I'm big in Japan.

There's a different breed of human that exists between the hours of midnight and 5 am in Los Angeles. They're all male, they all love to yell, and they all want sex. As I was walking home down La Brea Avenue at 3 am, I had at least 7 different guys stop and cat call me. Not a big deal, unless you consider the fact that the walk itself is only about 7 minutes. In the back of my mind I kept thinking "This is how D list celebrities must feel when they get big in Japan."

I'm big on La Brea Avenue at 3 am.

It all started when I went to Glendora to hang out at Lars' while he helped host an Indian dinner for some people from the singles' ward. I wasn't really looking forward to the trek, just because buses and I aren't on the best terms at the moment. BUT, it was a chance to go to Glendora, one of my favorite places in California thanks to Lars and Jeff, meet people from the singles ward, see Lars, and get out of Los Angeles for a little bit--all good things.

I got on the 733 downtown-everything's good. I'm on the bus looking for my stop when I realize that the bus driver has passed it. I ask her when I can get off, and the conversation goes something like this.

Annalee: Hi, I missed my stop. When's the next stop?

Driver: Where are you trying to go?

Annalee: Ummm Spring and 1st...it's back there a ways.

Driver: Spring and 1st is back there. You missed it.

Annalee: Yeah, haha, I know. Is there a way I can get off and just walk back there?

Driver: You missed your stop, so you'll have to walk back there.

Annalee: Okay....can I do that?

Driver: Okay, but you'll have wait and get off and walk.

Annalee: Right, so can I get off here?

Driver: Wait a minute...(literally waits a minute and opens the door).

So I walked about a half mile back to the stop and saw my bus pull away as I was about a block away. Luckily there was one about five minutes later, so I got on it and made it to Glendora. I waited in a Walgreens parking lot and Lars picked me up. I have to say it was really nice seeing him. It would've been nice to see anyone that I know's face, but his especially.

Anyway, we had dinner, which was delicious, then went swimming, which was great, except I spent the whole time trying not to get wet since I had to ride the bus home, then we had dessert and talked shop for a little more than an hour, and I was off again. I got a ride to Pasadena from Cody Owens, and we did some BYU-I reminiscing. I got on the 11:50 train from Pasadena to Union Station, prepared to get on the 1:00 am 33 bus from Downtown LA to La Brea/Olympic. I walked around downtown LA for a little bit, looking for the bus-stop, and I got the distinct feeling like I was an idiot for being there by myself. I'm not afraid of being by myself at night, but even I knew I was pushing my luck with this stunt.

I got the the bus stop and waited until 1 am. When the bus finally came...it drove right past me. So...I waited until 2 am. There were a few weird moments, most coming from guys insisted that they give me a ride home, or told me I was really pretty and wanted my number. While I waited I made friends with two really cool, really nice older men- one named Paco and one named Larry. Paco came across the street from the other bus stop and proceeded to lecture me about being out so late. When he saw that I was reading about film, he told me I was going to be a big star. He kept me company until he got on the 70 bus back east. Larry, another older guy, came up and started chatting about where I was going and why I was out so late, then we talked about our mutual dislike of the late night bus schedule.

I got on the 2 am 33 bus towards Santa Monica, and let me tell you, there are some shady characters on that bus. I don't mean to stereotype or anything, but I was the only white person on the bus, one of two females (the other was a roughly 40 years old, heavier-set, who was sleeping with her mouth open and head bobbing from side to side; I was trying to hard not to laugh), and I had the impression that everyone on that bus thought I was nuts and/or wanted me out of there. There was one guy, in particular, who made his disapproval very clear. So, I pretended to read my book while I was really nodding off because I was so tired. I finally got home around 3 and went to bed.

So, while I love Los Angeles, and I'm glad that I got to meet Larry and Paco (bus buds 4 eva), I don't think I'll be doing that again. Mama didn't raise no foo.

That's all I got.

Sunday, bloody Sunday

I really shouldn't complain, because it could've been worse, and I'm making it seem like it was the end of the world, but I'm going to complain anyway. Yesterday was crap.

I woke up around 7:30 to get ready for church. I haven't been to church in something like four weeks because of traveling, people being in town, etc. and I was really looking forward to going back. I got to the bus stop around 9:30 in time to catch the 733 downtown to Main Street. I got on the train, got off at Main, and waited for the 92 towards Burbank, which should have taken me to two blocks away from the church. I went to the stop and waited. And then I waited some more. I waited for 40 minutes for this bus, with an Armenian man asking me where to catch the 33 every 3 minutes.

