C A L I F O R N I A

[Hacienda Buena]

I'm living in a trailer, and it's actually really wonderful. And I have a kitten named Bear who lives there with me. The first night my mom and I arrived in Newbury Park (a smaller city caught in the borders of the Los Angeles area), I was mad. I'd never driven in traffic like LA's before and my whole body felt like a crumpled ball of aluminum foil with jagged points. My eyes were crossed I was so frustrated. Since then, I've been trying to decide if I will stay here due to the fact that "people are on acid, clearly." Nick drove me to Glendale my first two days of work.

But oh!...everything is okay now. I hardly notice traffic anymore when I commute back and forth to Glendale at 6:30 in the morning, and then again at 6:30 at night. I've invested in audiobooks! To distract me from the desire to kill other aggressive drivers. Tina Fey's Bossypants has been the cheapest road rage therapy money can buy.

My grandmother tells me it takes at least three weeks to adjust to being in a new place. And it does! It does! This is the third week I've been living here and I'm beginning to make head way with my job, decorating my Hacienda Buena, I've already killed one house plant! The beach is 30 minutes away and even though I can't will myself into the water, I can sit and enjoy watching people surf. Pelicans fly so close to the water, they create ripples. Surfboards are stored in the back of my car. I can see Target from my front porch (sidenote: in Walla Walla, the closest Target is an hour away. It is also the Taj Mahal of shopping. Which is the only reason mentioning it's close proximity is important).

I also opened a new bank account today- momentous because I have been banking with the same small credit union in the Northwest since I was twelve. Now I have a new paycheck in a new bank with a new debit card. How strange! But I am becoming a little more stable right where I am, and in the process I am also becoming more grateful for where I've come from and where I am going.