Los Angeles/Minnesota Connections

Lately, I have had a few people write me and say that they actually check this blog to see if I update it. I'm stoked that my friends and family actually take the time!! Therefore, I will attempt to update a little more frequently.

Looks like I will not be coming home over Christmas for sure. The prices just never went down. Once I heard what the weather is like in Minnesota, though, I'm sure I will be okay with that. ;) Man, it has been ridiculously cold there. I guess that means that everyone should be looking at flights to come visit Shelly where it is slightly warmer!! To warn you, it does get chilly in L.A. In fact, I made a trip to Lowe's tonight to buy a space heater for my room! You see, since it doesn't get bitterly cold, they don't feel it necessary to put central heating systems or even floorboard heat in apartments. Crazy, if you ask me.

Last week I finished a big project at work and the G.M. gave me Friday off as a reward.  Pretty rad, huh?! I decided I should take advantage of this by going out Thursday night. Met up with a friend from high school, who lives in Venice. We also partied the weekend before. Small world. Then on top of that, I went out in Hollywood on Friday night and as I was giving this guy my number he looks and says, "wait, where are you from?" The 612 area code gave it away and he was originally from Hastings!! I swear I meet more Minnesotans out here... 

I spent my actual day off at furniture stores and exploring my neighborhood of Silver Lake. This place is home. Reminds me quite a bit of the Lyn-Lake area where I lived in Minneapolis. Very eclectic, very hip and busy! I checked out a bunch of wonderful shops and boutiques and talked to some fun people. It feels like a community, which some might think would be hard to find in Los Angeles. 

One sad note from home is that my grandfather is in the hospital. I do believe he will be discharged tomorrow or soon, but keep him in your thoughts for me. They aren't quite sure what the issue is, but he's been having trouble breathing, getting dizzy and such. Let's hope it isn't anything serious! 

Have a great holiday everyone!! Ahem...is it January yet?

Until next time...

So Far Away

In trying to come up with a title for this blog entry, the Social Distortion song, "So Far Away" came up on my i-Tunes shuffle. Seemed rather appropriate, so I'm going with it. :)

Upon request from Michon, I need to update you all with my happenings. It has certainly been quite some time!!!

To start off, my car is fixed. It took 2 whole weeks and $750 out of my pocket for my deductible. The repair shop I used, Western Auto Body, were absolutely amazing. I've had to stop in for small things twice since and they always remember me and the owner comes out and small talks with me while I wait. I HIGHLY recommend them if you live in Los Angeles!! Unfortunately, my insurance informed me that I probably will not see any money back from the city as they find any excuse they can to deny claims like mine. I'm at peace with that. At least it is fixed and done with.

Big news!! I have a new apartment!! Jess and I had a little difficulty finding a place we liked, but came upon a wonderful spot. Strangely, it is about a mile from the old place, but feels like a world away. There are 2 homes on the property and we are in the back house, which is a duplex. Ours is the lower unit and we have a cute little yard and everything!! It is so calming and feels like home. Jess and I both have been sleeping an excessive amount and I attribute that to the fact that we are both finally comfortable in our own house. ;)

For Thanksgiving, Jess wanted to make us the full dinner. She put the turkey in the roaster and we headed off the L.A. Auto Show for the afternoon. After viewing dream cars that will never be in our budget, we headed back to a house that smelled absolutely amazing. We finished making all the sides and indulged in an amazing Thanksgiving feast, after which a crazy turkey coma overtook us both. Our plans of hitting the bar afterwards were tossed out the window in exchange for more snoozing and watching movies. Can't say that I would have had it any other way, though. 

Life at Lamar Advertising is still trucking along. I have been working on a tedious project for the past few weeks and I hope to finish it up this week. Once that is finished, I believe I will start to see what my actual position of Proof of Performance Coordinator will be. Somewhat looking forward to that. I am still keeping my eyes open for other job opportunities, but overall I feel thankful to have work in this economy. I know it is bad everywhere, but here in California the unemployment rate is nearing 11%. Very, very scary. 

Speaking of a crappy economy, I had actually started considering coming home for Xmas. My company is giving us off the 24, 25, and 26, plus the weekend. Seeing that I'd have that much paid time off, I thought it foolish to not even look into tickets. Can someone explain to me how it is possible that fuel has dropped by $3 per gallon, but airfare has only gotten more costly?! I looked today and a roundtrip ticket from LAX to Mpls is over $700!!! That is absolute insanity. I guess I picked a bad year to move away from home. 

