Orientation
Today was orientation day for my new job. I had to go in to sign my offer and see what my training schedule was going to be, but they also had me get orientation out of the way while I was there. I'll be training for 7 full weeks before actually starting my job, which I'm really looking forward to. I've never been in a job that provided so much training and preparation beforehand, so it should be very interesting, and I'm really excited about it! At the start of the orientation, I was given a huge Bible of a Career Guide that I was told I would live and breathe by once all was said and done. It was very informative, indeed, and it definitely gives me something to do while I'm waiting to officially start my training on Tuesday. I'll be training for 2 weeks at a store in Arcadia (close to Pasadena), then 4+ weeks at the store in Beverly Hills, which is where my first interview took place. The new store that I'll be working at in Topanga/Canoga Park will open at the end of May. I'm becoming more and more impressed with the company and am totally pumped about starting a career there. I still can't help but feel like someone's going to tell me that this is all a joke, or that they'll change their minds about hiring me...it just seems unreal that I'm actually working for a company I set my sights on as soon as I started job-searching in the L.A. area. I'm hoping my dubious feelings will subside once I start getting my hands dirty and begin my training. So far, everyone's been incredibly helpful, positive and just all around cool. My hours will be a little wacky, though, and there's already a conflict with the Clippers game Gui and I have tickets for next Saturday (which is Irisa's bday, too) and my work schedule for that day, but it might work out. It will be hard to lose my weekends since those are the only days Guillaume and I get to spend entirely together. But, I'm hoping my schedule won't include too many weekends, and if it does, we'll have to deal with it, won't we? This is gonna be a whole new ball game, but I'm totally ready to play!
Long Beach
So, Albert and I took a trip to the beach close to our apartment today. We didn't stay for it, but we wanted to see if it really was within walking distance and if it was worth a visit. We found exactly what we'd hoped for: beautiful sand and sun only a stone's throw away. The beach isn't the best beach in California, but it's definitely good enough for a Texas girl used to the dark, often dreary gulf beaches of South Padre and Corpus Christi. We came back to the apartment to meet Guillaume and took him down to see what we discovered. He took a few shots of the beach while we drove by, on our way to Trader Joe's (By the way, Trader Joe's is THE shizNIT! Guillaume found some of the best French wine - according to him - for only $10 a bottle, and they have all kinds of good, organic cheeses, syrups and sodas...even San Pelligrino Aranciata that I had everyday while I was in Italy...for super-duper cheap!!!!! Totally going to be my new hang-out). So, here are the pics...not too great, but just a 2 min. drive from our place. 
You can't really see the sand in the pictures, but there's tons of it...I'll be sure to post more after we go to to beach this weekend! : ) Can't wait!
You can't really see the sand in the pictures, but there's tons of it...I'll be sure to post more after we go to to beach this weekend! : ) Can't wait!
Back in the loop
Sorry about the lack of posts this past week. It's been an adventurous time with lots of exciting moments and some good news. First off, I had 2 interviews scheduled for early Tuesday the 27th, so my brother Albert and I set off for California on Sunday morning around 5:30 am...we had a few delays with the car trailer, but we were still able to avoid major traffic during the day. We had planned to stop to rest somewhere in Tucson before heading out again on Tuesday, but after driving past the city we decided to head towards Phoenix and look for a place to stop on the way. We attempted to stop at a shady hotel in the middle of nowhere, but made a quick u-turn after realizing it looked like one of those creepy places out of a hitchcock movie. After talking to mom on the phone, we made a determined decision to just drive the full way through. I wasn't too tired at the time, and when I began feeling a little drowsy, we pulled over to a truck stop for a quick nap. Just as I was setting my phone alarm for an hour later, Guillaume called in to let me know he was home from San Francisco. He also told me that someone had broken the back window of his car while it was parked at his office in Cerritos. I was pissed! Who does that?? It's obvious the person driving his 1995 P.O.S. Saturn isn't someone who has money to throw away on buying a new window! Grrrrrr. So, needless to say, I was no longer in the mood to sleep at this point and we headed back out on the road. We finally made it to LA after a nice traffic-filled freeway commute from the north at 4 AM!!! Yes, even at 4 AM, LA has freakin' traffic! When we finally made it home, our truck and trailer were too big to fit down our little one-way street, which resulted in another adventure that took us around the neighborhood, down alley-ways and finally in our driveway to unload the junk from the truck. Phew!! What a day! At 9 AM Albert and I were finally able to catch some zees, but I couldn't sleep for more than a couple of hours before I had to get up to organize the new mess in our living room and kitchen. Fun, fun!
Since our arrival, we've found a nice restaurant and bar that serves amazing seafood just down the street, we've done some grocery shopping at the famous Ralph's (not my favorite place; I think we'll try Trader Joe's next time), completely organized our new living space, and done a bit of exploration around the 'hood - including a stop at Carl's ,Jr. Today, I'm taking my little bro to the beach that's a few blocks from our apt. I'll give a full report of that later.
