What I've Learned: 1 Year in LA
It’s official. I’ve been in LA for an entire year! Wooh! It’s crazy. It feels like just last month I was packing my life up into three suitcases. No, I’m just kidding. That actually feels like years ago. So, because I’ve clearly learned a lot and am now a full functioning responsible adult, here’s a list of things I’ve learned during my one year in LA.
ONE YEAR IN LA
1. Getting cats is always a good idea. Even if your parents tell you that you should “settle in” first. Don’t listen. Instead, get a pair of kittens to complicate your life and significantly decrease your monthly budget.
2. Not everyone you meet is going to be your friend. Sometimes they will be your acquaintance, or that friendly face you see every six months, or perhaps just be someone who can’t decide whether they want to be in your life or not and end up driving you crazy. If this is the case, forget about them. Because most likely they suck. And can’t tap dance.
3. You may not really talk to your neighbors or know anything about them. And this will be hard when you think you’ve found a deadly Asian hornet in your garage. Are you the only one that’s noticed it? You may never know.
4. DTLA means Downtown LA and it’s a pretty cool, though sometimes sketchy place. They have a lot of wholesale stores, so you can get tank tops at the price they should be. A.K.A under $5. Also, there’s an Urth that isn’t super crowded and actually has parking. Bless all of the places in LA that have parking. Thank you for making city life a little less stressful.
5. You’re going to get homesick. It happens. If this is the case, don’t go home every couple months, because it only makes it worse. Instead, remind yourself at least you live closer to Beyonce.
6. You’re going to work some weird jobs, it happens. You may become a background actor (which is just a fancy term for an extra), or perhaps work a few paid audience gigs, which will then make you stop going to tapings of anything, unless it’s paid. Or Ellen. You love Ellen.
7. You may run into Tim Allen at Starbucks. If this happens, practice that self-control you’ve been working on. Which means not collapsing to the floor and crying out “The Santa Clause movies were my childhood!” Let him be. He just wants his coffee.
8. There is always going to be someone doing more than you. Don’t let that get to you. Everyone is on their own path and going at their own pace. Which reminds me, it’s been a while since you’ve used your gym membership.
9. It’s time to admit it. You hate hiking. You want to love it…you try to love it… but you hate it. On the occasional chilly day, you may enjoy a slow-paced, flat-surfaced, stroll around a park. Remind yourself; this is not hiking.
10. You will learn a lot about yourself. Like the fact you have an obsessive personality and tend to overplay songs until you hate them. Also, you kind of spend too much time at Starbucks. And perhaps your friends are right about you being a grandmother, but hey, at least your cats love you.
Thank you for reading!
And I hope you kinda sorta learned something,
Renee