SO, I got on google maps and rerouted. I got on the 91 to Sunland and rode the bus, hoping it was the right one, towards Burbank. I asked the bus driver if the bus went to Glenoaks/Central, which was my stop, and he told me that I needed to be on the 94. I got off the 91 and got on the 94, already twenty minutes late for church. I rode the 94 for a few stops, but noticed the were heading away from Glendale, so I asked the bus driver (again) if he was going by my stop, and he told me that the closest thing to my top was two stops ago. I got off the bus, turned on my GPS, and walked the 1.7 miles to the church along the 134. It was hot, I was in a dress, there were men honking at me every thirty seconds, my feet were killing me, I was late, I'd been traveling for the past 2 hours, etc., etc. To add insult to injury, the 92 bus actually passed me on my way to the church. Piece of crap...

When I finally go to the church, I was exhausted, and I looked like it. I walked up the the church, walked in, and ran into Myra Lindstrom. She took one look at me and asked me "what happened?" I was sweating and my makeup was probably all over the place. We went to the bathroom and cleaned up, then met up with Aaron White on the other end of the church. Just being inside a church felt good, even if it was only for a few minutes. By this time, I was about to fall over I was so tired, and the idea of spending another two hours in church when I felt like crap made me feel even more crappy, so I left. It would've been nice to hang out with Myra and the gang a little more, but all I wanted to do was change into something other than a dress and lie down forever.

But it doesn't end there. I walked to the 92's stop and waited for another 30 minutes until the bus came, got on the bus, and got off again 30 minutes later in downtown LA. I spent another 15 minutes looking for the stop for the 28, which was two blocks away from where it should have been on Spring/8th St (thank you very much, Los Angeles). I got on the bus, which was crowded as crap, and got off another 40 minutes later at Olympic/La Brea, and I walked home, getting through the door at 5:30 pm.

Walking into the house felt SO GOOD. I don't think I've ever been so happy to lie down on a bed. Ever. I don't know why the day was so draining. Maybe it was because I was frustrated the whole time.

Anyways, it was the longest day in the world. Now, my feet are inflamed and sore. WedMD says I have strained tendons, and it ordered me to bed rest. So that's what I've been doing ever since.

On the bright side, I had an okay night, and a good morning today. There was a nice discussion about Room Raiders, and what a guy would think about us if all they saw was were our rooms.

And back to bed rest.

Temp

So, yesterday marked my first day of temping in Los Angeles which, surprisingly, was a whole lot easier than it used to be back in Virginia. I got on the bus around 7:30 and rode for about an hour out to Santa Monica, right to the ocean front. The company I worked for was called Premier Sports Entertainment, and they represent some pretty big names. In fact, I could actually give you Kim Kardashian's email address if I felt so inclined. The day went by really, really slowly. I got maybe 15 calls between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, which, if you're as seasoned a receptionist as the rest of us, you know that that's child's play. I mostly just sat and read Tina Fey's book and spent some time searching random sites. My big thing right now is memorizing Los Angeles' streets so I'm not always going to Google maps. (Again, plug for Google maps.) I went for a short walk along the beach around lunch time, but that was about it. By the time I got home I couldn't believe how exhausted I was for only sitting all day. I fell asleep around 7:30 pm, woke up around 8:30 pm, wrote for a couple of hours and then went to bed again around 1:00 am.

OH! I forgot to mention the biggest piece of news for the day--I talking to Laila Ali (TV personality, female boxer, daughter of Muhammad Ali) on the phone! She called asking for her agent, and like a friggin pro I directed that call. Anyway...

I JUST TALKED TO LAILA ALI AGAIN. AS I WAS WRITING THIS SHE CALLED, AND AGAIN I DIRECTED HER CALL! WHAT ARE THE ODDS!?

Anyway...today's been the same deal. The office has been dead all day, except I have an essay I'm working on to keep me busy. It's actually the most fun I've had writing something in a long time. It still needs some work, but I'm pretty proud of it as is. With all this time on my hands NOT answering phones, I've decided to start beefing up my portfolio and coming up with some writing samples. It's my homework assignment to myself. My goal is to start have a screenplay, a short story (that I've been working on for about a month now, but haven't finished), an essay (maybe this one), and some poems done by the end of the year.

Other goals:

-Get a place of my own to live in. I love Leanne, but I also like non-suitcased living.

-Start applying for internships. I love being a receptionist, but I also like non-stupid living.

-Run Runyon Canyon. This one's gonna be a b***h.

Monuments

Today is a big day.

-Today I baked for the first time in about two weeks. Anyone who knows me knows that this is big. It felt so good.

