We Got the Apartment!

I'm really too excited to say much more about it than that....

Details will follow!

We Have Returned!

So after four days and nearly 1200 miles of driving, John and I have returned to Santa Cruz ... and I must say it is nice to be home. It was odd driving from extreme hot weather to arriving on Highway 1 only to find it shrouded in fog at 8:30 last night. But it was a good trip and I feel really good about the whole move....

On Friday I had my interview at St. Pucchi Sposa in downtown Westwood - very odd little place. Super ritzy, full of billowy, feathery dresses that reached into the $10K range..... But the interview went well and I should be hearing from them sometime this week. Following that, we ventured out on our apartment hunt, starting in Koreatown in LA.... Nice looking apartment building, but the complete lack of parking anywhere on the streets surrounding the complex prevented us from getting a closer view. So we proceeded on to Hollywood, where we found a cute little apartment, no dishwasher (DAMN!) but a nice area.... We then drove up and down the streets of West Hollywood where John called every complex he could as I drove, making ourselves a plethora of appointments for Saturday. Exhausted after 8 hours of driving through the streets of WeHo, we made it back to OC around 9.....

Saturday we found what hopefully will become our new apartment around August 15th. A nice little place on a quiet street in WeHo, with a dishwasher and A/C.... we're still waiting to hear whether or not we got the place, but I think we have a good shot. Following that, we went to scary Fashion Island in Newport Beach ad wandered around for a while, then had a lovely dinner with my mother-in-law. It was very nice, and great to spend some time with her! Post dinner (and a much-needed Cafe Americano) we went over to the Holscher's for Trivial Pursuit. It was nearly epic, as Dave and Vicky (Todd and Mary's parents) got all but one wedge on their first turn!

Sunday we drove back up to Hollywood and met some of John's filmmaking friends for hotdogs at Pink's and wandered up and down Melrose. It was hot as all hell, but it was cool to experience Hollywood NOT in a car. Then we wandered around West LA for a good part of the evening, retiring at last in Westwood.

Monday - the final leg of the journey. I had the interview at Crate and Barrel - seems promising, I should find out tomorrow. The Beverly Hills store is going to be a HUGE deal and it would be awesome to be a part of the grand opening! We hit some unbearable traffic on that cursed Golden State Freeway (the 5) on our way out of LA, but made it home safe and sound last night around 9.

No more driving.

Ever.

DEAR GOD!

So after a little research, it turns out that the dresses that this little shop in Westwood carry range in price from $1500 (barely unreasonable) to $5000+ (totally absurd!)...

God, I hope the job gives me commission..........

Wedding Dresses Anyone?

So, in my never-ending search for work in LA county, I stumbled across a position for a Bridal Consultant in Westwood and YAY! I have an interview there on Friday! It's at what looks to be a ritzy little boutque in downtown Westwood called St. Pucchi Sposa and I would imagine that the dresses are quite pricey... But with the next wave of brides needing dresses, I might just be the hookup!

Wish me luck! Now I might be able to put all of my extensive wedding knowledge to good use!

Let the Craziness Begin!

So the next few weeks are going to be totally insane for John and me. This Thursday we are heading back down to the City of Angels in hopes of finding the perfect apartment (and hopefully a job for me!) We will return from that madness on Monday, July 28th, when John will finish his last three days of work at UCSC, finishing on July 31, when we are planning a trip to the Poet and the Patriot for a celebratory pint or two... Then August 1, my honey is turning the unbelievably old age of 25 - and there will be an evening of mellow bar hopping to celebrate.

Then there's the 2nd - the biggest party we have ever thrown that doesn't involve a big white dress or wedding vows..... so please, feel free to stop by our house on the 2nd, and if you're interested in joining us for the pre-party activities, comment here or drop me an e-mail so we can include you on the details!

Get ready to party!!!

Who Woulda Thought?

So as I commonly do, I was playing a game of Literati (like Scrabble) on Yahoo! Games, and usually the people that join my game are punks who trash-talk and are generally really boring.

Today in my game, I ended up playing with a 73 year old woman, who has been married 48 years. I thought that was really cool, and then she told me that her husband proposed to her on their first date - which was a blind date! I was amazed. It's a 1950's Dharma and Greg!

I can only hope that John and I are as successful as her and her husband!

Friday Five

I figured I might as well follow the trend that John has set by answering the Friday Five...

1. When was the last time you cheated?

Ummm, I don't. I don't think... I really only ATTEMPTED to cheat in high school, and that was a LONG time ago.

2. When was the last time you stole?

To totally steal John's answer (which was my answer before I read his responses) I stole my wonderful hubby's heart a little over 4 years ago... And I stole John's answer to the question..... I also make a habit of trying to steal people's thunder.... ;)

3. When was the last time you lied?

Sometimes you just have to keep things to yourself to prevent from hurting those you care about... So probably pretty recently. So please, try to return the favor?

