Californication

This post is brought to you from the porch of a coffee shop on a sunny day in gorgeous Santa Monica, California. Currently, I am enjoying a blood orange sweet tea and being harassed by a homeless man in a puffy vest. Although it might sound like an ordinary day to any California native, this day is exceptionally special to me because how many opportunities will I have to experience this? Not the tea or the hobo, but the hustle and bustle of life in California. To be honest, I’ve tasted the good life, and I am not sure how I can or if I want to go back to the simple life.

California is everything I imagined it would be and more. The more can be attributed to the amazing people I’ve gotten to know in my short stent here in Cali. The shops, beaches, and food (fat, I know) are entirely different on this side of the country. For example, the most popular restaurants are salad bars and grocery stores are stocked full of organic foods and the most beautiful produce I’ve ever seen. In Alabama, I run the streets of Oxford freely. I rarely pass children playing in their yards, and I certainly never have a fellow runner to wave at. Lazy people are almost nonexistent in California from what I can tell. My morning workouts are alongside hundreds of runners on the famous Ocean Avenue. I pass women, men, and hobos (mostly because they are asleep beside them) participating in outdoor yoga classes or martial arts groups. It amazes me. It even gives me faith that there is hope for humanity because, let’s face reality, obesity rates are higher than ever, particularly in the south. How easy would it be to commit to health when you are constantly surrounded by healthy people and given mostly healthy options? That’s what life is like here. I appreciate it, and mostly, I envy it.

My flight down here was smooth. Most of you know that I am insanely fearful of taking off and landing. The in between is never the problem, but the initial and final stages of flying are terrifying enough that I can’t do it without the assistance of drugs, the legal kind, obviously. So my flight here was 5 hours of pure Valium-induced sleep, just the way I like it.  I arrived, picked up my rental car, and rushed to downtown L.A. to meet my host and his friends.

Dean’s friends…

My first few days have been spent with a fantastic bunch of people. Dean, as most people that know him are aware, is EXTREMELY Greek. Like, speaks it, eats it, breathes it, Greek. Naturally, the majority of his friends are of Greek decent as well, and I am totally okay with it. Dean’s friends have been nothing but welcoming and kind. They’ve taken me in as one of their own. I was incredibly nervous as to how I was going to keep myself occupied while Dean worked during the days, but it’s been easy now that I’ve made friends with his group. I enjoy so much listening to them bicker back and forth and discuss their tactics for wooing the luxurious ladies of L.A. It’s hilarious, really. I’ve learned more about Greek culture and history in 3 days than I did in any of my history classes. See, this trip is even educational! They remind me of my friends so much, loud and horribly inappropriate. I guess I’m drawn to that crowd. Our first stop was to a lovely brunch joint overlooking the insanely beautiful Manhattan Beach. It was a breezy 72 in L.A.. The beach was taken over with families, tourists, and natives enjoying the day. Solitude is nonexistent around here. You are constantly surrounded by people in Cali, and as an avid people-watcher, I appreciate that aspect of it. We saw what we think were two celebrities on my first day. Well, let’s say one and a half, because Almost Nikki Minaj was really just a hideous black woman with tacky extensions. The gentlemen were convinced Jack Nickelson drove by while we stood on the side of a mountain in Hollywood. We chased him briefly, which was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life, but we never really knew if it was him or not. We ended up at a gorgeous home in Hollywood hills with some of Dean’s friends. The house was the former home of a one SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH! Ummm, am I living big here or what? We mingled, drank white wine, and ate delicious cheeses and other various treats. The night ended perfectly with the sun setting behind the hills of Hollywood. Breathtaking doesn’t begin to describe it.

Day two began with an almost 6 mile run along the shores of Santa Monica. The view was a overwhelming, as was the smell of homelessness and certain legal medical herbs… It’s everywhere here, I swear. After a quick shower, I hit the Promenade for the majority of the day. Dean is fortunate to live in an apartment overlooking one of the biggest shopping strips in the town. Give me a three story Forever 21 and I am occupied for hours. I spent the day window shopping and resisting the urge to empty my bank account. After 4 hours of walking, I spent an obscene amount of money on a coffee and headed back to Dean’s for a nap. I knew he had something exciting in store for the evening, but with Dean, you never know what to expect. A nap is always a good choice as there is never a guarantee of returning home before sunrise when Dean is making the plans. To my surprise, one of Dean’s got in touch with me to see if I wanted to accompany him to a doggy boutique. I think I’ve decided to say yes to every opportunity here because I am fearful that I won’t get the chance to experience anything like it again anytime soon. Doggy boutiques in California… oh lawd. I would seriously eat the treats sold in this place because they looked so tasty. Why does a dog need a special jar of peanut butter? Or doggy-safe chocolate covered cookies? I have literally seen my dog eat his own vomit. Marley will just have to stick with the Pedigree. No herbal doggy tea for that mutt. After perusing the isles of doggy heaven, we headed to Malibu. Pepperdine University is a school overlooking the beautiful beaching of Malibu. The thought of tuition for this university makes my stomach turn. It was, hands down, the most beautiful campus I’ve ever seen. 

