Jan 29 2008
Tis going to be a short sketch this week. Work is pretty insanely busy right now, lots of meetings and a major event happening this week. I’m heading to Salt Lake City for a meeting on Friday and Saturday.
Basically I’m trying my hardest to survive without doing something stupid like quitting.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2008/01/sketch-4/
Jan 22 2008
The big excitement of the past week was a friend visiting for the long weekend. She arrived Thursday evening, slightly delayed (as was I from picking her up at the airport). The next morning we took off for a couple days in Paso Robles, CA (a little over 200 miles north of LA). Paso Robles is the center of one of Central Coasts wine regions. On the way up we stopped at Sanford Winery which is in the other main Central Coast wine region.
We made it to the hotel in Paso Robles a little after 1pm on Friday. We decided to do some exploring of downtown Paso Robles in search of a good place for lunch. Since my friend had a craving for fish and chips we ended up at an Irish pub called The Crooked Kilt. This was after stopping by the Firestone Walker brewing company, hoping they’d have some food (they didn’t, but we did taste their beers, which were quite good). After that we just relaxed at the hotel until a little before 8pm, when we had an appointment for an hour in one of the outdoor mineral spas at the River Oaks Hot Springs & Spa. It was a nice cool night, which made the hot tub even more enjoyable. It was nice to just sit and relax under the stars.
Saturday was spent exploring a few of the vineyards in the Paso Robles area. We visited and tasted at Eberle, EOS Estates, Clautiere, Tablas Creek, Four Vines and Rotta. We also stopped by Robert Hall and Justin, but didn’t end up tasting there. At Justin, we did stop and eat our snacks we had brought along for lunch. My favorites were the Port at Clautiere, the Zinfindel Rose at Rotta and the Port at Rotta. The Tablas Creek wines were also good and interesting, as they are doing mainly French inspired wines.
I had to be back in LA for work on Sunday evening, so we had to head back on Sunday. Monday was a rainy day in LA, so we stayed in all day (after going out for breakfast) and watched movies, at least until my computer decided to go kaputz on the forth movie. After breakfast at The Kettle in Manhattan Beach, I dropped my friend off at the airport and headed back to work. It was a good weekend all around, I wish it would have been longer if only because it’ll be awhile before I see my friend again.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2008/01/sketch-3/
Jan 17 2008
This weeks sketch is a couple days late because of a teensy mistake at my webhost, taking down the site for a good portion of 24 hours.
Largely due to a minuscule bank balance, I didn’t do much outside of work the past week. Most of the students didn’t arrive back in town until the weekend, so it was still pretty quiet around the office. I was able to attend both of the USC Men’s Basketball games last week (another loss and then finally a Pac-10 win over the Fuskies).
Payday finally came on Tuesday and my checking account was quite happy to finally see some action. After work I drove over to the Beach Cities and picked up a birthday present for a friend. I haven’t been over to the Beach Cities since before I left for the holidays, and it was nice to get out of the neighborhood for a bit. It’s nice having the students back around the campus, I’d forgotten how odd it is to be around a campus when classes aren’t in session. (Though that also means a return to the loud parties going to 1am across the street from my apartment.)
I’ve got fun plans for the weekend, but I’ll wait until next Tuesday to tell you about them. 🙂
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2008/01/sketch-2/
Jan 08 2008
Inspired partially by one of my friends weekly emails, I’m going to write weekly entries in my blog that focus on what I’ve been doing the past week. Little sketches on what is going on in my life.
New Year’s was spent at Zanzibar in Santa Monica with some new friends. There was a DJ set by Jason Sole (of KCRW) until the countdown at midnight. Breaking in the first hours of 2008 was the band Breakestra, a funky hip-hop orchestra. It was a great night of dancing and meeting new folks. (Pics Here)
After sleeping in and watching football for much of the rest of New Year’s Day, it was back to work on Wednesday. My first day back in the office since getting back to LA (but not my first day of work). Caught a showing of There Will Be Blood, the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. The movie was amazing and the score was mindblowing, a character in itself. I still like No Country for Old Men as my favorite for best movie of 2007, but There Will Be Blood was definitely nipping at its heels.
I went to the dentist on Thursday. The dentist actually cleaned my teeth, which was kind of weird. I don’t think I’ll be going back to this dentist though. She wasn’t horrible once I actually got in, but I definitely felt as I was just a $ sign to her.
Friday was back in the office and a long conversation with my boss about goals for the coming semester. The weekend was full of NFL Playoffs, reading and relaxing.
Classes don’t start here at USC until next Monday, so work is pretty quiet, but I should be able to get a bunch of stuff done this week as well.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2008/01/sketch-1/
Dec 31 2007
I made my first trip back to Oregon since moving to Los Angeles for Christmas. It was an interesting experience, having been so homesick for much of my time here in Los Angeles. I drove up to Eugene with a friend (though in separate cars), stopping in one of my favorite places, Ashland, OR, to break up the drive. A nice relaxing evening in Ashland was just what was in order after a long day on I-5. We were lucky going over the Siskiyou Pass, as if we had been another 10-15 minutes later, we’d have needed chains (which neither of us had). After a late breakfast and a walk around downtown Ashland, we headed North on I-5 to continue our treks to our respective homes.
It was good being at home, seeing my Eugene friends, dancing at 80s night. There was the typical family drama/stress…but really it was ok (I can say that now with some distance…while I was there, I was ready not visit the folks the next time I went to Oregon). Really the important thing is that I was able to see my sisters. I just have this feeling that any time now, we won’t all be able to gather as a family for the holidays.
As I look to the new year, I am still trying to settle into life in LA. I’ve been here five months now and am just really starting to find my places around here. My job is much more challenging than I ever thought it would be. I often feel as if I am over my head. I’ve been thinking a lot over the past couple weeks about whether or not I’m really ready to begin the process to go to seminary. My thoughts are definitely leaning towards that I am not ready. This of course brings up the question of what do I do in meantime. Do I go back to school to teach or for law school? Do I stay in Los Angeles beyond this school year? These are the questions I’ll be trying to answer over the next few months.
That’s it for now, one of my goals for the new year is to make at least a weekly post here…so keep checking for updates 😉
I hope everyone has a great New Year!
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/12/a-rhino-walks-at-the-end-of-2007/
Nov 24 2007
I realized that this was first thanksgiving I’ve ever had without spending some time with my family. It’s kinda weird how much its got me down, since holidays at home are always kinda stressful. It is a weird dynamic, even though they often get on my nerves, I would give pretty much anything to have been home this weekend.
I’m struggling a lot right now. I’m not adjusting as quickly (or easily) as I thought I would. I’m not doing my job as well as I thought I would. I’m doubting if its really the right fit for me. Which makes me doubt whether or not the vocation I’ve been journeying towards is really where I should be going. I miss Portland. I miss the rain and grey skies.
But yet, I do not doubt that Los Angeles is where I am supposed to be right now. I can’t completely explain it and it often doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Things aren’t all gloom here either. I’ve got a couple of old friends that live down here that I get to hang out with once and awhile (though not enough). I’ve also got a new close friend that I’ve met since being here. I’ve found a really good church (in Beverly Hills of all places) to be a part of. These are some of the things I’m thankful for this weekend. I’m also thankful for my friends in New York, Portland and Eugene…who’ve listened to my whining over instant messaging chats.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/11/on-thanksgiving/
Oct 02 2007
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:
Lowlights of the first few months:
Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2007/10/life-in-los-angeles/
Sep 04 2007
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 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
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/
© 2006 -2019 a rhino walks.
Made with by Graphene Themes.
