Firsts ....

This past week held a few firsts for me since I've been in LA.

I had my first death threat. Now before you freak out, please know I am not worried about my safety. For anyone who has worked in a call center (or any service job), you know being verbally threatened by a customer is not unusual. Well, one particularly emphatic angry customer told me over the phone that she would "kill [me] if I keep playing with her & her car." No games being played. Just trying to get her car fixed. And to be fair she did first threaten the body shop. Something about a boyfriend or maybe it was "baby daddy" and an AK47. All joking aside, I do think something is mentally or psychologically wrong with her.

I had my first celebrity encounter. Sort of. I was watching the latest episode of American Horror Story and recognized a name when the opening credits ran. It was the same as one of my customers. Realized they both have similar deep & raspy voices (from the voicemail I've heard). So after a few clicks on social media (a Facebook page which then lead me to Instagram), I saw a pic of the car I inspected. Confirming my first claim for a celebrity/actor in LA.

[Work/company policy does not allow for me to share identifying customer information on a platform like this.]

What I wish I knew...

Now that I have been in the auto damage side of insurance for a while. I'm realizing how much I have learned in a short amount of time. Things I wish I had known when I was younger. Especially as a single female where car trouble can be completely overwhelming. You know that you don't know. What to ask. What to do. What is needed. By no means do I have all the answers now, but I do know enough to not be intimidated any longer. And hopefully enough to not be taken advantage of without being a rude/annoying customer in the process. (No one WANTS to be a Karen!) Here are a few tips I would tell my younger self.

1. Learn the difference between a body shop & a mechanic shop. A body shop does bodywork to the vehicle. Collision damage. Things that look bad. Dented body panels. Cracked bumpers. A mechanic shop works on mechanical & internal things. Engine. Suspension. Airbag systems & wiring. Occasionally, you'll find a shop that does both, but not often. Some shops will specialize in one thing (suspension/wheels) or brand (usually with high-end brands that need a certified tech -- Audi, Mercedes, etc). If you were in an accident that has any kind of external damage, go with a body shop and if there is additional mechanical work needed, they will sublet it out to a specialist. And yes, dealerships will charge more than any other kind of shop. There are a few things only the dealer can do (diagnostics, computer or safety), but generally, the body & mechanic shops are your best bet.

2. When you are at a shop, listen. If a shop (body or mechanical) is quiet, then they are not working. It might be a good indicator they make their money on storage fees or overcharging in their hourly rate. When you drop your car off, are there vehicles coming & going? Is there activity. Good shops stay busy. You will hear people working. You will see signs of activity & productivity.

3. Don't feel pressured to use a certain shop. Ask questions about the hourly rate, storage fees, turn around time, etc. There can be a lot of hidden fees & frustrations that can be avoided by asking more questions. Be sure to read any paperwork to check in a vehicle at a shop before you sign anything. It will tell you a lot about the fees & professionalism of a shop. Good shops will be transparent and clear on fees & expectations. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! And if you are going through insurance, make sure you don't tell the shop it is okay to do anything insurance has not approved unless you are ready to pay for it yourself.

4. If you have pre-existing damage when you have an accident insurance is handling, ask what the shop will charge to take care of it while they are handling the claim. They will likely be paid for a lot of the prep work (mixing paint for example) by insurance and you can get a good deal on the additional work. Or at the least, you should be able to negotiate better labor rate (what insurance pays --- which is on your paperwork/estimate) than what you would pay out of pocket. Most shops want to work with you for additional work. It can make it less expensive to overlap the insurance claim for the old damage as well as only one trip to the shop versus two.

5. If your car needs to be towed, make sure you are familiar with the tow company and the destination. Too many tow companies are vultures waiting to take advantage of a bad situation. And many are hoping you are not paying attention due to the stress/chaos from an accident. Many of them work with the bad shops to steal your car away for repairs. And it is usually a big headache to get the car moved to a good & reputable shop. Don't agree to let anyone take your car away without your full permission. Don't be passive about this. If in doubt, use a company the police are recommending or calling for you. They (usually) are not going to use a bad company.