As for my interviews....they both went really well. My first interview was with my preferred job, and I was really stoked about it. It was a pretty informal conversation, with typical questions about past experiences and such. It ended well, and a 2nd interview was scheduled for Wed. My other interview on Tuesday was with an asset management company, which went unexpectedly well, too. It was a very laid-back interview, and the job seemed to be much cooler than I had originally thought it would be. They told me they'd defintely be in touch for a second interview and thought I was the best candidate that they'd seen so far. I was really excited for both jobs!! But, yesterday I had the 2nd interview with my preferred job and it seemed to really go well. While I was making dinner with Guillaume last night, I got a phone call from my interviewer who offered me the job (which I readily accepted)! It's such a great feeling to be employed again and in the job that I had set my hopes on attaining when I moved here! It's sure to be a company I'll grow with and one that I expect to be very happy working for. So, I'll start with orientation tomorrow and begin training for the next 7 weeks on Tuesday. The store will be opening in the Westfield Mall in Topanga, and will be a 2-story store with over 100 employees. It's not very close to where we're living now, but I plan to be closer to that area after a few months. Exciting times are ahead!
Since our arrival, we've found a nice restaurant and bar that serves amazing seafood just down the street, we've done some grocery shopping at the famous Ralph's (not my favorite place; I think we'll try Trader Joe's next time), completely organized our new living space, and done a bit of exploration around the 'hood - including a stop at Carl's ,Jr. Today, I'm taking my little bro to the beach that's a few blocks from our apt. I'll give a full report of that later.
As for my interviews....they both went really well. My first interview was with my preferred job, and I was really stoked about it. It was a pretty informal conversation, with typical questions about past experiences and such. It ended well, and a 2nd interview was scheduled for Wed. My other interview on Tuesday was with an asset management company, which went unexpectedly well, too. It was a very laid-back interview, and the job seemed to be much cooler than I had originally thought it would be. They told me they'd defintely be in touch for a second interview and thought I was the best candidate that they'd seen so far. I was really excited for both jobs!! But, yesterday I had the 2nd interview with my preferred job and it seemed to really go well. While I was making dinner with Guillaume last night, I got a phone call from my interviewer who offered me the job (which I readily accepted)! It's such a great feeling to be employed again and in the job that I had set my hopes on attaining when I moved here! It's sure to be a company I'll grow with and one that I expect to be very happy working for. So, I'll start with orientation tomorrow and begin training for the next 7 weeks on Tuesday. The store will be opening in the Westfield Mall in Topanga, and will be a 2-story store with over 100 employees. It's not very close to where we're living now, but I plan to be closer to that area after a few months. Exciting times are ahead!
Vegas
So, here I am...in Las Vegas. You might be asking yourself how I got here. Well, my brilliant self thought that waiting for the first flight to Austin through Phoenix tomorrow morning was hogwash. So, when they made the announcement that I'd surely miss the flight to Austin because of the delays in Phoenix, I pulled out the charm and made a successful attempt to strategize a flight to Austin that bypassed Phoenix. The end result of my impressive persuasion was that I was sent by prepaid cab to the Orange County/Santa Ana/John Wayne airport in Orange County to catch the next flight to Vegas and get to Austin by 3:30am. I just couldn't fathom spending another night in a hotel or in my empty, bedless, Guillaume-less apartment. So, 7 hours later, here I am, waiting in the Vegas airport for yet another delayed flight to arrive before I officially make my way home. It's been an interesting journey so far, though. The cab driver told me a story about a pregnant woman who cops pulled over for driving by herself in the HOV lane. Well, she took the cop to court for the ticket with the explanation that her 6-month pregnant belly was actually a second person, and therefore, she was breaking no laws by driving in the 2-person-minimum HOV lane. Well, the woman won...basically on the grounds that if a person murders a pregnant woman and both she and the baby die, the person is charged with a double homicide..so the 2-person rule applies. I just thought this was such a brilliant story...and I promised my cab-driver that I'd share it with my friends. :) I also met a couple of cool cats on the plane ride from John Wayne to Vegas, which was another plus, and now that I'm in Vegas, I'm getting a craving for ice-cream or popcorn, so I may make my way to an ice-cream stand (even though it's always so freakin' cold in this airport!), and then test my luck at the penny slots! Woohoo! So, I'll be back to good ol' Austin sometime tomorrow morning...right now it's 5AM, but doubt that'll stick. Hopefully I'll be able to get a bit of shut-eye on my way back before I get started on packing and moving!!! See y'all soon!