-Today I got my first (temporary) receptionist job. It's for tomorrow and Friday at a sports entertainment corporation. The best part: it's on Santa Monica Blvd. and Ocean Avenue. It's literally right on the waterfront in Santa Monica. That means I will be able to walk outside and be on the beach. This also means that as of Friday afternoon I will have more money than when I came to California. I like all of these things.

-Today I found blonde streaks in my hair. Not really light red, blonde. I need to dye this hair fast.

-Today was the first time I drew blood in over a month. I tripped on a sidewalk crack while I was running and got a big gash in my hip, a cut on my knee, and a big bruise on my right forearm.

-Today I started reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. I love that woman with all of my heart. I highly recommend this book, and I'm only on page 55.

-Today was the first time I didn't have to look up a place on Google maps before I walked there. By the way, Google maps has absolutely saved my life while I've been here. That, and GPS.

This is probably the biggest one. This is actually the first time I've written about this where people could see it, and I don't know if now is even the right time. Anyway, I've been "seeing" someone for a while now. "Seeing" doesn't sound like the right word; I don't know what the right word is. I've been "slightly more than hanging out" with someone for almost four months now. Four months. I just realized this today. We had our first "date" on March 29th, back in Idaho, and we've been "slightly more than hanging out" ever since. It's really unusual for me, actually, to stay in this kind of relationship this long. Usually I get bored, or I don't want to commit, or I feel like my independence is being stepped on, so I leave, but not this time. I'm not saying this one is the one or anything; it's just funny to me that I woke up and realized it had been four months. So, heres to four more?

That's really all that's happened today. LA is beginning to feel more like home even though I'm still technically living out of a suitcase. I think as soon as I get my own place it'll feel permanent. I can't wait. In the back of my head I still can't believe I'm here. I've been so incredibly blessed. I already have a source of income, I have an amazing friend who's let me crash at her place free of charge (for now, at least), I have other friends/family less than an hour away, and I have a family who trusts that I'm doing the right thing, which is huge to me. I've had a alot, and I mean a lot of prayers answered since I've been here. I don't want to go overboard, but it would be stupid of me to take all the credit. There's no way I could make it this far without some divine intervention. The fact that I'm here in the situation I'm in, with the opportunities I have, is a miracle. I'm really, really grateful.

Alright, that's all I got.

11.2 miles

I walked 11.2 miles today.

Today's my first official weekday in Los Angeles. I spent all weekend insided, so I figured it was time to get out of the house. I've been wanting to check out more of Hollywood since I've been here, so I left the house around 1:00 pm and walked for what seemed like forever down La Brea Avenue towards the Hills. It was a really nice walk, except for the fact that the sun was blazing, and I was wearing a baggy sweater (I can't help it. I'll never give them up).

Anyways, I walked all the way to Hollywood, and I was about two blocks away from the canyon entrance when I got a phone call for my first interview, which is SUPER exciting. My phone kept cutting out, so I had to call the woman back three times, but I got it eventually. It's not for my dream job or anything, but if I can start working for this company I can make, hopefully, around $15/hour, which, Lars calculated, will make me rich beyond my wildest dreams. Or at least help me pay off student loans and not have to start selling drugs/my organs. Sooo this is good news. I've been praying for this for a while. I definitely feel like someone's looking out for me up there. A-wink!

I got to Runyon Canyon and hiked up the hill to the overlook, which was breathtaking. You can see literally all of Los Angeles from up there. I still can't believe I'm here.

After Runyon (speaking of which, I owe Runyon Canyon $2 for water), I walked down La Brea for a bit, then decided to turn on Santa Monica and walked for a while. I stopped at a place called Circus Books for a few minutes, which was kind of cool. They had a lot...a LOT... of gay porn in there, but they also had some really great deals in the back, like a few books by Joyce Carol Oates for $2 each, and a bunch of books on the movie industry for less than $5 each. If I weren't so terrified of spending money, I would've walked out there a very happy girl. With books. Not porn. Just so we're clear.

I walked down Santa Monica some more, then turned down La Cienega, passed the Beverly Center, onto San Vicente, then onto Sycamore, and HOME to Leanne's house. My legs have never been more tired in my life. I can feel every last block on them.

The moral of the story is that today was a good day. Over the weekend I felt really disconnected from the city, like I was working against it if that makes any sense. I'd applied for soo many jobs, and I kept on getting this nagging feeling like they were all long shots. The phone call was just what I needed. I also got a lot of sun today. My moisturizer didn't have any sunscreen, which I'll pay for in thirty years, but in the meantime I got quite a nice tan. And my hair keeps getting blonder, which needs to be remedied. I miss being a brunette/redhead.

