The Big Apartment Search: A small hop after the big leap

I have been living in Los Angeles for almost a year now. A year! Living in Brentwood has had its ups and downs, but I’ve decided the negatives outweighed the positives and will be moving out in a month. My roommate and I are going our separate ways because we both want to move closer to our jobs. After living here for a year, I have definitely gravitated toward the West Hollywood area. I am always driving back and forth between West Hollywood. Everything is there that I love: delicious brunch spots, shopping and plenty of low-key bars. At first I thought about living alone, but most affordable studios are located in Koreatown not WeHo. I attempted to convince myself that living in Koreatown would be an adventure. Reality finally struck me that I might be paying cheap rent, but I would be living in a tiny studio in an area I don’t really want to live in. I live in Los Angeles. I should live where I want! After scouring Craiglist for studios in West Hollywood, I realized it wasn’t the best financial decision. I needed to find a roommate, and I needed to find one fast. With only 30 days left on my lease, how am I going to find a roommate and an apartment? Craigslist didn’t exactly seem like the best way to find a roommate. Craigslist killer, anyone? Thankfully one of my friends came to my rescue and let me use her account on an apartment and roommate finder. She had good luck finding a normal roommate and a great apartment, so I’m hoping some of that luck comes my way.

In other news, I’m back in Los Angeles after two exciting weeks in Oklahoma with my family. To celebrate my return, my friend Jessica and I had a relaxing beach day. Right on the border of Venice and Marina Del Rey sits the Venice Pier. It’s just far enough south to avoid the how can you say, interesting characters of the Venice Boardwalk. Even though it was a beautiful, sunny day the beach wasn’t overly crowded, which was a big plus. We caught some late afternoon rays, and I soaked up some much needed vitamin D after being locked indoors for the past two weeks. I could have laid out for hours, but our rumbling stomachs took over. On our walk to the beach, we had passed a Mexican restaurant that had looked promising, and we retraced our steps there. Our food ended up being tasty and drinks refreshing, but the real highlight was our ridiculous waitress. She would only talk to our table in passing, and we basically had to yell at her when we wanted a second round of drinks and our bill. I have worked in a restaurant before and realize it can be stressful, which is why I always tip 20 percent. I made a special exception for this waitress. I still tipped but only 15 percent, and I left a little explanation that went something like this, “sorry, you were really absent.” I thought it was the nicest way to say, “you completely ignored our table and actually deserved no tip.” We got a good laugh out of it though because she was so blatantly ignoring our table. We completed our beach day with a stroll down the 3^rd Street Promenade, how LA of us! I’m glad to be back in Los Angeles and can’t wait to experience more adventures.

You're Always 17 in Your Hometown

Yeah, I am ripping off the lyrics to the Cross Canadian Ragweed song but for me it is so true. Although most of my friends have moved away from Edmond, there is just something about being home that takes me back to high school. Maybe it is the fact that my room remains basically unchanged since then. Or the fact that high school binders can still be found stacked in a corner behind my closet door. Or maybe because my walls are littered with painted flowers, old pictures and posters of band that have long ago broken up.

I spend my time home with my family 24/7. I watch Fox News with my dad or his new favorite show, House Hunters International. I sip coffee with my mom in the mornings because we are both early risers. I watch my sister and her husband do their homework or sometimes offer my two cents. At other times, I see my sister wrangling her two children who have more energy than even I can keep up with. I cheer at my niece Kristen’s dance recital as she twirls and prances. I push my littlest niece Sophia on her tricycle since she can’t quite reach the petals. I don’t do any of these things when I am not home except for the coffee drinking part of course. I love being home and getting to do thing that I can only do with my family. I realize to the average person these things do not seem especially interesting or entertaining but that’s why they’re special to me. I treasure each moment because I only get to see my family twice a year.

 

Not everything was uneventful while I was home. My parents and I went to the musical “Sunset Boulevard,” which I found slightly ironic since I often drive on the iconic street in Los Angeles. I forced my family, who are creatures of habit, out of their comfort zones and to try new restaurants. We sampled a Brazilian brunch and an upscale, comfort food feast. At midnight July 14, my sister and I patiently waited for the final Harry Potter to air, which to many signaled the end to an era. One of my nieces turned five and had her first big girl party! I was able to catch up with a good friend who I hadn’t seen in literally years. On my second to last day, I took a little day trip to Tulsa to see my other good friend. It was nice seeing my friends since I don’t know the next time I will see them. Saying goodbye to my family was more than a little sad. With four nieces running around and my sisters trying to load them into cars, we took some quick pictures, and I was off to the airport. I miss my family dearly and can’t wait until I see them all again at Christmas! By that time, I will be 24 (yikes!) and my oldest niece will be a teenager (double yikes!). Funny how so much happens in six months.  