I'm sure I'll think of more to add to this list later. But this is a good Top 5 to start.

Debbbie Downer

I always want to post more often. And I usually have great post ideas when I'm driving at work. And by the time I get home or the weekend rolls around when I can get to a computer to write, my mind goes blank. All I can think of is how rough my week was at work. And I don't want this to become a dumping ground of complaints. Also trying to complain less. Started realizing my response to "how is/was your day" was nearly always something negative or bland. I feel like I remake a commitment to "not complain so much" about every 6 months. Never seems to really stick. I think there is something to being naturally pessimistic. I want to be more pleasant and happier. I just can't see to will it to be. It's not as easy as "choose to look at the positives." I can look at the positives & wonder why they don't make me happy. 

All that said because my instinct was to tell you that this week was hard. My birthday was Monday and for the most part went unnoticed. No birthday cards in the mail. No "happy birthday" from colleagues or roommates. One of my roommate's birthday was Thursday and he was told "happy birthday" by my other roommate & landlord. He even got some vodka from a coworker. I was jealous. Another friend posted how much love she received for her birthday. I became more jealous. Combine that with a hard week at work and I was ready for the weekend. Ready to hide away in my room and watch tv. Watch the UGA game. 

Sorry for a downer post. I knew moving across the country where I knew no one would be hard. But it is harder than I expected. I'm fairly independent and more introverted than most realize. (I'm more of an extroverted introvert.) Making friends is hard. Work relationships are strained. (Don't have co-workers in the normal sense) It is alienating. It is lonely. 

In an attempt to end on a positive note, the weather last week was pretty great. Would be about 57 when I woke up and around 60 when I would be leaving for work. Actually wore a light jacket when I left for work most days last week. And would get up to around 80ish. And would drop fairly quickly as the sun started to go down. Slept with the windows open. 

misconceptions

One realization that stands out amongst all the rest is Los Angeles is not as dangerous as I expected. I grew up in the days of Gansta Rap. There was this understanding that LA (especially south central) was the most dangerous place in the country (minus maybe NYC). I still sing along with Ice Cube when he says "no one I know got killed in south central LA. Today was a good day."

The territory I cover for work has me often in south central LA. (Usually 2-3 times per week) I'm also often in Culver City and even make it over to Venice and Marina Del Ray. By far, the most dangerous place I've been so far is Venice/Venice Beach. (mostly Venice Beach)

When I was still in Macon, I would joke on New Year's Eve & 4th of July about another game of "Gunshots vs Fireworks?". In Macon, there was constantly news of a shooting/homicide. At least one per month in 2018. Now I'll be the first to admit that I am not the best with keeping up with current events or news (local or otherwise). But I can honestly say I have not heard of one homicide in the nearly 4 months I have lived in Los Angeles.

But I can say I had a homeless man get in my face & yell at me in Venice Beach. (He later apologized.) And I have not felt unsafe in south central. Most of the homes are not expensive but well kept. It is generally a nicer area than my misconceptions lead me to believe.

Perhaps I owe a "thank you" to Macon to prepare me to live in a such a "dangerous" area.

Observations - Part 2

There are 7/11 stores all over LA. I have not seen one yet that is attached to a gas station. That is not a thing here. Most gas stations don't have a large convenience store attached. Some have just a cashier booth (like Kroger or WalMart gas in Macon). Or if there is a store, it is usually small & only has a few items.

Still getting used to there never being any parking anywhere. And if you do find parking, you will likely be paying for it. Lots of metered parking. Especially in Culver City & Santa Monica. Hard to find parking that is not street parking/parallel parking. Saw a grocery store in West Hollywood (not even the only store in that center) that had maybe 20 parking spots altogether. Big parking lots are not a thing here. And if you do find a parking lot, they will be "compact" spots. Meaning they are small & tight.

