Danielle Speaks

Cookie LALA land.

Today I drove around all day without using my GPS- this is an accomplishment.  I think I can grasp with my little head what people mean when they say just look for the hills and you'll know where you are. Of course you sort of have to already know where you are to know where you are going because there are a couple of hills- but hey I'm just the newbie- lets not judge. 

Last night I went to my local bar- its one that I spotted that I suspected was the non descript cool bar in town. From outside- you barely know its open. Its sort of dark and loungy and the people inside seem like fairly normal half hipster half yuppy can't be bothered but nice enough.  I was amazed at how strangers (men) were much more apt to talk to me and my friend.  This was the first glitch in the assumption that people are more closed off in LA than NYC.  I think that day life and night life in LALA will be two totally different experiences because of this. I am supposing that people in NY don't have to talk to strangers at night because they are enmeshed with strangers all day- when they go to a bar they hang out with their friends or hit on people if they are severely moved to do so. But in LA people are in and out of solitude all day. Even if they work- they work driving around, on the phone- from meeting to car and so forth- and with the strike- nobody is doing anything but picking lint out of their buts. So by the time they get to a half decent bar and they get a litte alchoholic lubricant in them - they are in dire need of connecting with others. This is my surface observation....

Sunshine DAY!

Mom and Me and Griffeth Observatory
Hey there I am back. LA is the most retarded town that I will ever learn to love. It's literally shut down by the rain. Granted this has been a torrential downpour with brief respites during the days, but seriously can't they learn to manage?  As a consequence of the rain my calamitous adventure continued but i am not going to wallow in the mishaps- its all fixed and I just fixed the Internet for my whole apartment building so now I am back in cyberspace.

I was just reading my LA NFT guide and there is a whole section on driving defensively and I chuckled because had I read this entry I might have a avoided crashing my precious vat of steel. Oh well, lesson learned the hard way as usual. So as I said I have not had Internet for three days. I was all excited on Saturday night when I arrived home safely from West Hollywood in this rain but I was cut off and like a druggie I have been in a foul mood. You see I would have looked up where the WIFI was but that could not happen and I did not want to lose my precious parking spot and I did not want to walk in the rain- so I was turned immediately into a LAer. This made me mad. How could I falter after only two weeks? So I put on a raincoat and grabbed my umbrella and went for a walk sans laptop. I am so careful these days. I cross on the green. I pay the honor system metro ticket even for a stop for fear of being caught by the metro agents that once in a blue moon time.  I chew my food slowly. I hold on tight on the ladder. I am ridiculous right now.   

On my walk, I discovered a whole other new part to my neighborhood where I heard actual intelligent conversation occurring.  People were talking about current affairs and they were different colors hanging out with each other!!! So far everything has seemed so segregated to me here that at the site of the Benetton table I gushed.

In any case, I forced myself to socialize and go to a complete stranger's house on the other side of town. It was pouring and no one wanted to stick to the lanes. I was driving like a Grannie cause I am still shell shocked by the accident.  I arrived to meet my one friend who I barely knew and then i quickly walked away from him and just chatted with whomever I could find who seemed cool.  Its funny, i had no issue with this. AND, I am learning that no matter where you are- you are still you. Given a few moments of comfortable dialogue and one falls right into the same character one always is- even all the way across the country out here in the rainy desert.   I am like a vet just happy to have survived the war- everyday something bad does not happen i am psyched. AND  I need a job, so I needed to give out my card and meet as many people as possible and i was really happy when the card handing out was requested by the folks and not offered by me. I did not want to feel desperate. Anyhow as the night went on I realized that the people that I had jibed with were ex New Yorkers. OF COURSE!  Anyhow I have to go now- I need coffee and  I stlll have not unpacked my kitchen. This entry is crap but I needed to write something since I had my precious web back.

I heart NYC

PS_ shout out to TVP- you are always my safe go to!

Ok whats going on?

I have a stye in my eye and an infected cut on my finger. Please buhdha, Hasham, moses, Jesus, Yawey, Alah, scientology aliens let me be!

Its raining in LA

This image was taken by Blake Harjes
I don't know him- but i liked his photo.

It's cold and rainy. Its been so rainy that my heater has been on full blast, my windows shut tight and my down comforter and two other blankets placed over me at night! This has been my entre to living in LA. The rain started the first night I finally could sleep in my place, an exact week after my belongings were supposed to have arrived. This set a whole circus of activities in motion that I can only describe as the trials and tribulations of cleaning out my bad Karma. 
When I got to LA it was sunny. It was beautiful.  My nervous and well intended mom spent the first four days with me in a swanky hotel in the middle of Hollywood. She remarked continually how she loves winter and how I would miss NYC seasons badly. Our first night we saw Vanessa Williams.  Funny, I thought, everything is happening in such a cliche way; celeb sighting, hotel in the middle of LA's answer to TIME SQUARE, Hollywood sign outside my window...blah blah. I readied myself for the next four days to do nothing but find a car and assuage my mom's fears. She was worried and throaty the whole four days.  The day after I arrived my stomach woes turned on me. I had to get a prescription for a med that has Phenyl barbitol in it just to be able to stand up straight- not to worry I thought- growing pains. And so I trudged through the stress without any coffee, wine, nicotine, spice, or any of my usual delights. By Tues I leased a car.  A brand new baby blue Prius.  It was my very first new car. Sure I have "had" a car before, but they were owned  by my dad and usually 8 to 15 yrs old depending on what point of my life I was in. Secondly they were tanks. Thirdly, they were driven around areas I knew.  This was different. This was a responsibility- a huge one, one that I swore to be mindful of and compromise my life in other ways in order to make its payments.   As it was I had figured out that what this whole move has become is a forced retreat. I am in voluntary detainment in LA.  I can count on my hands the number of people I know and 4 of them are two couples who live outside of LA. I knew coming into this that I would have nothing to entertain me but my writing and my DVDs which sadly the DVDs did not make it on to the moving truck by mistake and lie lonely in my parent's garage.   So after saying goodbye to my mom I drove off into the sunset excited for my new life. I had to stay in the valley where I slept in my kind friend's spare room. I had a nice enough time in the Valley. Its not as awful as everyone makes it to be- but then again I am a SI girl and therefore am programmed to tolerate strip mall suburban culture.