Halloween was a blast...check out the pics:

http://gallery.me.com/shellyvoss#100314

Until next time...

The Good with the Bad

Well, much has happened since I last wrote. I've officially been hired by Lamar Advertising, which is a huge relief. Now I'm making a livable salary and feel like a part of the team. It will definitely be a good place to allow me to find my bearings here. 

My parents made the trek out from MN in a cargo van with all my stuff from storage. Not only do I have my bed, furniture and the remainder of my clothes, but I got to hang out with my mom and dad!! We had an absolute blast. They arrived on Friday around Noon and we started bringing stuff in right away. Jess helped us a bunch. If you can believe this, we not only got my bed and a bunch of boxes in my room, but my couch, chair and ottoman as well!! I have a little apartment inside an apartment now. Feels a little more like home having my things. Friday evening we grilled with my parents and just enjoyed a nice dinner and chit chat. Saturday Jess and I picked up my parents at their hotel and we went to Pasadena to meet Heidi for lunch. At The Yard House, we enjoyed good conversation, food and libations. It was so nice for my parents to have the chance to meet my awesome friends out here. We spent the remainder of the day bumming around Pasadena and Glendale. Sunday my parents, Jess and I went out for brunch at the Grinder and soon after that, my parents headed out. Must say that saying good-bye again wasn't easy, but I feel so grateful to have the short time with them that I did. I can't wait until Jan/Feb when they are in Phoenix and I can go visit them!

Another newsworthy note is that I have made the decision to move out of my current apartment. Things just aren't happy here for me. I feel extremely misunderstood and as though I can't fully be myself here. Every moment I have to watch my step and my words so my feelings aren't misconstrued. Its just not a sanctuary where I feel happy and healthy, so I know its time to leave. On Dec 1st I will be moving out with Jess, my friend and current neighbor. We are both looking forward to living with just one other person. Three roommates is super hard, especially for someone like me who is used to living alone. 

On a sour note, my car got royally messed up by a palm tree with a vendetta. Underneath the actual palms of palm trees is this shell type thing that goes around the trunk of the tree. About a 4 foot wide chunk of this shell dropped from about 50 feet in the air and landed on the roof of my car leaving a HUGE dentation. I'm not kidding, its bad. It didn't crack the sunroof, but the whole roof behind it is caved in. I've attached the link to pictures below. Check them out, it's pretty crazy.

http://gallery.me.com/shellyvoss#100304

All in all, I'm feeling like things are getting more comfortable, even with a couple setbacks. Thank you all for the encouraging words! You all have no idea how much the support has played a role in my motivation to succeed and be happy here. Anyone with webcams who want to chat that way, please contact me. My parents and Michon have been communicating with me through Skype, which is free and super cool. In fact, Michon and I have planned a Skype party! Next Friday we are both having people over and are gonna drink and party all together over webcam!! How fun and interesting this will be. I'll be sure to report back how it goes.

Until next time...

Living With People is Hard...

I knew that going from my own space for 4 years into a roommate situation would be tough, but I don't think it was possible to fully prepare myself for it. I like to believe that I'm a social creature that loves being around others all the time. Life however, keeps proving me wrong. I'm more loner than I like to admit. Time spent alone in my own head is quite enjoyable, as twisted as that may seem. I miss the days of coming home from work, going into my apartment cave, and having the liberty to sit down in front of the TV by myself for the entire evening. If I chose not to talk to anyone the whole night, I didn't have to. I don't even have TV here. Been surviving on fancast.com which doesn't have all my favorite shows, but it suffices. I'm finding ways to cope with my cohabitation. Taking long walks after work have allowed me some shelly time. I'll find my way and adjust appropriately. It will just take time.

Also, I've really been missing people from home. Now that 2 1/2 months have passed, its become reality that I'm not going to see most of my loved ones anytime soon. The newness has worn off a little and routine is setting in. I predicted that by September these feelings would be creeping up. I miss people that truly know me, inside and out. People who know my heart and my nature. Those that don't judge me upon a single incident or interaction. I miss people who are genuine and real. Miss my family like crazy. Miss my peanuts and I know they are growing so fast. Many of them back to school, starting a year of things that I will not be around to see. Payton is playing football again this fall and I won't be there to attend his games. The other kids growing, changing and becoming their own people more and more everyday. These are things that I realize I gave up in order to come out here, but it still hurts. Time will make things better and easier. I will find my place and meet more new amazing people to add to those I've already met. Its just that new people cannot replace the voids I made by leaving the ones I love back home. That is a fact that is hard to swallow. 