The heat is different here. Let's be honest, I knew it would be a drier heat. But I did not realize dry heat means it feels like your skin is on fire. All that humidity was slowing down the rays getting to my skin. But 90 in LA has my skin on fire. But luckily, if I walk to the shade, I can find relief. And a breeze is actually refreshing. In GA, shade & breeze this time of year feels like you stepped into a furnace.

Since I have to wear collared shirts & slacks for work, I am developing an epic farmers tan.

Hoping to make a trip back to GA in September. I was thinking the last week to lead up to my birthday. But now I am leaning towards the third week to be there for the Notre Dame game. Nothing concrete yet, just thinking through some options.

Catching Up

So much to catch up on.

So I've been in LA now for about 3 weeks. For the first 2, I was sleeping on an air mattress and still living out of a suitcase. Very thankful to have my bed! And that I have room for my futon to give me a little getaway. My roommates are nice. But I'm too introverted to not have my own space. Walls are a pale green. So I've tried to keep it mostly gray, white & aqua green.

And the house I rent a room in comes with a "resident cat" named Goatee. He is friendly. Almost dog-like. He even likes his belly rubbed.

My goal my first day as a resident of LA was to see the Pacific Ocean. To touch it. Feel it. (It was COLD.) Made it Santa Monica Beach and walked over to the famous Santa Monica Pier. End of Route 66.

One of my favorite things about LA/SoCal so far is the amount of street art & murals almost everywhere. Some of it is really good. Of course, there is some cheap graffiti too, but a lot of real art.

And the big news, at least for me, is that my car was totaled. I kept it at my mom's place back in Macon until I decided if I was going to bring it with me or sell it. A tree limb fell on it one night and rained into it. Damaged the back glass, roof, spoiler, trunk, rear tray & back seat enough to need replacement. And the right quarter panel has a repairable dent. Still finishing up some of the paperwork for it but it is a goner.

On a positive note, my new job position comes with a company car. "Mine" has been on order for a while now and I have been driving a rental vehicle. The bad part about the rental is that it is only on weekdays. Which left me stranded on the weekends. "Mine" is still on order but a fleet vehicle came available. 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. It may still be swapped out for "mine" down the road but thankful to have my own transportation again. (And thankful it is not a wrapped company car. I prefer incognito mode.)

Observations - Part 1

There are a few things that I have noticed since I have been in SoCal. Some bad. Some good. Mostly different. I'm sure I'll continue to add to the list the longer I am here. (Thus "Part 1")

1. Traffic in LA is NO JOKE! Don't get me wrong, I heard it was bad and I expected it to be bad. But it is NONSTOP! I would say my average speed on the freeway is probably 45. Come to a dead stop often. And side/surface streets are just as bad. It is everywhere. All the time.

2. Because there is always traffic, drivers are better. Changing lanes in traffic is not stressful or dangerous.

3. Parking is as bad as the traffic. And most parking is street parking. (parallel parking) Most businesses don't have the real estate to have large parking lots. I was used to street parking in Macon since I parked on the street at my place on Ridge. At my place in LA, I have found a parking place in front of the house once. I'm usually about 4-5 houses down.

4. Space, in general, is very limited. With so many people in such a small area & real estate demands, there is a lot crammed into a small space.

5. Tap water tastes HORRIBLE. Not dangerous to drink but it is gross. So most drink filtered water (like thru the fridge) or bottled water. But you have to pay an extra fee for plastic bottles. Why not make the water taste better (like in Macon) so more people will use refillable water bottles???

6. I went to In-n-Out burger for lunch today. It is worth the hype! I mean it is still a burger & fry place. But by far the best fast food burger. Patties are a touch thinner than say 5 Guys but that means that they get a bit of char to them. And the fries are thinner than 5 Guys. Size is more like McD's. But they taste like they are double fried. Crispy outsides (even the last stragglers in the basket) and fluffy insides. Salty enough to not require ketchup. 10/10 would recommend.

