The Quotidian: Sunshine, work, play, etc.

The Quotidian: Sunshine, work, play, etc.

June 23, 2011

I know it has been a while since a lot of you heard from me, so I will write you a long update on my life. I am currently living in Los Angeles, which most of you already know. I live with my loving aunt and uncle outside of the city, and planning to move to North Hollywood with my best friend in August. I am looking forward to this because we have another friend from Santa Cruz who is a dancer and currently living in NoHo.

My daily life is pretty nice. I wake up fairly late (8:30) and make myself a nice breakfast, coffee with milk, and pack myself a lunch for later. Then I drive for about 20 minutes to get to North Hollywood. The drive is nice; I am never stuck in traffic and I get to listen to the radio and drink coffee. I get to NoHo and park near the Red Line Subway station. Then, I take the subway into downtown L.A. which takes about 35 minutes, max. No traffic, no parking, no driving! All for 1.50$. Its very nice; I just wish it ran later in the night.

Taking the subway is, of course, always entertaining. Sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. You don't get much more “public” and “urban” than the L.A. public transportation system. You get people of all colors, positions, statuses, and ages. The mornings are especially nice; the evenings can be well, haha...colorful.

Yesterday afternoon I got off work at 6 and instantly went to my favorite little Mexican hole in the wall for dinner, El Restauran Mercedes. I got a fixed dinner – pechuga a la plancha, arroz, frijoles, y un poco de ensalada, for 4$. This place is straight-up 3^rd worlding it, with a small TV showing the Mexico vs. Honduras game and mostly Mexican men hanging around and having dinner. It was lovely. I wasn't chatted up by anyone, but I also didn't sense any coldness. The man working asked me if I worked/lived nearby and I told him I did. He gave me a card and told me that they deliver for free, if I ever wanted lunch or dinner while working.

 2 huaraches de queso.

I walked to the subway station and had a great chat with one of my best friends. I got on the train and began to read. A couple stops in and a black woman gets on...drunk, maybe in her mid-40's. She begins talking to this young Mexican boy, showing him photos of her 8 kids and also saying the funniest shit, mostly saying how cute the Mexican boy was. Then, she sees that I am laughing and says “She's cute! Is she your girlfriend??!!” Hahahahahaha. He told her that we were just friends hahahahaha and she kept trying to convince him to give me a kiss, saying she was cupid. My whole car was cracking up. Much, much better than the agro crazies that sometimes are on the Red Line.

Then, when it was time to get off the train, she tries to push me and the boy together to kiss!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA it was too much. Everyone was cracking up and me and the boy talked afterward about how funny it was.

Everyday is fun here, in it's own way. I find things a little bit socially stagnant, but I am sure that will change sometime soon. Last Saturday I went to downtown Pasadena for the Make Music Pasadena Festival. It was free, and awesome, and I met up with Hernan. While I was walking to the world music stage, I picked up a cold Pacifico to drink while listening to Hello Seahorse!, one of my favorite bands from Mexico City.

This weekend is going to be extra tight because after work on Friday (I work a weekend job at a big nightclub across the street from the Staples Center) I am going to dance with Tammie and Madison, my two Santa Cruz friends here who are so so cool. Then, Saturday is the Los Angeles Anarchist Bookfair and I wouldn't miss it for the world! It will be exciting to see what kinds of community projects and ideas are happening here in LA. And I am going with my super cool brainy Russian law school friend, Yulia. SO DOPE.

In other news, Jarabe de Palo is coming to play in July...which is going to be absolutely AWESOME. I know this is kind of a crazy thing to say, cause it's not true, BUTTT, LA is [kind of] Mexico. Parts of it. Drive-way taquerias, Spanish pop music blasting out of apartment buildings in East and North Hollywood. Now when people ask me why I have never been to Mexico, I think: I live in Los Angeles, why would I put traveling to Mexico high on my priority list? Ummmm...I pretty much kind of already live in Mexico.

!!!

And I love it.

Plus, I speak Spanish everyday. At work with the bussers, on the train, at shows, at dinner...everywhere.