I also learned that Rexburg left a bigger imprint on me than I originally thought. In Rexburg, EVERYONE smiles at EVERYONE. All the time. It's one of the friendliest places on Earth. I found myself smiling at everyone I passed out of habit, which I think took some people by surprise, especially some men. It's probably a stupid thing to do, especially with the men, but I can't help it. So, I think I'm going to make a deal with God: I'll be nice to everyone I see on the streets (smile at people, open doors, say 'hi,') if God will let me not get mugged. I think it's pretty reasonable.

So now I'm sitting in a Starbucks, using up all their free WiFi, listening to "Ramona" by Beck, and I'm feeling sooo good. I feel like I've accomplished something today, and I feel like tomorrow has a lot of potential too.

Because tomorrow, I ride the BUS.

Goodnight, Los Angeles.

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.

Looking Forward, Backward, Sideways and Slantways

Today is July 6, 2011, which means that I have 16 days until I graduate from BYU-Idaho. No matter how hard I try, I cannot wrap my mind around this concept. I've been up here since September of 2007, and this semester will be the seventh semester STRAIGHT that I've gone to classes here. In 16 days I say goodbye to this place (probably forever) and move to Los Angeles, California. Just writing all of this is blowing my mind.

So here's to looking forward, backward, sideways, slantways, all that...

Looking Forward:

I don't think the fact that I'm moving to California has hit me yet, probably because I don't have a job/permanent place to live as of right now. The move holds a bunch of different emotions, actually. I'm excited to be in Los Angeles and start fresh. I'm terrified of actually starting fresh, all by myself, in a city I know only semi-well. I'm anxious about how all the logistics will pan out (money, apartment, job, money). I'm curious to see how I'll manage to do all of these things. Overall, though, I'm ecstatic. This move has been a long time coming. For now my plan is to nanny for a couple months while I get my head on straight. I was going to go straight into interning/script reading, but after seven semesters of English I need to get my head on straight and read/write what I want to for a little while. It would also be nice to utilize a different skill set for a few months, watching kids instead of grading papers or tutoring. So pray for me. Pray very, very, very hard.

Looking Backward:

I'm already missing Rexburg. I couldn't have picked a better school to go to, I don't think. I mean, I know I could've picked a better school, but the experience itself couldn't have been better for me. I don't think we realize until we're about to leave just how strangely perfect Rexburg is. The way I explain it to other people is that Rexburg is my Orange County (from the movie Orange County). It's probably the last place on Earth that I would actually choose to live in, but it's exactly what I needed at this stage in my life- the people, the atmosphere, the stupid weather, all of it. I couldn't have asked for a better college experience. I've met so many incredible people and done so many things I would never do elsewhere. I'm going to miss it. A lot.

I should probably throw some highlights from the past couple of weeks in here..

-I found out I was nominated for Outstanding English Graduate for the semester. I didn't even know there was a thing until about a week ago.

-I got to visit California with my dad and uncle about three weeks ago for a funeral. It was one of the best trips I've ever taken. It was so nice to see family (and meet new family) and spend some time in LA with Leanne.

-I'm done with school, not in a literal sense, but I've completely checked out in my mind. I can't believe how hard it is to find motivation to get things done. It's bad.

-My family is selling the car I learned to drive in. Our fifteen-seater, which by now is famous in Fairfax, is going to a new home. My family will be replacing it with a mini van...

-I'm tan. And about two shades away from blonde.

-I gave up soda. It's been five days since my last carbonated beverage of any kind. Those of you who know me know what a big deal this is. It's not fun, but I don't crave it as much as I thought I would. I miss its convenience more than anything else.

-After almost 9 semesters up here, I finally climbed R mountain. No one knows why it took me this long, but I finally went up with Caitie two Sundays ago. It was the perfect hike. Actually, it was more like the perfect day.

- This past weekend was the fourth of July. We spent it at Sister Morgan's place, taking the canoe out on the river, eating hot dogs, and talking about Sister Morgan's crazy life. Then we spent 4 HOURS at a rodeo in Rexburg.

-Isaac's putting his mission papers in soon. This is the best news I've had in a long, long time.

-Rave On Buddy Holly came out this past week. It's the best album I've listened to all year. This isn't huge news, but it's sooooooo good. "Dearest" by Black Keys is money/cherry/mint.

-In other music news, I've been on a huge blues&soul trip. I can't stop listening to Otis Redding.

Also, this is more for my own memory than anything else, but I have to record this story from Brother Griffin:

Bro Griffin (talking to a student that has actually lost a leg): Hey man, you're sitting kinda funny. You lost a leg or something?

Student: Um...yeah.

That's all I got.