7. The place I'm renting comes with a fully furnished kitchen, living & dining rooms. But apparently, that does not include a microwave. I ate cold leftovers today because it was not worth it to get out a pot & reheat on the stovetop.

8. The weather has been great. The lack of humidity is everything I hoped it would be. Actually felt a cool breeze blow through a body shop today. Wearing pants & short sleeves is comfortable in June! I can walk outside & not immediately be drenched in sweat.

9. Kinda like my place on Ridge in Macon, I live on a street where folks are out walking their dogs all the time. I met a giant floof yesterday named Maggie. Looks like she is probably a black lab & chow mix. (I didn't check the tongue.) But on the larger side for a lab and fluffy. And very happy to get pets on her head.

10. Google Maps and I are now in a committed relationship. Obviously, I am using it every time I drive somewhere but I use it for so much more too. See where to eat near a shop I'm at. What stores are near home. Estimate drive times to plan/schedule my day. I can't imagine a time I won't use Google Maps. Even when I learn the area, I'll still want to know when traffic is bad. Or what is nearby.

** more observations to come.
*** leave a comment. (here or back on FB)

In addition

I realized I forgot a few of the nicknames (and a few were added the last couple of weeks back in San Diego.
To recap, we had:
* Teacher's Pet
* Glasses
* Man Bun
* Marine
* Consuela
* Enterprise
* Lurch

Added:
* Trey - the number 3 was significant for this instructor
* Ryan - one of the CA guys. His name is NOT Ryan, but it is what he was called more often than his real name.
* Cat Nap - when you continuously talk about your love of cats & come in late from lunch one day because you fell asleep, the trainer will give you an appropriate nickname
* Little One - the smallest of us all
* Drake - lookalike (so they say)
* Teacher's Pet 2.0 - making good grades will get you made fun of at any age apparently
* Glasses 2.0 - when others find a nerve and take advantage. This girl was in our class.
* Glasses 3.0 - girl in the training class behind us.
* Dad - one of the trainers was called Dad by one of my classmates since day 2
* Uncle - the other trainer (by default)

EDIT: Also, one of my classmates from Alaska was very excited to announce yesterday that his dog won Pup of the Month at doggy daycare. As Pup of the Month, Endeavor (aka Mr. Dev) will have 3 free days and a pic & bio on the wall. (And Mr. Dev has his own Instagram. --- yes, I follow him.)

Better late than never

Oops. It has been a while since I posted. I was trying to post at least once a week but it has now been a month. I failed to post the entire 3 weeks I was in Virginia. This will be an attempt to hit some of the highlights over the last month. Feel free to comment with any questions (or message me on whatever format you have my contact info for).

* Travelling from CA to VA was no joke! It was a very long day. and (TMI) I was on my period which made the 12 hours of traveling feel even longer. Honestly, tiny airplane bathrooms are already the worst!
* Basic Training was a LOT harder than I expected. I knew it would challenge me but I was honestly worried a few times that I would not meet the minimum requirements. I wondered more than once if I had made a mistake leaving everything I knew for this job. And I had even been warned these thoughts/feelings would come up.
* The hotel was about 20 minutes away from the training center which meant we had 15 passenger vans. My group (all CA folks - most vans were mixed) had the WORST van there. It was the hardest to get in/out of and had a funky smell. And I'm fairly certain that the rear suspension was gone.
* I did NOT like our hotel in VA. It seemed to be targetted at millennials. Tacky modern design but not produced very well. A lot of design elements that did not make sense. Cheap materials. But I did get to watch the Atlanta United match.

