California throwback

In honor of me being in California [land of which I like to pretend I'm from] this week, I thought I'd do some Cali themed posts.

First up, some pictures from the summer in college when I interned in L.A.

It was good times, y'all.

The Grove in Beverly Hills. This was the one and only time I went there, as being a poor intern kept me from high end shopping.

This barely appetizing looking meal is on here as a humble confession that this was the very first meal I ever cooked for myself. Yep, you heard it here first. Living in L.A. alone meant I had to finally fend for myself!

I almost cried upon seeing the Kodak Theatre, i.e. the place where the Oscars are held. Nerd.

It wouldn't be my blog if there wasn't some sort of picture of me eating food. So here you go. Pink's Hotdogs.

My friend, Aisha, came to visit me, so we did lots of California-like things. Case in point: playing in Malibu.

See, I've always been weird.

This is only here to show how tan I was. This is what happens when you only work three days a week and spend the rest of your days at the beach.

I feel like every little girl has dreamed of living here at some point. Some little girls more than others. Like me.

Fitting in with the crowd at Venice Beach. Present day me is seething over how tan and toned I look.

Trojan Fight! I almost went there for school, so I had to pay homage somehow.

Warning: if you meet a Z-list actor at a giant industry party thrown by your boss and he invites you and your friend to an after party for a concert, you may end up at this room in the Standard Hotel. And there might be drugs there. And you might leave promptly. Nothing good happens at 3 am.

Ah, well that was a fun trip down memory lane.

Typical city experiences

This week I encountered two situations that I feel exemplify big city living. Or maybe I've just been out of the big city for too long. [though let's be honest, San Antonio, though numbering over 1 million people, can hardly be classified as the big city]

Situation 1: Old men buying things for younger women

Ok so I know this cannot be relegated strictly to the big city realm, but I classify it as such because it was the first time it ever happened to me.

Anyway, my friend Lara and I decided to meet for dinner and drinks on Tuesday evening after work. We ate our dinner [delicious sushi- and half price at that!], then stopped for the libations at another restaurant down the way. After a while, an older gentleman [I guess I should classify older...mid 40s maybe? Edging on 50, I'd say] sat down next to me and proceeded to hassle me for sipping on such an obviously girly drink. Soon enough one of his friends joined, and the scene quickly turned into "old guys trying to impress attractive, younger females." Lara thankfully dominated conversation with talk of football, as I am awkward in these kinds of situations. So at one point, two shots show up in front of us with the bartender explaining that they were purchased for us by one of the men we were talking with. Well, when in Rome, I say. Aaand my story ends there; thankfully these men were nice and were not inappropriate in any way.

Situation 2: Nudity in places where you least expect it

There is a bar near downtown that holds turtle racing every Thursday night. The turtles start out in a bucket in the middle of a ring, and when the bucket is lifted the first turtle out of the outter ring is named the winner. If you happened to choose that turtle earlier in the evening, you win a free beer if that turtle wins two races. Easy stuff. Tame stuff.

Not last night.

While waiting for a race to start, we notice a man walking into the center of the ring. He seems to be checking out the turtles, but it is quickly made clear that he has other motives in mind. This guy COMPLETELY strips off his pants and boxers, puts on a pair of sunglasses, and just chills in the center of the ring, looking around at everyone. Um, excuse me?

I quickly averted my eyes, as seeing a strange man's penis was not on my agenda for the evening. Also not on my agenda was to have him start walking straight in my direction. No no no no no. Thankfully this is when a bar staff member decided to intervene. Close call!

Ah, big city living. Nothing like it right?

Have a splendid weekend!!