I do love Los Angeles and am so happy with my decision to come here. I drive around and am in constant awe of what is around me. It still feels like the right choice and the right place for me. These are just the things that I knew I'd have the hardest time with. Missing people and missing my place. Sometimes its good to struggle and to face adversity. Makes us stronger and we realize more of who we are and who we want to be. I needed this challenge.

Until next time...

News From the Working World

A few things have changed since my last entry. To start, I have accepted a position at Lamar, where I have been temping since arriving in L.A. The unfortunate thing is that my temp agency will not release me until I fulfill the number of hours that have been contracted between Lamar and them. Lamar has been awesome and tried really hard to get me out of the contract, but to no avail. At the end of September, I will be starting as the Leasing Assistant. As a good will gesture, they gave me my company cell phone early, a pretty sweet Blackberry Pearl. I'll be keeping my Minneapolis number for a while yet too, but won't carry that phone much anymore. So if you want the new number, please email me. This position should be good for me and teach me a lot. I actually won't be an admin assistant, which is weird since my career has consisted of that. I'm looking forward to learning the position and growing at Lamar. That being said, I will always be keeping my eyes open for other opportunities that interest me more than lame billboards. :)

The other exciting news I have about work is that I've been filling in at Fries on the Side, the sketch comedy group. Everything went so well during Julia's absence, even though we missed her like crazy. All the cast and crew have been amazingly nice to me and I've made some awesome friends through the group. I've volunteered to continue doing the front of house for them and Julia was stoked to accept my offer. So, I'm officially part of the crew! Fries makes me so happy and totally fulfills why I came to L.A. in the first place. They are such an incredible, talented group of people and I'm honored to play a small role in that. I encourage everyone to go their website (www.friesontheside.com) and read up on them and watch the videos. What they do is really that impressive.

Besides work, I've been hanging out lots with my girls, Jess and Ruth. Ruth actually moved into my apt!! Soon Catherine will be back and it'll be just the three ladies, which I am REALLY looking forward to.

Jess brought me to my first L.A. fashion show. While the venue and the show were cool, the clothes were awful. Complete Hollywood trash attire. Hopefully there are some better ones in the future that we can attend.

I have a short week this week as my friend, Alexa, is coming to visit from Minneapolis. I cannot wait to see her and show her my new life out here. We'll definitely check out the sights, the beaches and I have to take her to Fries on Saturday. She can report back to you all on how rad it is!

Definitely starting to miss folks from home and I think of you all often!!

Until next time...

Little Came to See Me!!

That's right! This past weekend, my good friend Little, drove from her home in Phoenix to visit me for the weekend. She arrived late Thursday evening. Ruth, who I've mentioned before, also arrived back in L.A. that night. The three of us and Jess from next door hung out chatting on my balcony all evening long. We polished off an entire box of Franzia. Oh yeah, we're high class!! I think I ended up getting to bed around 2:30am. I worked on Friday, but just a half day. By the time I arrived home from work, the other girls were ready to rock. We jumped in my car and I showed Little Hollywood Blvd, Beverly Hills, Malibu and we ended in Santa Monica. We walked down to the pier and decided to ride the coaster there. This thing was hilarious! It creeps you up the top of the first hill and then just as you are about to shoot downward, it jerks back and slows down! What kind of rollercoaster does that?? It got a little better towards the end, but stil not great. Since we were all feeling parched from the exciting rollercoaster, we decided to grab some margaritas. After indulging our tastebuds, we headed for home. Of course we left Santa Monica at 5:30...on a Friday. Needless to say it took almost 2 hours to get across town. (although we did stop at the grocery store as well) We made dinner, drank and got ready to hit Jess and my favorite nightclub, The Medusa Lounge.