Best Parts of Being an Aunt

July 11, 2006

1st Birthday

This week my little niece turns 5 years old. I literally feel like only days ago we were rushing to the hospital. In the delivery room, three sisters gathered together to witness the birth of Kristen. Well at the time she was little no name because my sister didn’t want to give her a name until she saw her. I was pushing for the name Capri- like the island not the pant, but my dad came up with Kristen to pair with the middle name Louise. Being one of the first to see my baby niece, I was automatically attached to her. Our time together was cut short due to the fact I was leaving for my freshman year of college at the University of Kansas. I worried that my niece would forget me when I was away. My freshmen year I visited home more than any other year partially because I wanted to see my baby niece. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and by time summer break rolled around, I was still a stranger in her eyes. It broke my heart that she could not reciprocate the love I had for her, but I understood. Throughout the summer I slowly worked myself into her good graces, even though she preferred my sister to anyone else. Before I returned to college in the fall, I relentlessly worked with Kristen to take her first steps. I didn’t want to miss out on important milestones of her life. Unfortunately my efforts didn’t pay off, but I picked back up when I met my family at the lake for Labor Day. Finally, Kristen took 11 steps in a row that weekend, which was the most she had even done consecutively! I was absolutely ecstatic.

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

This moment held me over until Christmas break when my family had a surprise waiting for me. I walked into my house after hours on the road, and I was greeted by little Kristen calling me “Aunt Nessie.” It was the first time I had ever heard her say my name, and it absolutely made my day if not my year. It’s hard to explain the love a person can have for a niece. You get all the best parts of the child but rarely any of the bad stuff. They love you because you rarely have to discipline them. You buy them gifts excessively. I didn’t think I could love my niece anymore until she told me one day that she loved me too.

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

Now I have a whole posse of nieces with four total but no nephews, which I have always found a little odd. Kristen is the second oldest, and I can’t believe how fast each one has grown up. In the blink of an eye, I went from being able to cradle them in my arms to barely able to pick them up. Being an aunt is one of the best things in my life. Yes, I miss the rest of my family, but I definitely miss my nieces the most.

Lessons Learned from (500) Days of Summer

When I saw the previews for this movie two years ago, I immediately wanted to see it. The theme seemed entertaining, and I love the main two characters. After its release many of my friends discouraged me from seeing it because it was very depressing, and I ended up skipping it in theaters. Somehow this movie always seemed to sit on the back burner of my mind. Friends would compare other movies depressing level to 500 Days of Summer. I couldn’t imagine that this movie was so depressing to have such a lasting impression on multiple people. I started to have an inkling suspicious I would actually like this movie after watching Remember Me. My friends debated for a lengthy amount of time, which was sadder. I personally loved Remember Me because it was sad. For me the sad stories are often the most realistic and have more depth.

After being left out of one too many conversations, I decided to judge 500 Days of Summer for myself! I settled down with the perfect movie companion- Rufus the dog. I didn’t want to watch it with anyone else that could sway my reaction. I immediately liked the set up of the movie. At times it was hard to follow when each scene was happening along the 500-day timeline, but Google helped me along. The narrator added a good element of humor and information, along with the time cards. Now I won’t get into the details of the movie, but by the end I was smiling. Yes- elements were sad. It doesn’t necessarily end the way you want, but that is why I liked it. Maybe I didn’t find it depressing because I guessed what the outcome would be.

Too often movies present unrealistic relationships that give people delusional expectations on life in general. When a movie finally presents a real-life relationship, suddenly it’s depressing. I think everyone has had a “Summer” in their life or will at some time. If you haven’t, I don’t know if you should be thankful or not. If you have had a Summer, you learn a lot about the idea of love, relationships and yourself. Summer’s aren’t limited to females. Males are fully capable of pulling a Summer too, maybe even more so. The biggest problem with encountering a Summer is the chance you could become jaded and turn into someone else’s Summer. Confusing? Maybe a little but if you think for a second, it makes sense. Most people don’t start out as emotionally heartless. Something happened in their life that made them doubt the existence of love. A lesson learned from the movie- if you encounter someone who isn’t looking for anything serious and you are, it might be better to just let it go. Unless you want to be like Tom, still pining after Summer seven months after their non-relationship ended. Sad. Another lesson from the movie- Tom learned from his Summer experience and finally let her go. If you haven’t watched the movie, go watch it and take away these two lessons.

In other movie news, go see Midnight in Paris. If you appreciate classic authors, engaging yet funny dialogue and a slew of unexpected events, you will love this movie. It is rightfully being deemed one of Woody Allen’s greatest works, and I absolutely agree!