some thoughts on l.a.

More than three weeks in L.A. and I still have yet to see a celebrity. It's killing me.

I finally have a [more] permanent place to stay. I'm living in Silver Lake, just a block and a half from Sunset Boulevard. It's funky, the place is fabulous, and it sort of reminds me of the east coast since it's a bit hilly without being "in the hills." I have yet to fully move in, but hopefully that will be accomplished this evening. Setting up the DSL has been a trying experience. It'll be mid-month until it's up and running; I haven't gone that long without internet access in more than a decade! It's like living without running water. There may be some temporary arrangements.

Allie insisted I blog about this: before I left I sent three large boxes (each weighing at least 30 pounds) with various things I thought I'd need, including my three-piece Aiwa stereo system. But now I'm wondering why I bothered with that since I don't actually have any CDs (my collection, or should I say, what I wanted of it and could manage to rip is on my MP3 player). Oh boy. Thank god I have a large closet.

I think I'm finally starting to formulate my impressions of L.A. Not my ideal place to live, and the traffic is horrendous. People run red lights like you wouldn't believe. There seems to be a ten-second graceperiod. I also realize what I miss the most about the east coast is the European influence. If you recall, I blogged about loving Whole Foods, but Whole Foods is not the same out here--it doesn't have my tart, it doesn't have "European" sandwiches. It's just another high-end market without the flair that made it what I was looking for. I have discovered that I no longer need an allergy pill, but perhaps now I need Xanax. I've had to do so much big-box shopping in the last week it's unreal and the anxiety of being in these huge spaces that are very crowded with people oblivious to the fact that they are blocking people left and right is just too much for me. It also doesn't help that I can never seem to remember to get everything I need in one trip to Target.

The adventure continues...