While dancing our hearts away at Medusa, this guy comes up and tries to flirt with us. Eventually he says something to Little. Anyone want to guess what came out of this little jerk's mouth? Anyone?? He said, "Are you all like the Golden Girls or something?" SERIOUSLY! What was he thinking. As Little said, he probably meant it in the sense, 4 inseperable friends, but he could have said Sex in the City or something! It would have been less offensive than the Golden Girls! Argh, still gets me riled up. I told him, "That was rude. Please walk away." We bored of the scene and texted Jim, Jess's roommate, to see if he'd spin some records for us at home so we could dance. He was game so we went back there and danced until all hours. Jim invited some friends over as well, so it was quite dance party.

Saturday, Little and I spent the day on Melrose Ave shopping. Melrose is a stretch of road in L.A. stacked with great clothing boutiques. It goes on for blocks and blocks. We had a blast and found amazing clothes. I even bought a full length dress, which are all the rage out here and I never thought I would own one. They are more flattering that I would have guessed. We called it around 7 and headed back home to have dinner with Jess and Ruth. While we were gone, they had gone to a car dealership to get Ruth a car. She came home with a Mercedes Kompressor!! This thing is so tight!! We scoped out her new ride and then made a fabulous dinner of Chicken Alfredo, garlic bread and an amazing salad.

Catherine, who I sublet from, sent me an invite to an art gallery event in Culver City. The four of us got dressed up and headed over to check it out. To be honest, it was a bust. The lights were down so low, you couldn't even see the paintings. It was $10, all you could drink so we had our fill and headed back to our neck of the woods. We went to the 4100 Bar, one of my favorite places thus far if not for the cool decor, but for the $3 Pabst, in a can no less! We joked around with some really drunk guys and when the bewitching arrived, headed home.

Little left around 2pm on Sunday and it was warming up nicely in our apartments. Jess spoke with one of her friends whose parents live in Pasadena and she said we could go use their pool. This pool was amazing! It was salt water, which I'd never experienced. We spent the afternoon lounging poolside and then grabbed some mexican takeout and dogged bees. One literally flew up the back of my bathing suit and it almost stung my butt!! Other than the insects, it was the perfect afternoon to close out a perfect weekend.

Until next time...

Made it a Month!

Its official everyone! I've survived my first month in Los Angeles. I gotta tell ya, I am in love with this place. Why is that I fall in love with cities easier than human beings? I digress. L.A. is not the dreadful place that so many people tried to warn me about. The people I have been meeting are friendly and warm. The scenery blows me away on an almost daily basis. There is always something fun and new to go and check out. What more could a girl ask for?!



Lately, I have been spending a lot of time with my neighbor and friend, Jess. She and I went to this nightclub 5 blocks from our apt called the Medusa Lounge. This is our new favorite place! It is a big place with a lounge feel in the front and big dance floor area in the back. The greatest thing about this place is it is such a cross-section of the people in the neighborhood. No matter what ethnicity you are, you'll be represented. I love that. We went out in Hollywood one night as well and it just doesn't compare to this place if you are looking to go out dancing. How lucky are we that its so close to home?!



Jess, our friend Heidi and I also have checked a couple Fries on the Side shows. These people are absolutely incredible. Please check out their website, http://www.friesontheside.com/ and watch some videos of their skits. The way it works is they write and accept scripts all week long. Then on Saturday, the day of the show, they have cast call at 7pm. They pick the strongest scripts and run through them a few times, getting down the lights, music, props and costumes. At 9:30 the show starts after very little practice. Its so impressive and is truly very funny! This coming Saturday, I am going early to shadow Julia, the producer of the show. She's going to show me what I'll need to do in her absence. I'll be covering for her a couple weeks in August and I'm thrilled to do so.



The other night, Jess and I went to see her roommate, Jim, play a solo acoustic set. He was awesome! Afterwards, he and his band mates, Jess and I all went to the 4100 Bar in Silverlake. To my pleasant surprise, they serve PBR in a can!! There has been a lack of representation of the Pibber in this town, so I was stoked. Oh and at Fries when you purchase your ticket (only$6!) you get a free Pabst. Hell yeah! Anyway, we left the 4100 and decided to continue the party at Jess and Jim's place. Jim also has turntables and he spun a bunch of great music, so we all danced in their living room until 3:30am! He was playing the best stuff and I couldn't get enough of it. It was probably one of my favorite nights since I moved here. The next morning wasn't so much fun though!



Work is, well, work. I am filling in in the position that they offered me, but had declined. I definitely made the right call because it SUCKS! I've decided that I just need to stay here as long as they'll have me and I have nothing else. I'm applying to other jobs as often as I can and I'm hoping that something will come down my path one of these weeks. As my good friend, Vilay, put it, I didn't move to Los Angeles to work at some boring job that I could be doing back in Mpls. So there ya go.



