, you’ll see masses of Paprazi surrounding Malibu’s Nobu or Taverna Tony’s.

Britney's car bombarded by Paparazi

Britney's car bombarded by Paparazi

Overall, there are a couple things I miss about the East Coast.  The pizza, the culture and the ease of access to a multitude of states in a matter of hours.

There’s something about the city, a true melting pot of cultures.  One minute you’re in Little Italy, one train and you’re in Greenwich.

The flying back and forth, sleeping with your head on the seat-back tray while your legs go numb and getting in late on Sunday night before a hectic Monday get old very fast. Not to mention it’s a pretty pricey lifestyle.

Great to visit, not a place I’d set up fort for too long.

Have you relocated from one coast to the other? Lived on both coasts for work or school? Feel free to share your comments here! I’d love to hear about your experiences.


My Trip to Baja California

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Well, I’m back from Mexico and what a trip it was.   It’d had been a while since  I’d traveled….Belize was the last big trip I think.  Granted I’d done trips here and there to the firetower, San Diego and Vegas.

Mexico was a blast, it was time for a bit of relaxation and adventure.  We spent a night camping on the beach, a few in a rooftop Palapa and numerous days off-roading through endless cacti infested deserts.

On the Pacific side of the continent’s Southernmost point we spotted Leaping Manta Ray.  These Manta Ray are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They leap out of the water and slap back down

We also made our way back to visit Cuco y Pilar’s at Rancho Pilar where we witnessed a lot of growth in the area.  A family of Canadians has begun constructing a huge house at the top of the hill overlooking the beach where Wil and I camp.  It’s sad to see the land develop, it was kind of nice having a remote camping spot with friendly neighbors.

baja caves

On our way up the Eastern Coast of Baja California Sur, we stopped to explore a huge cave we saw at the bottom of a dry river bed.  Filled with cows and lined with cacti, the cave was an amazing sight.

The New Year has begun and I feel refreshed.

Happy New Year.