City of Angels

So, I did it.

I'm done with college in every sense of the word.

I moved out of Rexburg forever.

I have a college degree.

I really can't believe it, mostly because I still feel like I'm going back to school in September.

But it happened. Right now I'm sitting in my friend's apartment in Los Angeles with 2 liters or Diet Coke on my right, a container full of weed in front of me (banana flavored, which, if I weren't completely, 100% not interested in drugs, might tempt me to smoke it), and a head full of things I need to get done this week. Chief among these things to get done is finding a job. I applied for 11 different jobs today. Hopefully at least ONE of them turns into something. I hate job hunting. What's more, I hate job hunting in cities I don't know, with no car. I've got some faith though. Hopefully something happens soon :)

Also, update: I'm no longer looking to be a nanny. It turns out nannying in Los Angeles is a pretty shady business. Instead, I've started looking at receptionist jobs. I think it'll be a much better fit since I'll have more time to write and I can start studying for the GRE.

I'm also taking the GRE.

Or at least studying for it. It all happened pretty quickly. Leanne and I were talking about grad school, and I heard myself say I was going to take the GRE...so I am. I guess. I decided I'd give myself a year before I made myself decide on things like grad school/moving/a mission, etc., so studying for the test in the meantime will be a nice distraction/goal to move towards. Plus I have a feeling I'm going to be missing academia pretty soon, so staying in touch with something educational will be really nice.

Anyways, that's what's going on now. Living in Los Angeles-with two weeks to look for a job/place to live in either LA, Glendale, or Pasadena.

Some updates from the past couple of weeks:

-I graduated. It's nothing like I was expecting it to be. It was actually more of a pain than a celebration. I didn't get any sleep the night before since I had to say goodbye to Caitie and pack up my room. I didn't go to commencement, only convocation, which was weird. I ended up walking to the Hickley chapel myself since my family wasn't ready, and I got there about one minute before the ceremony actually started. I almost fell asleep during the ceremony because I hadn't slept at all the night before. Afterwards, though, one of my teachers pulled my family an I aside and told them that I was "one of the best writers to come through BYU-I's program in many, many years." I almost cried. I'll miss Brother Samuelson so much.

-I said goodbye to Caitie. It was pretty rough. Really rough. If it hadn't been for me calling Lars right after, I would've just sat and cried all night long. Saying goodbye to her and Jeff were the hardest out of all the goodbyes.

-My fam and I spent a week in CA together. Mary Alice and I went to Glendora to hang out with Lars and Caleb on her birthday, we went to Pasadena where Isaac and I made fun of passers-by at the Cheesecake Factory, we drove up Highway 1 to see Dad's old house on Manhattan Beach, I went to Glendora again to hang out with Lars, we saw Harry Potter 7.2 and Captain America, we went shopping at the Beverly Center and hung out in LA for the night.

That's all the big stuff, I think. I'm still trying to get used to everything and find out where I fit in in this new life. That's so weird, trying to find your own niche in your own life. I have no idea where I'm supposed to go from here, which is completely unlike me. Usually I have my life planned out pretty far in advance, but not this time. It's terrifying and exciting at the same time. I know I can do it; the only terrifying part is not being able to see everything 10 steps ahead of me. All I can see right now is that there's ground ahead of me to step on. That, in and of itself, is a big step for me.

Quote:

"I almost broke my ankle on that back-pedal."

-A result of Vertigo.