Until next time...

4th of July Weekend

My long weekend started off with a trip to the Getty Center on Thursday afternoon. This place is amazing! Its only about 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles and sits atop a hill with beautiful views of the city. You take a tram from the parking structure up to the museum and the tram runs along the side of the hill. The views were breathtaking. Once arriving at the Getty, you notice the incredible architecture. I immediately made my way to the botanical gardens of which I heard were the highlight. This is absolutely true! I spent the majority of my time there, walking around and taking pictures. The Getty also makes great use of water in its landscaping. Beautiful fountains and streams flow throughout. Inside the various buildings were paintings, sculptures and artifacts. One painter was particular of interest to me as he photographed regular people from the early 20th Century. The photos used a silvery/gray scale and showed so much life and emotion. I found myself outside again very quickly as the views were just so stunning. I purchased a Corona and perched myself on a bench, near a fountain and soaked in some sun.

Thursday evening I hung out with my friend, Kii. We watched this crazy slasher/horror flick called "Slither." Now, I do not consider myself a fan of this genre, but I highly recommend seeing this movie! Its really well done, the acting is quite good and the script isn't bad either. You keep waiting for the plot to get cheesey and instead the next scene shocks you.

Friday was the 4th of July and I got up early to head out to Manhattan Beach. My co-worker, Heather, invited me to her house to hang out with her fiance and friends. Heather and Matt live 2 blocks from the beach and we made it down there by about Noon. We indulged in sun, surf, food and beverage all afternoon. They had bean bag toss, football, and volleyball. I mostly spent my time on beach towel...big surprise! By 7pm, I was feeling exhausted. Since Manhattan Beach doesn't set off fireworks, I decided to head home. I popped in a movie and maybe got through 30 minutes of it before falling asleep.

On Saturday, I motivated myself to get out and get some exercise. I drove up to Griffith Park and walked the Fern Dell trail. Its very lush and shaded, which was nice. At one point, I started heading up a steep hill and saw a sign that said "Beware of Mountain Lions and Rattlesnakes." Since I was feeling short of breath, I turned around so I wouldn't be a mountain lion's dinner! On the way home I stopped by Echo Park to walk around that lake. This park took a beating on the 4th. There were remnants of fireworks EVERYWHERE! I found it quite sad actually, just how irresponsible we humans can be. I'm sure the bottom of that lake is full of garbage too. I will have to go back another time when hopefully the park will give a better impression.

Ruth invited me, Jessica and her friend Gabe to come with her to a friend's house in the West Hollywood Hills on Saturday night. This house was amazing! We drank, ate and conversed for hours. Then we all jumped in the jaccuzi and pool. Unfortunately, Ruth cracked her forehead open while attempting her 3rd or 4th backflip into the pool. We figured we best take off when there was blood still dripping down her forehead a while after the injury. Jessica took care of her through the night and I'm happy to report she's doing just fine.

Sunday, Ruth's friend invited us to his Malibu house to hang out on the beach. Again, this place was amazing. Its directly on the beach and we took advantage of that right away. While sitting there, Jeremy Piven (Entourage anyone?) walked by. I'm not too concerned with crossing paths with celebs, but it was kind of cool seeing him taking a relaxing walk on the beach. Ruth had been craving some English tea so her friend was more than happy to oblige since he is British as well. This was my first cup of real English tea and I actually had a second cup, I liked it so much. We also had key lime pie and lemon cake.

Now I'm back at work and wondering if this is the place for me. My supervisor asked me last night if I'd be interested in a different position here. One of the higher ups liked me and thought I'd be good for the job. I feel like if I accept that offer, though, then I need to stay here a while. While I really think the company is great and the people I'm working with are very nice, the work itself is dull as a butterknife. There is a part of me who feels like I could be doing so much more. Its hard when you know that good benefits and good pay are being dangled in front of you, to walk away.

PHOTOS!!!  http://gallery.me.com/shellyvoss#100292

Until next time...

Derby, Bounty and Much, Much More

Well one whole week of work down the drain. The G.M. of our branch gave everyone the day off tomorrow in addition to the 4th so that's pretty nice. I had a conversation with my manager today and she said she really hopes that I'll stick with them and that she feels I am a really great fit for the company. An uplifting thing to hear.

