Prelim notes from the City of Angels

Tomorrow will make it my one week anniversary since arriving in Los Angeles. I'm going to have a party to celebrate and everyone is invited. Woohoo! Heh. I've only been here for a week, but the overall feeling is already quite different from the first summer I spent here, back when I was tucked inside my summer school bubble. I feel like I was such a foolish young adolescent back then and sometimes thinking about it actually makes me cringe. Anyways, to make this feel more like a regular, normal blog I decided to share some things I have noticed or thought about so far in L.A. (and surrounding areas).

1. Not being able to drive/not having a car is really truly very uncomfortable. Everyone probably already knows this but if you live in L.A., you have to be able to drive and you need to have a car. Everything is so sprawled out here that even a trip to the local pharmacy can usually require driving. I feel bad because Jessica has been driving me everywhere but even worse because I am a horrible front seat occupant and unfamiliar with Californian road rules. We usually start chatting, end up missing an exit and watch in pain as the GPS indicates an additional 10 minutes until our destination.

2. But the public bus system actually isn't that bad. Or so far it hasn't been that bad. This past week, before Jess goes to work she has dropped me off in numerous locations in the city and I have been able to use the metro bus system to navigate and find my way back to Century City each time. Like a faithful dog. There are always lots of very old people on the buses, probably because they never really learned how to drive and therefore have no other way to get around other than via public transportation. The old folks and I have that in common. ("My nana takes her wig off when she's drunk." "Your nana and I have that in common." I hope you know where that comes from!)

3. There are lots and lots of Coffee Beans in L.A. I thought they'd be everywhere in the United States (there are also quite a few in Seoul) but apparently it is not that well known on the east coast. I think there are more Coffee Beans in L.A. than Starbucks, it's one of those things where you can sometimes see stores on consecutive blocks. Also where most celebrities go to get their doses of caffeine. I've made a bad habit of getting an Ice Blended Extreme each morning to wake me up but I should probably find a cheap alternative soon before I go broke. $$$$$$$

4. I've gotten glimpses into the lives of suburban Asian American youths in California. That sounds creepy, but I've always been kinda curious. Okay, that sounds creepy too. Jessica lives in San Gabriel and near San Marino and Arcadia, where there is a large Asian population and is home to one of the top public high schools in SoCal (San Marino High, also predominantly Asian). Jessica said that when kids in her area hang out all they do is go to the mall or go get Boba and then sit around for ages talking about cars. This means bubble tea houses packed with Asian kids til like midnight and also really, really good bubble tea and frozen yogurt. Mmm.

5. Women here wear Uggs in 75 degree weather. I swear I've seen at least a dozen women and girls this past week clomping around in their Uggs under the scorching Californian sun. They also wear leather boots but those don't shout out "SNOW AND COLD WEATHER!!!!" as much as Uggs usually do. Is it because Californians don't really get a legit winter and this is their way of extending their share of the cold weather season? I have yet to find out.

6. I've found a place for the summer. It's a pretty little room in a pretty yellow house with a woman who's a schoolteacher and her boyfriend who is a dentist. And their chocolate lab and a cat. It's my first time living under someone else's roof for such a long time so I'm a bit anxious but they seem like nice people and the area is really nice and close to work. I especially like how it's walking distance from Ventura Boulevard, which is where a lot of good shopping and eating places are, but I just remembered that I shouldn't be spending a lot this summer so um... yea.......

7. I still don't know what to expect of this summer.