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- one deep breath: delicious autumn — 15 comments
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- one deep breath: storms — 11 comments
- one deep breath: color(ful) — 11 comments
- one deep breath: breath — 10 comments
Ryan Gillespie
Author's posts
Oct 22 2007
one deep breath: closeness
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/10/one-deep-breath-closeness/
Oct 13 2007
Finally…it rains!!!
It took over two months…but the rain has come tonight…I’ve missed it so.
(Yes I even walked around the block when I got home…just to be in the rain a little longer)
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/10/finallyit-rains/
Oct 04 2007
things i find amusing about LA
during the morning news…the weather guy kept talking about how today was going to be the start of a cold spell.
the highs today were projected in the mid-70’s
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/10/things-i-find-amusing-about-la/
Oct 02 2007
life in los angeles
It has been a busy few months here in Los Angeles so far. I think that this has in some way postponed a lot of the homesickness I fully expected to feel. There has definitely been moments, but those have been quickly put on hold to concentrate on work. Over the last week, however, it has really begun to sink in that I really live here, and how far away many of my friends are. Living in LA without a car is challenging and its been difficult to find ways to interact with people outside of the USC community.
Highlights of the first few months:
- Amazing food discoveries (Like the biggest burrito that I’ve ever seen at a restaurant…and it not being the biggest in LA)
- Diversity (It’s kinda cool to hear people talk in languages other than English…even though I don’t understand it)
- The Music Calendar (there is so much going on…its really just a matter of time and money…not whether something is actually happening)
- Running into old friends at a conference for work in San Francisco that I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to initially…but so glad I went to in the end (and seeing a friend from Eugene while I was there as well).
- Sleeping under the stars on the beach at our Fall Retreat in Oceanside, CA (and the fairly warm ocean water)
Lowlights of the first few months:
- My diet has been horrible…way to much fast food and eating out in general (and not finding a good grocery store nearby with organic/local food)
- Adjusting to much longer hours and different sleep schedules
- Having a hard time finding a “me” outside of USC
- The Ducks loosing on the second to last play of the game to Cal while surrounded by USC fans.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/10/life-in-los-angeles/
Sep 04 2007
Labor Day
The toughest part of living in LA so far has been my days off. Because I don’t have a car yet, and I only really have two other friends other than my housemate, I end up feeling a little trapped on my days off. This is further magnified by the fact that I still have quite a different natural schedule than my housemate (I get up when its still the morning). This coupled with some extra hot days…and I end up just sitting around my room bored all day.
I’m hoping to get the car situation worked out fairly soon. But I am dependent on my buddy getting it ready for me (like getting new tags for it). At least then I can get out and more easily explore things.
I still feel this need to find some friends outside of my work world though. But I’m not really sure how to go about that at the moment either.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/09/labor-day/
Sep 03 2007
one deep breath: grandparents
One of the things I failed to touch on in my earlier post about my last couple weeks in Oregon, is perhaps one of the most important things I did while I was home in Eugene for the two and a half weeks. Because all of the grandchildren were going to be in town, we were going to inter my grandmothers ashes. My grandfather had wanted to wait for a time when we could all easily be there. My sister, who lives in NYC, had flown back just a couple days before my grandmother passed. Because my grandmother did not want a funeral, there was no rush to bury her ashes.
The whole family drove up to the small cemetery where her ashes would rest. They would be put directly into the ground next to her parents. My uncle dug a small hole and my grandfather opened the box her ashes were in and poured them directly into the ground. What remained of my grandmother would at least feel the earth around her as she wanted. Yet again, however, I learned about love from the eyes of my grandfather. This haiku is for him.
for grandpa
her ashes covered
within the dirt. his tears truth.
their love still evolves.
past breaths for my grandparents:
odb: legacy, odb: storms, odb: a new year, odb: roots
more breaths from the poets at one deep breath
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/09/one-deep-breath-grandparents/
Aug 28 2007
one deep breath: tiny pretty things
a faithful ember
sustains through a dark night softly
illuminating
more tiny pretty breaths at one deep breath
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/08/one-deep-breath-tiny-pretty-things/
Aug 28 2007
A Few Weeks in LA
I’ve been in Los Angeles almost three weeks now and it still really hasn’t sunk in that I actually live here. I don’t know if it is a result of my only furniture being a borrowed Aero Bed and a small bookshelf or the fact that I don’t yet have a car. Whatever it is…it still just feels like a long vacation or perhaps more correctly business trip since I have been working since the 15th.