To backtrack a little, last week on Tuesday I went to the Minneangeles bowling night. For those that don't know its a group of former Minnesotans who get together every Tuesday to bowl. Now most of you know that I am NOT a bowler, but I couldn't pass up this great opportunity to meet a bunch of people. Everyone was awesome that I met and so very welcoming. I did bowl and got the lowest score of the group, a 71. Why can't it be Silverstrike?! I'd be killin 'em! I do plan to attend the bowling night pretty often. Loads of fun.

Afterwards, I wasn't quite ready to call it a night so I headed up to the Bigfoot Lodge for a nightcap. While sitting there I started talking with this guy who turns out to be some big music engineer who has worked with U2, Cheap Trick, Heart, The Boss and many others. Just random how you can come across those folks so easily here. He invited me to some "hollywood type parties" the following weekend, but I just took his card and ended up not joining him for that.

Instead I spent my weekend doing other things. Saturday afternoon I hung out with my pal, and many of yours, Jerry. We went to Playa Del Ray and Venice. Saturday night I decided to venture out on my own. I went to this dive bar on Wilshire called the HMS Bounty. Not long after I arrived, a conversation was sparked with 3 guys sitting at the bar. They were excellent. Super friendly, funny and informative. One of the guys called his girlfriend, Julia, and told her to come down and meet up with us. From the minute she walked in, I knew she was a rad chick. We hit it off immediately. Julia's boyfriend, Christian, had told me about the L.A. Derby Dolls (rollerderby) tournament that was happening that weekend. Turns out where they have their bouts is under a mile from my place, so I said I'd check it out on Sunday. Julia said she'd be there as well. We parted ways with plans to meet up the following day. Upon arriving home, our house guest, Ruth, was sitting out back with my neighbor, Craig, who I hadn't met yet. We started chatting and I invited them to join me for the derby.

Sunday rolled around and Craig decided to pass on the derby, but Ruth said she'd still join me. She's this fabulous woman who is originally from England, but currently lives in New York. She took the train cross country which eventually landed her here in Los Angeles. Ruth is a writer who is incredibly interesting and an absolute blast. The derby was amazing. Their venue, called the Dollhouse, is black and pink and they skate a banked track. (MN Rollergirls use flat track) The bouts were crazy. The second one ended with much controversy and confusion, but it was superbly entertaining. We also caught this amazing band called, Critical Brass. 13 members playing a New Orleans style. Ruth and I hung out with Julia and she and I exchanged info and chatted music as she's a musician. Also, Julia and Christian work with this sketch comedy group called Fries on the Side. They have performances 3 Saturdays a month and mentioned the possibility of helping them out a little if I enjoy the show. I'm going to check it out on the 12th and the skits I've seen online have been hilarious.

Upon coming home from the Derby, I was lucky enough to meet my other neighbor, Jessica. She's an utter doll, very chill and easy to talk to. Who knew I'd live next to such cool folks! Last night I hung out with Ruth, Craig, Jessica and her friend, Heidi. We drank wine, chatted and watched crazy American spin-offs of Japanese game shows. Heidi was a delight as well. She and I sat and mocked the people on tv for 2 hours. 

Jessica, Ruth and I were talking tonight and decided to go to the Getty Center tomorrow. I had found information about it a book that Jerry gave me and said to Jessica that I was going to check it out tomorrow. She said its one of her favorite places in L.A. and that she'd love to join me. Ruth was down too. Supposedly this place has stellar views and so very much to see. I can't wait to report back afterwards.

Until next time...

I got a job!

Yep, its true. I found a job in one week from arriving. I still can hardly believe it myself. Yesterday I signed up with a temp agency and they called me this morning with a temp to hire assignment that started immediately. I had my first day today. Its at an advertising agency and everyone was very nice. As far as a temp position goes, the money is good and if they'd hire me on full time it goes up drastically. I wasn't really looking into this field, but I had such an awesome day I do plan to stick it out and see how I'm feeling in a few weeks. One of the girls that was helping to train me said that its a really great company to work for and there is a lot of room to grow. That definitely sounds appealing!