* CA came with the largest group to Basic Training. And honestly, most of the other regions did not like us. But not for the reasons I expected (attitude too laid back or weird food choices or other stereotypes) but because we were always hanging out with each other. And not in a Mean Girls sort of way but because we enjoyed each other. We laughed together.
* Several of the guys from CA created nicknames for many in our class. We had Teacher's Pet, Glasses (started as Sunglasses), Man Bun (not from CA btw, he was from TX), Marine (he was my favorite non-CA person I met), Consuela (I didn't learn who this was until the last day), Enterprise, Lurch (who reminded me of Ben Stein) ... I think there were a few others but some folks were called by name by the end and I forgot the nickname they started with. (Teacher's Pet actually got the highest grade at the end.)
* The same group of guys from CA created an elimination bracket to determine which fellow classmate or teacher we disliked the most. I know it came down to Teacher's Pet or Glasses. Pretty sure Glasses took home the prize on that one. I support this choice since I heard her giving wrong scoring/rules to cornhole the night we were at the hotel. Don't jump in & tell others how something works when you don't know. (And she was CONFIDENT about it.)
* I went to Top Golf for the first time. It was fun. They have the best tater tots that I have ever had. I ended up on the winning side of about 5 free drinks. :) And I was smart enough to grab a couple of Gatorade when I got back to the hotel. (There was a convenient store in front of the hotel.)

* Traveling back to CA was rough. We had only a partial day at the training center so we could get to our flights. We were done before 11 am and our flight left DC at 5:40 pm. I had been up since 5 a.m. Arrived at the hotel in San Diego around 3:30 am EST. I was up for nearly 24 hours.

* The Charlotte airport is hot garbage. Our terminal wasn't even finished. Like no flooring. Overbooked and way too many people. Garbage. But there was a pretty sunset from the gate.

* I learned that only non-California people refer to it as Cali. That is how they tell if you are a local or a tourist. It is either SoCal or NorCal.
* I learned that you can buy hard liquor at Walmart in CA. And the choice for hair color is a lot bigger.

* Several of my classmates made a list of Must Try places. Every time they would hand it back to me, they would ask for it back. Someone nearby would overhear the name of a place they were talking about and then add to the list.

* I got to go to a game at Petco Park. Arizona vs Padres. :D One of my goals is to watch as many MLB games in as many different stadiums as possible. It is a short list so far. Fulton Co Stadium. Turner Field. Sun Trust Park. Petco Park. ... Goals will be to add Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium of Anaheim this summer.

* There is some great architecture and art in downtown San Diego.

* I learned that it is illegal to tailgate in Los Angeles County. So even though I will be minutes from both USC and UCLA, tailgating is not allowed.
* Since the hotel in San Diego is a 3-minute walk from our training classroom, we walk back to the hotel during morning break which is usually around 9:30 am. And breakfast is not over until 10 am. We are living our best Hobbit Life and make it to Second Breakfast almost daily. :D
* I found out that I will get to drive from San Diego to Los Angeles this Friday. So I'll get to see some of the views. I don't have to deal with checked baggage. :D

This is not everything from the last 4 weeks. But it is all for now. Maybe I'll add more pics later.

Learning & Leaving

I've wrapped up week 2 of AD training. Completed the Intro course also known as PreSchool. I finished in the Top 3 of my class (out of 15). I'm satisfied with my results. My goal was not to be first. But to learn. To understand. To feel comfortable with the new career path I am on. I accomplished what I set out to do. 

I can't actually disclose what all I learned but I can say it was a lot of information. New areas of knowledge for me. But if I'm being honest, I think the biggest battle over the last couple of weeks has been feeling like I belong here. Not in a sense of "I can't do it" type of thing but more of a relational type of thing. At the end of last week, I felt distant from my classmates. There seemed to be a group of "cool kids" forming and I was often the odd man out. As I've gotten older I am more introverted than I once was. More forms of anxiety and mental battles going on than most know about. I made an effort to put myself more out there and it was a turning point for me here. Began to feel more included and accepted. I'm not in the core of the "cool kids" but I'm not on the outside either. 