4. When was the last time you broke or vandalized another's property?

Umm, if car accidents count, it was about a month ago. But they broke my car too. :(

5. When was the last time you hurt a loved one?

NEVER! well, i probably accidentally kicked John in my sleep or something, but I try not to do it on purpose. :)

Matt Hindt, the Wise

So in reflecting in the time spent with my brother, Matt, and his girlfriend, Katie, last night, I've suddenly become kind of weepy. It was really nice to spend time with him, which I will be the first to admit that we don't do that enough. But my bro and I didn't even get along that well until about three or four years ago when he came to Santa Cruz and we were free to be friends without the effects of our parents around. Rather than fighting against each other, we were able to begin working together toward a common goal of not only being siblings, but being friends.

So last night, as Matt and Katie were leaving our apartment with visions of a cheese pizza in their heads, my brother said something that is still making me all misty-eyed...

"Dude, it sucks that we won't be able to hang out anymore...."

(due to the upcoming LA relocation...) Now, mind you, I have heard variations of this statement ("You can't go!" "I can't believe you're leaving us!" etc...) and never know what to say. I appreciate the feelings behind these statements, but it always almost seems like they are said with the subconscious intention of conjuring feelings of guilt within John and myself for departing. (I know none of you mean to do that, but something deep inside wants us to feel as bad for leaving as you feel that we'll be gone.)

But that wasn't that statement that got to me. He continued,

"I mean, it's really cool as a....LIFE... thing...... but it sucks that we won't be able hang out anymore."

And then I knew that he understood why we were going. He wasn't trying to make us feel guilty. He was genuinely bummed about it, and excited for us too.

And I finally understood, too.

Not much in the way of news.....

There's not really anything to blog about today.... hmmmm...

Last night was nice, my brother and his girlfriend came over last night and hung out - we listened to a sampler CD of music he has been working on, it was actually pretty impressive. We enjoyed some of the Empty Box Brews and had a nice mellow evening.....

I spent much of my day yesterday applying to jobs in LA - and I found a listing for Inventory Manager in Long Beach today - a job I applied for at our very own Santa Cruz Borders nearly 2 years ago..... So the opportunities are starting to pour in! And I spent the rest of the day being nervous about my C&B interview, even though it's a week and a half away..... Do interviews ever get any easier?

I hope I don't have to go to TOO many....

Crate and Barrel, Here I Come!

YAY! My first LA interview! I just heard from the Human Resources Manager of the Century City Crate and Barrel and I have an interview for the new Beverly Hills store a week from Monday! How freaking cool is that!?!?

So wish me luck and hopefully this will pan out into something wonderful!

The Pirates are Coming Back!

Disney is already in talks with key cast and crew of their hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean, including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and director Gore Verbinski!

There's no word on the storyline, or when it will go into production, but they have sent the screenwriters of the first one off to write a sequel script!

And this is really, well, not a surprise, but SO VERY EXCITING!

Luscious, beautiful, wonderful, sexy, amazing Johnny Depp returning as a pirate......

I might just melt......

Reminiscing.....

Remember the days in high school when you thought that life could never possibly get any better? You have the best friends, and you're so cool, and fashionable, and of course that hottie in your econ class has an equally enormous crush on you! (Me neither, just trying to create an image...)

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the attitudes I had in high school, the friends I made (and promptly lost when I went off to college) the crushes I had, the clothes I wore.... and I wonder how the hell I turned out remotely normal. But maybe that's what high school is like for everyone?

I remember most of all thinking that the people I was friends with in high school would be my friends forever... I always believed that no matter how far away and how much we changed, that we would always all be the best of friends.... Didn't everyone think that? Was I the only one who was horribly mistaken?

Now that I am older and wiser, I can see that when you are 18 years old, you have youthful and idealistic hopes and expectations for the future. You still haven't realized that people can change, and grow apart - even if only separated by 45 miles.

And it makes me sad looking at the select few that I really cared about keeping in touch with, and how I have nothing in common with them anymore other than some silly, childish memories....

And naturally this scares me, as I prepare myself (more emotionally than anything) for the move to LA... leaving my good friends of the last 6 years behind me and relocating nearly 400 miles away.

And there will be new friends, and John's high school friends (how the hell did you pull that off?) who over the course of John and I's relationship have become really good friends of mine as well. And I am excited at the opportunity to spend more time with them and find out what it is that I did wrong in high school that John did right.... and maybe he can help me not make the same mistake this time.

I think I am more mature now (Dear God, I hope so!) and my friends are closer and more valuable than I ever could have imagined having back in high school.... so maybe I will save myself from making that mistake again.

One can only hope.

Spaaaaaaaace Channel 5! (part 2)

So I just have to say that Andrew is my hero. Not since June 2000, when the original Space Channel 5 was released for the Dreamcast have I been so excited about a rhythm/dance/music video game. But when Andrew told me at his Gaming Party on Saturday that he had a copy of the fabled sequel, Space Channel 5 part 2 (clever name, eh?) which had never been released in the United States, I was ecstatic!