I never did get a chance to write about my first week here, so let's do it. The first full day in town Erin and I decided the beach was the only place to be. It was in the upper 90s in the city and was absolutely sweltering. We cruised out to Venice and lounged all day long out there. It was actually the first time I had ever put my head under water in the ocean! We headed back home and decided to check out this bar called La Cita. Pretty fun actually. Huge outdoor patio, djs and dancing. Very mixed, cool crowd. We met some folks and were invited to this amazing loft apartment downtown with a beautiful rooftop pool and observation deck. The night got late and we called it.

Friday morning was rough on both of us. We got going around 3:00, but still managed to get a lot done. We visited a dance studio for Erin, really cool. Then we drove around and I tried to show her some stuff I knew of. We ended up in Santa Monica on the 3rd St Promenade. We walked around, giggled at some of the street performers and grabbed some nummy sushi. I'd only had sushi twice prior and it was amazing. I think I've found a new vice. At night we decided to hit up this bar that a couple friends had been telling me I'd love, called the Bigfoot Lodge. They were right. Immediately upon walking in and hearing punk rock being played and PBR on tap, I felt at home. We met some funny people who kept us entertained. 

Saturday was more exploring and then ended up back in Venice. Had dinner out there and then hit up the beach before sunset. It was amazing watching the sun fall behind the Santa Monica mountains with my feet in the ocean. Definitely a first for this kid. We packed it up and headed to El Segundo to this tiki bar called The Purple Orchid. My friend Jerry brought me there and since it was close to the airport, I figured what better place to go! I was stoked because they had surf bands performing so we drank tiki drinks, listened to surf and relived our adventures before heading to the airport.

We said our good-byes and I headed for Jerry's house. On the way, I get a call from Erin saying that her flight was actually on FRIDAY night. We booked it wrong and she missed it! The person at the counter said its a frequent mistake and that as long as you show up within 3 days you don't get any penalty fees. How nuts is that! Best part is that she had to fly standby for Sat night's flight and got first class which included free drinks the whole ride. So my little mistake ended up working in her favor!

Until next time!

Travels

Well, here I am in Los Angeles. I have decided to keep this blog, in order to keep everyone updated on my whereabouts and happenings in this crazy place. This entry is about all the fun we had just in getting here.

As many of you know, my friend Erin came along with me for the ride. We left Minneapolis Monday, June 16th bright and early. Southern MN, Iowa, Nebraska...need I say more?? We arrived in Denver that evening, made it in 13 hours. We stayed with my good friend Andre there and went out for some Vietnamese right when we got into town. Over dinner, Erin and I decided that we didn't want to rush our trip and we actually wanted to see some of the beautiful country we were traveling through. Tuesday morning came we all arose and nabbed breakfast at the Breakfast King. Great place with bright orange booths and chairs, good food for cheap and waitresses straight out of 1985. Andre then drove us out to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This place is amazingly beautiful. I have pictures of it in the link at the end of this entry. Check them out!

We said our good-byes to Andre and hit the road around noon. We drove through Colorado in gorgeous, sunny conditions and it was the most amazing scenery. We hit Utah with much of the same. Unfortunately we tried to find a bar/grill to get a burger and a beer in Utah. Yeah, don't try that! We drove aimlessly around this town only to find out they don't serve alcohol in Utah and if you do find it somewhere its generally 3-2. Complete bumout. So we just  hit up a drive through and got our butts out of that state as quick as we could! As night fell we went through the northeastern corner of Arizona. This part of the drive was just insane. The cliffs jutted straight up from the sides of the road. It was a huge full moon and the light from it was bouncing off the mountains. It felt as though we were entering a new world. We crossed the Nevada border and called it a night in Mesquite. The hotel we stayed at was called the Virgin River Hotel and Casino and our room was $33. Score! On top of that the bar had $.75 taps. Double score!!

Wednesday morning we left bright and early and headed toward Vegas. Neither of us had seen the Hoover Dam so we detoured slightly and checked it out. Its incredible if you haven't seen it. We didn't have time to take the tour, but just viewing it was worth it. Erin had never seen the Strip in Vegas so I figured she needed to see it. Plus I never need an excuse to go to Vegas! We drove down the strip and ended it with both our first ever In and Out Burgers. All the hype is absolutely right! Andre told us to get them "animal style" and man, was he right. After our tummies were satisfied we made the long trek across the Mojave Desert and soon we arrived at our destination...Rampart Blvd. 

Here's a link to pictures from our travels across country.

http://gallery.mac.com/shellyvoss#100261

Until next time...