When I decided to move to California, I expected there to be a few quirks. Generally and widely accepted things that would be bizarre to me. Finally experienced one. I learned that WalMart (and all other retailers) charge for plastic shopping bags. Now the bag I had to pay for was thicker than the ones we have in GA. And they are reusable. But I will most definitely be investing in a bunch of reusable bags to have stashed in my purse and car at all times. I also learned that every plastic bottle (Mt. Dew, water, 2 liters, etc) have a charge. And the charge is per bottle. So if you buy a case of water, you will pay a lot more for it. But you are supposed to get the money back if you take it to a recycling center. 

I leave tomorrow morning (very early -- like the van to pick us up is coming at 4am!) to head to Ashburn VA for leg 2 of training called Basic. Most of the day will be travel. But this time I will not be alone. About 11 of us will be traveling together. I will try to be better at pictures this time. I plan on watching some movies I downloaded on Netflix while we fly. We will have about a 2-hour layover in Charlotte. This time will be with American Airlines. (GA to CA was with Southwest) And this time we will have assigned seats. And I don't have a center seat on either one of my flights tomorrow. (same for the trip back to CA - layover in Charlotte & no middle seats) :D 

Time to take about a 4-5 hour nap before I have to get ready to leave. 

Week One

Hey y'all! Well, I made it through week one! It was an exhausting week. In fact, I crashed Friday evening very early. The best way I know to update for the week is to breakdown each day.

Sunday
Sunday was a travel day. And since my apartment was all packed up by Saturday night, that means I slept on the couch. (I do NOT recommend this.) Did not sleep well. Maybe it was the excitement. Maybe it was being uncomfortable. My best friend picked me up to take me to breakfast and then to Groome. (btw, if you live in Macon & have not tried Metro Diner yet, I would recommend it.) I was a bit nervous about the flight only because I had never flown solo before. I had always flown with someone I could follow. Honestly, other than wrestling with my bags, it was a lot easier than I expected. I got there early. I was not in a rush. Everything was well labeled. Got to my gate almost 2 hours early. I killed time by people watching and playing on my phone. The flight ended up being delayed about 45 minutes due to weather. My flight was with Southwest so boarding is open. You don't have assigned seats. I was pretty late in boarding order so I got a middle seat. And the "free wifi" on the flight was making me pay $8. I'm cheap. So I didn't pay it & I was pretty bored on my flight. Got to San Diego with no problems. San Diego is gorgeous! The airport is right by the harbor and I could see ships in Harbor as we were approaching for landing. Since I had used my phone for entertainment most of the day, I had very little battery left and did not take many pictures. (But I'll be coming back to San Diego for leg 3 of training and will get some then.) Below is the one picture I took on my way from the airport to the hotel. Sunday included a lot of firsts for me: first time flying alone, first time setting foot on California soil, first time using Uber, first time using DoorDash.

Monday
Monday was the orientation day. Took an Uber the first day because I was not sure how far away the office was or how to navigate to it. (Found out coming back to the hotel that the parking lots are literally connected. And the hotel parking lot connects to the work parking lot just outside of where my training class is. Felt pretty dumb taking an Uber.) Mostly HR folks that come in and tell you the history and expectations of the company. (The first presenter of the day is originally from Macon, GA -- what are the chances?!) Not terribly interesting. Especially since 98% of it is the same as five years ago when I started with the company. I was impressed that the security guards were playing a boombox when we came in. Definitely had a lot of people smiling on a Monday morning. And the view from the lobby was pretty great.

