Geek Power!

John and I are currently watching a rerun episode of Conan, and Vin Diesel was the guest. Now Vin Diesel's filmography does not include any films that I am particularly interested in seeing, but in watching him on this episode of Conan, he is going in depth in how he played D&D in his youth! The last person I ever would have imagined being geeky just confessed to having played Dungeons and Dragons for 24 years!

Insane....

We Have Cable Now!

So we've spent the greater part of the morning trying to set up the TiVo, trying to figure out new shows to watch. We have thoroughly exhausted Friends, That 70's Show and Simpsons, and need new shows to watch! If you have any suggestions, please help us! We are DESPERATE for new TV!!!

Maybe there will be something worth watching in the new fall lineup... If anyone knows where to find a listing of all the new fall shows, let me know, I'm having trouble finding what's new.

Thanks!

We Made It!

Well, I can't believe it, but we're here. Like I was telling John and Amanda yesterday, I can accept the fact that I've moved from one location to another, but the fact that I am now in Los Angeles doesn't seem real. We've gotten a fair amount of unpacking done, the kitchen is almost done. Tonight we will pick up the fridge and then we'll be set.

Next weekend Beau and Mary will be moving to their new place in Westwood, and then there will be no more carrying of heavy boxes for a long time.

I can't wait until everything is unpacked!

End of an Era

So we finished our epic Dungeons and Dragons game tonight, and I must say it was a blast! My character (a ranged attack-happy Elven Cleric) was able to bask in some glory at the end, and I still can't believe that I started with this character in January-February at level 3, and we ended tonight, 7 months later at level 15....

So that was awesome, and I have to again thank John Peterman for running an excellent game for us... and keeping a somewhat complicated story together and bringing it full circle at the end. Without a doubt, this has been the best gaming experience I have ever had....

So we'll definitely going to have to start a game after we move down... it will be cool to play now that I know what I am doing! Get ready, I'll bring the Clerical skills!!!

(I'm especially good at filing and paper-shredding.......)

Last Few Days!!!

So our world is completely overrun with boxes.... but we are so close to being done!!! We are hoping to start with truck unloading between 11-12 on Saturday, for those of you in SC who are so graciously going to spare a couple of hours on you Saturday to aid us in loading up.... same for Sunday - hopefully, somewhere between 11-12 to being unloading for So-Cal people helping with the unload..... but like I said before, if you can't make it until later, that's cool.... just let us know if you are planning on coming to help and when you think you may be able to come. Leave comments here for that.

Thanks in advance for those of you willing to help. You have NO IDEA how much we appreciate it!!!!

Pics of the New Apartment!

So John has posted the pictures, but didn't link to them on his site, so I am taking over and linking to them on mine! Here it is, our glorious new place in LA! Enjoy!

We're back!

After 11 hours in the car, and a measly 24 hours in LA, we have returned to Santa Cruz once again.

After a fabulous hot dog at Pink's last night and a surprisingly sound night of sleep, we sauntered off to the outskirts of West Hollywood to sign the lease for our new apartment... And may I say, it is fabulous! Our balcony is amazing, we have tons of storage space, and the apartment is actually bigger overall than our current Santa Cruz apartment that we pay $200/month more for! John will probably post pictures on his blog soon....

So that was super exciting! After measuring the apartment to figure out furniture layouts, we took a detour to the Ikea in Burbank in search of the new 2004 catalogue (which they told us would not be released in stores until September 2nd!)... so we were kinda bummed about that, but when we got home, the new Ikea catalogue was sitting in our mailbox....

Ahh, the irony......

We're in Hollywood!

Just a quick post from our friendly neighborhood Starbuck's in Hollywood! The drive was pretty fast, and we are bumming around our new neighborhood for a bit.

It still doesn't seem real.....

And Off We Go!

Tomorrow we will departing early (like 10am, not that early) for our trip to LA.... Picking up keys, signing the lease, measuring the apartment so that we may begin to plot out where everything is supposed to fit.... and then heading back. With any luck, we'll be able to hang out with some friends, enjoy some good food, and not go terribly insane from driving for 10+ hours within two days.

So, I guess this is my warning that I may not update until Thursday or Friday. But you never know! Something may strike me so much that I just may need to take a jaunt off to a Starbuck's or Borders to use their WiFi access. It's happened before!

YAY for Cool Weather!

So, out of curiosity, John and I decided to check the weather for our trip down to and found that it was going to be a sweltering 88 degrees. Pretty awful considering we are leaving behind the glorious high 60's right now. So I decided to check the weather for our moving days.... The Sunday we are unpacking the U-Haul of Doom into our new home, lovely weather in LA will be 84 degrees. Not too bad, not so great. So, I checked Santa Cruz for August 23, thinking it would be wonderfully pleasant - when I see horrifying news! 95 degrees? In Santa Cruz? Impossible!