So I tried to play it yesterday, wading through an incomprehesible storyline confused by purely Japanese dialogue and menus, and failing miserably at new aspects of the game (playing guitar, drums, etc) I got frustrated.... But the game is gloriously beautiful and the music is as funky and cool as ever. And Ulala, man, can she dance!

So I'll be practicing throughout the rest of the week, so that when we see Beau and Mary, I can impress the pants off them. (not literally, of course... :)

And maybe I'll find a useful FAQ that will tell me what the heck is going on...

The Job Search Continues

For the past few months I have begun the arduous task of searching for jobs in the greater Los Angeles area.... Lots of opportunities, but since I'm not actually in LA yet, I am unable to reap the benefits of being super prepared and applying for hundreds upon hundreds of jobs....

Today, somehow, though, I was pointed to a site that lists Federal Jobs and it kind of scares me to see how many jobs there are in Long Beach for the Department of Homeland Security. Frightening, I can say the least, and I think probably one of the scariest places to work these days, other than anywhere in DC or NY.... But these things scare me for no reason, so perhaps I should just apply......

On the other hand, Crate and Barrel is opening a new store in September, 2 miles from both their store in the Grove and another store 2 miles in the other direction in LA. Which is good news for me, since I really seem to enjoy the physical abuse of opening a brand new retail store, and good news for Crate and Barrel lovers everywhere! (By the way, they have an awesome Bridal Registry!!)

I should totally get the job now, I'm shamelessly plugging them on my little blog. :)

WeHo Here We Come!

So it goes without saying that I am very excited about the move to LA. We have narrowed down West Hollywood (affectionately known as WeHo by locals) and possibly Burbank (although we kinda want to avoid the valley...)

So John and I were watching this silly show on VH1 about "Young Hollywood" and there was a mention of That 70's Show stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, and Wilmer Valderrama's upscale Italian Restaurant Dolce... The exciting part about this (in addition to how cool it looks) is that it is on Melrose right in the heart of WeHo! I'll definitely be looking forward to checking it out when we get down there. And maybe we'll get some cool celebrity sightings!

YAY!

Good Times, Good Times...

Had a really good weekend (so far)... Friday night we played D&D - John, myself, John, Elisabeth, Greg and Antonio.... It's been an awesome game, and I'm really sad that it will be ending soon... My Cleric is totally wrong now, and I absolutely love it. We'll definitely have to get a game going when we move down....

Saturday we saw Pirates of the Caribbean again, and I cannot reiterate enough how much I love this movie. Go see it now!

Saturday was also Andrew and Jodi's gaming party - video games, card games, and just about anything you can play... It was really fun, with yummy beer and tons of people. Thanks to Andrew and Jodi for a super fun evening!

And now we come to Sunday... Sundays, traditionally are very lazy for us.... we sit around wishing we had something to do (when we both know we don't really have to motivation to do anything) and then we stay up as late as possible to avoid Monday's inevitable arrival. So that's our weekend.....

Like I said - good times.....

Another one Bites the Dust!

So while we were at Andrew's party, John tells me that he has a voicemail, and lo and behold - it's from Beau!

It's official! Beau and Mary are engaged!

I couldn't be happier for them, and I can't think of two people more perfect for each other... (Other than John and me, but that's another story....) and I wish them all the happiness in the world! And I can't wait to help out! (The wedding planner in me is going crazy right now!)

Congratulations to Beau and Mary, I am so very happy for both of you!

Lots of love and have a safe trip!

Oh glorious pirates!

So we caught an early matinee of Pirates of the Caribbean again today... Damn is that movie good.

Definitely the BEST Disney movie I have ever seen.... By far!

See it now, if you haven't already. And if you have.... well, you should see it again!

Buy Jewelry From Me!

It's widely accepted that women love jewelry - and they want their men to buy it for them!

Here's a simple, cost-effective solution - buy jewelry from my website, Z's Jewelry! I know, it's a shameless plug, but what better way to celebrate the independent businesswomen of America than to start with me!

(God I feel so cheap!)

Up and Running!

So here I am, with a blog.... What to write.......

Well, as I'm sure you are all well aware, our going away/John's 25th birthday party is coming up... It is going to be off the hook! I'm trying to come up with some sort of theme, and would gladly welcome any suggestions.... Plus, if you know anyone that I should have invited, let me know as well...

I'm sure I'll come up with something more interesting to talk about sometime soon.

Stay tuned!

I think it's working!

YAY! All by myself! I got the comments working (for now, at least...) so that kicks ass.

If I missed anyone's site, please let me know!

Welcome to my Blog!

I thought in the recent revolution of new blogs popping up, that maybe I will have something interesting to say.... maybe not, but I think you'll keep reading just in case!

I'm having difficulty with comments currently.... so we'll see what happens...