Slowly my stomach started to heal and I thought things were looking up. Although my things were not here I managed between pangs of pain to unpack everything I did have and build a bathroom unit from target.  The next day I had a beautiful LA day planned for myself.  I intended to hike around Mollholland in a forest by George clooney's neighborhood. Afterwords with the new shower curtain I was going to buy, I was going to shower in my own place and then go over to the west side to the GROVE and the Farmer's Market.

On my way to the hike I stopped to buy the blessed curtain. As I was leaving to make a left out of the parking lot, a large SUV allowed me the right of way to make that left in front of her. As a glided into the lane in front of her, a white Nissan in the right lane swerved against the nose of my new car. Causing $7500 of damage ( as I learned later). She jumped up and down saying that it was her third accident that month and that she had just  gotten the car out of the shop and she was going to her it from her father who was her insurer.   As we waited for an hour and a half, the woman's passenger said that they should have said there were injuries so that the cops would come faster. I was on the phone with my dealer arguing because I learned that I rolled of the lot not insured for a month as I supposed I was and had requested and had written on my file when the  financing began. This was a NIGHTMARE! How would I fix my car? Was the woman going to sue me? And why all of the sudden was the passenger limping (who sat on the side of the car that was not hit) when the cops and paramedics came? And why did the paramedics come? Did she call and say there were injuries while I was on the phone trying not to cry to Toyota?

Well lets just sum this whole story up. Toyota is admitting it's their fault regarding the insurance- they are paying for everything. I had to rent a car and of course they gave me a Prius- I'm learning that my car choice, color and all, makes me a dime a dozen in this town!  Meanwhile, i got insurance aside from the dealer's and in getting it learned that my license had been revoked but I got it reinstated and thats all clear- and it was all about a late paid ticket (sigh)  The Ambulance chaser and her crew were brought to the hospital where, and I am not trying to be crude here, the cop who truly looked like Heath Ledger in monster's ball, followed along and made sure that X-RAYS and reports were written assuring that all this in his words "bogus limping" would be cleared and that i would be OK. My stuff came on Weds. They charged me an extra $100 bucks for living on the third floor. So I told them I had no money and could not tip them if they charged me for that even though they were a week late. But they had my stuff and it started to rain like g-d was angry! So I gave them the fee and tipped them minimally and called it day.

So here I am. Today I decided to take a walk in the rain. I found out that right across the street from my nearest corner is an amazing Armenian grocery store with all sorts of fresh  produce, meats, spices, and chocolate for me to buy at a VERY cheap price. I walked by a bunch of highly suspect Thai Massage salons where I suspect a little rub and tug goes on. I live in little Armenia but in little Armenia is THAI Town. So there are all sorts of Asian markets and cafes. They are all a little grungy and I am the only weirdo walking around from Plaza to plaza sussing the scene out. As I passed by one I read a large sign that said "this facility has a grade C by the health inspector and has only passed 75% of the testing provided for your safety." BUT THE PLACE WAS OPEN???? And there was business! I walked away cracking up and hearing Cartmen from South Park sing "In the Ghetto"

I'm completely excited like some nerd about to go out with the cool kids for the first time as my friend invited me to come see a band at The Derby and we are going to a lounge/restaurant that I suggested called Cobras and Matadors right by my house beforehand. I am not driving. I am going to get hammered! Secondly, I felt like an LAist as I called ahead and had a lovely conversation with the manager getting us a table on a Friday. I'm learning- everything here takes precision, timing and planning. There are no happy accidents, only rueful collisions in the Valley. There have been little lights along the way this week that have really kept me going. The Auto body shop is family owned and loves me and got me a free rental car.  My friends in Pasadena have completely let me live off of them for days.  The building manager is my age and new in town and has been a total resource. My Dad's and my sister's voice always reassuring.  I think I'm gonna be just fine. So if you were worried- don't be.  After all, I am here to write and grow up- and what better fodder for that than this week? right?

I love you and miss you NYC- as soon as I find the stupid cord I will post pics from my lovely goodbye drinks!

A new post is being typed right now

While waiting here is my horoscope:

It's not your imagination. They are giving you a hard time, and you really don't deserve it. Now, what are you going to do about it? Well, for starters, you're not going to try manipulating them. Why lower yourself to their level? Take a few deep breaths instead.

 

I'm in LALA

Its been over one week: I received my belongings ten days late. My new lease car was struck by an ambulance chaser, and is now being fixed and taken cared of by the insurance company.  I learned  that my NYC license was revoked unbeknownst to me over a late charge on a ticket that WAS paid - but paid too late- but that to was fixed and all the bad records expunged. There is a crazy dude across the hall from me who might be in the green business. There is a funny old couple next door who I can hear arguing from the bathroom vent, its been thundering and I actually take the metro here- me and all the poor ignored lower class of LA. There is much to say- and albeit you may think this email is a sad or unhappy one- nay my brothers and sisters! i am just fine! Is an adventure after all and at the end of the day- I learned that I could withstand any crisis a little bit calmer then i use to be able to and that I really am going to have to make  friends and/or make real use of this alone time.

I promise to write more reveletory musings later - right after I get back from my first job hunt...

I miss you NYC!