« Jenny Craig | Main | 13 Months in LA »

December 31, 1999

LA-isms:

* Earthquakes are recreational
* Personalized license plates are a means of advertising your wares
* No smoking. Period
* Everyone has a dream they're working on
* As bad as the traffic is... shopping cart rush-hour at the market is worse
* No drive-thru banking
* Potty mouth
* Sunglasses all day and night, outside and indoors
* Smacking your chewing gum
* "You know what I mean?" after every single sentence
* Dressed in black
* 3 cars turning left after lights turn red
* Sparkly makeup
* Parking tickets like crazy
* Old elevators
* Rooftop and underground parking at supermarkets
* Smog!
* Out to eat at every meal
* Pagers and cell phones
* No full-serve gas stations
* No one carries cash
* 'Tenna Toppers (these ridiculous things that fit on top of your car antenna to advertise fast food places or gas stations)
* Name dropping
* High Speed Chase: the official state sport
* Celebrity Bingo at The Stonewall on Santa Monica (Tina Youthers called numbers last month)
* Jeans = "dressy casual" - if paired with the right accessories
* Valet parking at the gym
* Meeting for coffee
* Refusal to adopt new technology
* No one's a native
* Our hours are everyone's hours - we're not getting up early just to talk to the East Coast!

Things I've learned in LA:

* I thrive on variety - the quickest way to suffocate me is to make me do the same thing every day. I've realized my tolerance for this is six weeks.
* I am happier than I have ever been. Healthy. Passionate. Living my dream.
* Surrounding yourself with positive, passionate people is the best way to stay positive and passionate.
* You cannot teach others anything by "telling" - only by "doing".
* I miss: The Globe, Engine Room, Taco Stand, Bluebird Cafe, Old Hickory House, Change of Seasons, Chic-fil-A, decent radio stations & local TV news, family & friends & Muffy.
* I'm thrilled to have: Del Taco, Improv, the beach, new friends, celebrity - sightings, a lifestyle of simplicity paired with constant activity, dreams fulfilled each and every day, constant phone contact with my Momma, dates, applause, the internet.
* I am thankful for the support and encouragement of my family & friends - it does me worlds of good to hear a voicemail or read an email or actually speak on the phone for hours... when it's a precious, supportive soul; praising me for my hard choices - and the best part of it is - I'm not invested in that validation. It's nice - but even nicer to feel connected to my core at every turn.
* 1999 leaves my life in as thrilling a manner as it entered - filled with promise and the rewards of living an authentic life: MY OWN.
* Live your dreams ('cause if you don't, someone else will)!

Posted by bonnie at December 31, 1999 7:30 AM