It must be some sort of sign.... Really! It has to be!

At least we have air conditioning in LA.....

The U-Haul is booked!

So we are pretty much stuck now. The official date is August 23, 2003 - our departure from Santa Cruz will be complete. Nearly six years since I first moved into the dorms. Santa Cruz has been a lot of things to me, and I can't believe that soon, it will be nothing but a memory.

I'm really excited, and have occasional bouts of fear. There's nothing like booking a U-Haul to make you realize that you are actually moving away from a place. And as much as I have been poo-pooing Santa Cruz for the past few months, it has been a nice place to live for the past 6 years - even if it is exhorbitantly expensive and there is nothing to do after 9pm. And I will miss the friends I have made (you know who you are!)

So anyone living in the Greater Santa Cruz area who is available on Saturday the 23rd, we would love your help packing up the cursed U-Haul (to be compensated with pizza and beer) and anyone in the southern california area who is available on sunday the 24th, we too would love your help unpacking the confounded U-Haul into our lovely new abode (there will be some sort of treats - perhaps pizza and beer!)

So it's all final.

Time to let the whole thing soak in...

Sorry for not posting...

But John and I are in the process of packing up our lives for the bazillionth time (at least it feels like it) and haven't had much time to sit down and type. And now we've gotten the computer desk in this nice little fort type thing all surrounded by boxes...

I'm really starting to feel claustrophobic in this little space.....

But soon it will all be done, and I can get back to a less sporadic schedule of posting.....

Another Interview!

I just received word from the General Manager of the Borders in Long Beach (I know, it's kinda far, but read on!) and she wants to have a phone interview with me tomorrow afternoon! And best of all, it's for Inventory Manager, which I applied for (and wanted SOOO badly) when I worked at the Borders in Santa Cruz!

I think I've hit the Mother Lode! Wish me luck!

Preparing For the Journey South

So today was uber-freaky as I called the Cable Company, PG&E, etc. to cancel our services with them. The move has never seemed more real as it did today.

And I really can't believe all the stuff that we've been paying for for all these months that have made our lives so much....easier?...more pleasant?

Soon we'll be calling to reconnect all of these luxuries....

And the preparation continues....

Damn you, Crate and Barrel

So, to quiet enquiring minds everywhere, yes, I finally heard back from Crate and Barrel. They offered me a job...

So why, you may ask, am I not overwhelmingly excited?

Well, Crate and Barrel is closing the store in Century City (about 4 miles from the new Beverly Hills location) and is moving all of the current employees there. Which leaves me with a part-time, sales position at minimum wage plus commission. Which, don't get me wrong, commission in Beverly Hills has got to be amazing, but the store will not be open until late September. Which means, once again, that Unemployment will pay me significantly more. :(

Oh well, at least it's an option, it would be fabulous to work in Beverly Hills, but not for what they are offering me.

Coffee is My Friend

So I just had yet another interview for a job in LA - this time at Peet's Coffee and Tea in Studio City. I interviewed for an Assistant Manager position, making BANK, with awesome benefits and it's super close. Supposedly a 10 minute drive, which inevitably will become the standard "20 minutes" that everything in LA seems to be from everything else in traffic. But I am thoroughly excited that the interviews have begun pouring in! My confidence in the move to LA grows everyday...

Now I just need to learn how to yell out "Large Fat Free Soy Latte" without laughing.

I think I'll manage.

What a Weekend!

So I haven't written since Wednesday (i'm a bad blogger) but i'm going to try to keep it short and sweet... I've been pretty sick with this damn cold for nearly a week now, and I'm getting really annoyed with it. But to get to the point, it prevents me from getting a decent night's sleep, so if I start making no sense, I'm just really tired.

So, Friday was my honey's 25th birthday (SO OLD!) and the crew from OC (Chun, Paul and Mary) came up for the weekend's festivities. It was so nice to see them, and I am very excited that soon we will be close enough to see them all the time! We went out for Sushi at Mobo (I had some yummy vegetarian rolls, no raw fish for me!) and then to the Rush Inn for drinks. There are pictures on John's website. It was an enjoyable evening, other than the fact that i nearly lost my voice completely. (damn cold.)

Saturday was the day of the big party, and I felt unusually relaxed about it. It was very weird. I didn't panic once! But the party was a great success, seeing people that I haven't seen in a very long time, packing our house quite full! Had some great conversations and saw a lot of people that I will miss dearly. Chun videotaped quite a bit, but John and I don't feel quite rady to watch it yet.

Sunday was recovery day, as my voice was nearly completely gone again. I ended up sleeping away much of the afternoon and then all night long, sleeping 23 out of 31 hours.

Monday was a fabulous dinner out with John's cousin. It was great to see her and her husband, and we enjoyed El Palomar thoroughly. Good stuff.

And now we begin planning our attack on packing.