Not having a car in LA is definitely a much tougher thing than in Portland. There is public transportation but for some reason it just doesn’t feel as accessible. Perhaps that is more of just the general mindset of the city around me. I do have a lead on getting a car from a friend, but currently that’s on the back burner.
I’m living a few blocks from USC in a pretty nice townhouse. The rent is pretty much double what I was paying in Portland, but for the area, its proximity to the University (and therefore less need of a car)…its a pretty good deal. The neighborhood is pretty interesting. The immediate area is largely the college crowd, however a few blocks away the neighborhood becomes largely Latino.
Most of my explorations of the city so far have revolved around food. There has been a lot of eating out these first few weeks. The highlights are the biggest burrito I’ve ever seen at La Barca (in the neighborhood) for under $9 and some amazing ramen at Daikokuya in Little Toyko.
I’ve been to the beach (and got the resulting Norwegian Sun Tan…ie redness).
I saw Diana Krall at the Hollywood Bowl, which was a great show at a great venue. Probably the best sound at an outdoor venue I’ve experienced.
I’ve been to a club in Hollywood (for DJ Heather & DJ Collete @ Deep)
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/08/a-few-weeks-in-la/
Aug 22 2007
Welcome to California
So here I am…entering California. The drive was pretty comfortable all in all. My rental car was nicely equipped with Sirius Satellite Radio, so most of the first day of driving was spent singing along to the 80’s channel. The one thing you can say about a solo road trip…no one can complain about your singing. I wasn’t in California long however before I ran across this:
A giant wooden horse? You’ve got to be kidding me! Here I am driving to Los Angeles to work at the University of Southern California and I see a giant wooden horse less than an hour after entering California. What craziness!Other than that, the drive was pretty standard. The drive past Mt. Shasta and Shasta Lake was beautiful as always. I ended up resisting the temptation to stop in Redding for In-N-Out, pushing through to Corning, CA where I would need to fill up with gas. For those of you who haven’t driven down I-5 through Northern California, Corning is home to the famous Olive Pit Restaurant (they also advertise a big “Olive Festival,” however, I’ve never been through when it is going on). This was a standard stop for a few of my friends and always featured some tasting of some tasty olives.
Day one’s destination was Madera, CA. I was going to crash at my friend Nicole’s aunt & uncle’s house. Nicole happened to be in the states (she currently lives in Sicily) during August and offered to give me a place to crash. We went out for a nice dinner at The Vineyard Restaurant and afterwards watched a little tv with her aunt & uncle before I crashed for the night.
Day two was a quick drive down to Los Angeles. I stopped in the town before the Grapevine to fill up again and was on my way. Traffic wasn’t to bad once I hit the LA area except for a little stretch near Downtown LA. I pulled up to my new place (a townhouse) just after 11am. After a quick bite for lunch I unloaded the car and here I was…a resident of Los Angeles.
Crazy!
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/08/welcome-to-california/
Aug 19 2007
Leaving Oregon
After an action packed final week, on July 21, 2007, I loaded up a truck with all of my belongings and left Portland after almost three years. I was heading down to Eugene to spend some time with my family and friends before the final destination of Los Angeles. It was a good thing however that I was so busy the last couple weeks in Portland, because it gave me less time to reflect on the things and people I was leaving. I was thankful however that I managed to spend at least a little time with pretty much all of my Portland area friends before I left.
Moving day was pretty crazy. Most of my stuff was ready to put in the truck, but not quite everything. Then there was the question of “was everything going to fit?” Luckily with some excellent Tetris-like skills, everything that was going fit in the truck. I was pretty exhausted by the time the truck was loaded and contemplated sticking around another night before pushing through and getting on the road.
My two and a half weeks in Eugene hanging with friends and family was good. Both of my sisters were in town, which could be one of the last times all of us are together under the same roof. (The middle sister lives in NYC). There was also plenty of good times to be had with my Eugene friends, 80’s night, a now infamous Burlesque show and one new friend. I find it kinda ironic that for most of high school and college I couldn’t wait to get out of Eugene, but now that I’ve been gone for awhile…I really miss it. Anyway, the time in Eugene was really good, not nearly as dramatic as I’d feared and well worth the lost wages I could have earned staying in Portland for another couple weeks.
On August 8th, I loaded what I could in a rented Chrysler Pacifica and began my journey to Los Angeles. Before leaving Oregon, I did have to stop in Ashland to get some snacks at the Co-op and see my old housemate. But after that quick stop, it was on to California.
I’ve barely left you…but I miss you already
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/08/leaving-oregon/