I am really excited about this considering it’s been talked up so much since I’ve been here. I FINALLY had Greek cuisine. From what Dean says it was pretty freaking authentic. Dean knew the owner of some swanky joint. They had closed but opened for us after Dean charmed the owner. Talk about fancy. This place was nicer than any pre-prom restaurant I’ve ever been to. The owner not only opened the place for us but gave us the hook up with white wine, caviar, and shots of some sort of deliciously sweet liquor. In fact, it was Greece’s independence day, so it really was a cause for celebration. The food was divine, but I’m all about the experience, which was even better. We headed to one of Dean’s girlfriends shortly after that. Alex’s parents were visiting from Los Vegas for the week. They busted out the white wine and we enjoyed some fantastic conversation in her ridiculously cute studio apartment. I can’t get enough of these people. Everyone here has a fantastic story and I want to hear each and every one of them.

Day three was my hike to the Hollywood sign. Alex and I had really clicked, so she agreed to accompany me on my hike, and I am SO glad she did. She’s been here for several months, but somehow, we managed to get lost multiple times in our attempt to get to the starting point of the hike. As it turns out, we have A LOT in common. It’s a shame, really, that she doesn’t live closer. She’s a professional dancer turned actress, and really, her story is my favorite of anyone that I’ve met here. Out hike was full of discussions about health, men, and crazy experiences. We never quite made it to the sign, but we got an awesome workout in the attempt. She is a fitness instructor and teaches Barre. What is that, I know? I had never heard of such a class. Barre is a ballet inspired workout, and holy Jesus, was it a workout. I woke up with sore ankles. I really didn’t know I had so many muscles in my ankles, but I felt every single one of them this morning. I swear, I’ve never smelled myself so strongly while working out. It’s not cardio based at all, so my heart rate was never high. It’s all about strength training and flexibility, which I hate but know is 100% necessary if I am going to improve as a runner. She is a mega beast, and I am so thankful for the experience of attending her class. However, my ankles and quads are not.

After shoveling down Greek leftovers and spending 20 minutes beautifying myself as much as possible after a day full of hiking and ballet-inspired exercise, Dean and I met up with his friends for a night on the town. We went to a really fancy (what I consider fancy because I am used to bars full of old men and stalkers) lounge on the roof of some building in downtown L.A. The view was unbelievable. I don’t care how poor you are, it’s impossible not to feel high class in a place like that. The night ended with some Korean and good laughs, and we arrived home at a painful 3 a.m.

Today was not as glamorous. I woke up with the intentions of running 6 miles, but my ankles and quads are so sore that I can’t even think about running without my muscles aching. To my surprise, I walked outside and was greeted with the biggest farmer’s market I’ve ever seen! I spent a good 2 hours taste testing and learning about produce I’ve never even seen in my life. It was absolutely perfect. There’s something about a farmer’s market… The smells, the people, the food (obviously), I have a weird think for farmer’s markets. Call me crazy.  The last few hours have been dedicated to catching up on schoolwork. It pains me to be stuck in a coffee shop all day, glued to my job, but I guess that’s the price you pay for being a teacher. Work literally never ends.

My experiences here have been beyond all expectations. As my boyfriend and family know all too well, I am not an easy woman to please. I am rarely satisfied with what I have, and I am constantly looking for the next best thing. I have to say, I think I’ve found THE best thing. I love every aspect of this state. The weather, the flow, the people, it’s all exactly what I want in life. I have always felt that my dreams and expectations in life are far bigger than anything the south has to offer me. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate my BBQ and sweet tea, but I feel like my opportunities here would be endless. If I had no ties, I don’t know if I could resist trying to make it on this side of the country. It’s a lot to think about, a fantasy, really. I can only dream, I suppose. In case you can’t tell, I am really enjoying my trip. I hope to make this a more frequent thing, so I should probably start saving now. I’m sure I’ll have more to update about later. I still have a good two days here, so who knows what I’ll get in to J.