Tuesday through Saturday
Tuesday was my first day of actual training. We jumped right into expectations of class and the training program and then the jumped into the first 3 chapters. Daily quizzes started Wednesday. And we covered 3 chapters a day every day. But work is fair and pays us for study time in the evenings so we can maintain the required 85% (cumulative) score to continue to the next leg of training in Virginia. (After 3 quizzes, I am averaging a mid-90s score. So I'm happy with my quiz results.) We received our work laptops on Wednesday. (It is a ToughBook so it is HUGE.) And we don't have internet capabilities without being plugged into the work ethernet (for now). And it took some time to catch up on emails I had missed since my last day in Macon. Most evenings I would order in from DoorDash. I'm trying to mostly stay with local places. We are reimbursed for meals up to $25/day and I'm taking full advantage of this allowance while I have it. I am also being reimbursed for Groome & Uber and for laundry services. Pretty much anything out of pocket that is not alcohol. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast so I'm only having to purchase lunch and dinner. Most evenings are spent studying, eating and taking a shower and then off to bed fairly early. (We report for class at 7 a.m. but I try to trick myself into thinking it is 10 a.m. and similar to what I was working in Macon.) By Friday, the long week of studying and 11 hour days caught up to me. After an early dinner, I called it a night. Saturday I woke up pretty early - about 5 a.m. (which is when I have been getting up all week for class). It was only me and a few old folks at breakfast this morning. I've even had time to get my receipts caught up for meals this week. Not sure what this weekend has in store. I kind of want to get out and explore but I also want to stay in and relax. Below is a pic of the view walking from the hotel parking lot to the work parking lot.

Leave me some comments and questions. Let me know what I'm missing back in Georgia.

EDIT:
I want to find a way to get this tv from my hotel room to my place in LA. It is HUGE!

Leaving on a jet plane...

It's my last night in Macon. And if I'm being honest, it feels a bit surreal. The reality that this will not be my home 24 hours from now has not sunk in yet. Don't get me wrong, the empty rooms and cabinets remind me that I'm leaving in the morning. I've been so focused on getting packed and out that I have not had much time to really think about what I'm feeling (other than exhaustion and muscle soreness). I do kind of wish that I had just one more day. Well, half a day. I wanted to go visit dad's grave before I left town but ran out of time. Have not been to the cemetery since his funeral. I would have liked to have had lunch with mom before I left. Time went by so fast from the job offer to the flight out. But I do get to see my best friend before I go. She is picking me up to take me to Groome in the morning. And we'll have time to get some breakfast together.

I'm not certain I would even have everything packed and ready to go if it were not a little help from a couple of friends. (They know who they are and have been thanked -- multiple times.) Packing has been so overwhelming for me. To figure out what will go with me, what do I want to keep but not take with me (and will be stored at mom's for now), what to donate and what to throw away. To go through years of stuff. I'm sure I'll look back as I am unpacking in LA and wish I had brought things I took to mom's or thrown away more.

I don't want to think about the fact that there are some people that I will never see again. Maybe they won't be around or available when I come back to visit. Maybe something tragic happens. There are a few that come to mind that I will be really sad if I never see them again. But I accept that I cannot control a lot of things.

I would really love to get cards, letters, etc from you all. I think having a few pen pals sounds fun. Most of you following me here know how to reach me on social media - Facebook, Instagram, etc. Shoot me a DM if you'd like my address to send me things. For those who don't already know, training will be for about 7 weeks == 2 in San Diego (preschool), 3 in Virginia Beach (basic) and 2 more back in San Diego (post school). So it will be June before I am at my place in L.A.

The adventure begins tomorrow.

There's no place like home

So I got word that I officially have the room for rent that I really liked. I have quickly learned that the rental market in L.A. is extremely competitive. Places go quickly. I found a place that is just under the budget I set and a very reasonable commute (about 15-20 min --- other places I looked at were 35-45 min).

I will be living with two others. I'll have a private bedroom (some actually share bedrooms with strangers to lower the cost of living. Not something I was willing to do.) And I will be sharing a bathroom. I prefer my own private bath but hard to find at a reasonable price point. The house is furnished -- living room, kitchen, etc. The bedroom will be unfurnished (per my request - they offered with or without furnishings). I am attaching some pics that I have gotten from the manager of the property (mostly because I am excited). And because I think it is cute. Of course, I'll update pictures when I move in (which will not be until June).