update: I'm finally in Austin - flight arrived promptly at 7:15 am and my bag was the first on the carousel...woo-hooo...things are looking up for me! ; )
update: I'm finally in Austin - flight arrived promptly at 7:15 am and my bag was the first on the carousel...woo-hooo...things are looking up for me! ; )
Stuck
Of course, just when everything's feeling like smooth-sailing, my flight gets delayed. I was sitting at the LB airport bar, chowing down on an avocado and bacon burger, fries and a pint of Sam Adams when I received a text message from Gladys in Mexico that her flight was canceled to Phoenix for bad weather. Crap! That's where I'm flying through!! Yep, I'm making my way back to Austin to collect my things (namely, my car) and make the drive back for good. My flight's scheduled to take off toward Phoenix in half an hour, but the plane hasn't even left the airport to pick us up! I'm pretty sure I'll be here for a while, but at least the Long Beach Airport is on it with free wi-fi...woohoo! It's hard to believe the weather only one hour away is so crappy when it's absolutely perfect here. I'm starting to like this west-coast thing. I just hope I don't get stuck in Phoenix (too many smokers and too much dust)!
My first night
So last night was the first night I stayed at my new apartment in the LBC (yeah, like Warren G.). It was a little scary...being alone in a very new place with no one around that you know is definitely a scary situation. But, I survived. It was very cold, and since we don't have our bed set up yet, I had to make myself a space to sleep with pillows and blankets I'd just bought from Target...not the most comfortable set-up, but it was just one night. I was awakened around 1 AM to the sound of a helicopter flying overhead. Now, we don't live in a bad neighborhood, but in California, I've learned that the difference between the ghetto and the Bel Air Estates can be a very short block. So, needless to say, I was a bit shaken up at the prospect of some strange fugitive breaking through my bedroom window to kill me. Mind you, I occasionally have these same fears lying in bed at 2AM in Kyle, Texas, so let's not be so quick to blame my new 'hood. Anyway, after spending a bit of time in my new digs I started visualizing what it will be like once everything's all moved in and set up for us. I pictured a very comfortable set-up with a little beachy feel to it, windows opened often, and smells of feel-good food cooking in our antique mini-oven...I think it's going to be nice. In one week, I'll have officially established myself as a Long Beach resident and a whole new chapter will begin. A little bit exhilirating.
A breath of air
It's been a long, full, hectic week - make that nearly a week. I've been in California for 5 full days now, and everyday I've learned something new about the place and people. It's funny how you can have so many people telling you so many different and same things about one place and you never really get to prove or disprove those things until you're actually there. I'm actually here now and the weather's meh, the people are rarely beautiful (I definitely prefer Texans), and the shopping...it's better than I imagined!
So, there's good news and bad news to report from the west coast. The good news is that Gui and I finally found an apartment and I signed the lease yesterday. It's in a pretty nice area of Long Beach with beach and shops within walking distance. It's incredibly tiny (well, by Guillaume's French standards, it's standard size), the stove and fridge are tiny, but the closet space is ample (thank God). It's completely empty at the moment, so I'm making a trip to Target to pick up some essentials this afternoon before Gui gets back from San Fran [to update: he left on Monday and is in San Francisco until Sunday for work].
Now, to the bad news. I haven't had as much luck with the job search as I'd hoped. I went to a job interview on Monday with a placement firm, and they were completely pumped about getting me into a job. I had an interview with a hedgefund yesterday in Beverly Hills, which was an enlightening experience. I've never seen so many Bentleys, Benzes and Beamers on one level in a parking garage before in my life! I definitely felt sub-par driving around Santa Monica Blvd and Rodeo Drive in Guillaume's little, beat-up Saturn. :) But, the interview went well. I don't think I'd be up for such a long commute (about 2 hours each way) every single day, which brings me to another point. As much as I hate traffic, I defintely don't mind LA traffic. It's fast, full-speed traffic that only exploits the crappy, slow drivers. And, everyone uses their blinkers (indicators, for you Brits reading this)!!! That's certaintly a very welcome change to my commute.
I'm realizing that the strangest thing about where we're living is the very obvious mix of people - youngsters and old folks alike are all going to the same places. Example: during our St. Patty's celebration, we found that at every bar, there were people celebrating that were our age with folks my parents' ages! It was a little different, but defintely a fun time [will post pics soon]. This little coffee haven I found a few blocks from our place is another example; about half are 20-somethings and the other half late-fourties and older. It's another change that I think I'll start to get used to. Everyone's rather friendly here, too, which is a relief.
So, off for more exploration. Updates to be forthcoming!
So, there's good news and bad news to report from the west coast. The good news is that Gui and I finally found an apartment and I signed the lease yesterday. It's in a pretty nice area of Long Beach with beach and shops within walking distance. It's incredibly tiny (well, by Guillaume's French standards, it's standard size), the stove and fridge are tiny, but the closet space is ample (thank God). It's completely empty at the moment, so I'm making a trip to Target to pick up some essentials this afternoon before Gui gets back from San Fran [to update: he left on Monday and is in San Francisco until Sunday for work].
Now, to the bad news. I haven't had as much luck with the job search as I'd hoped. I went to a job interview on Monday with a placement firm, and they were completely pumped about getting me into a job. I had an interview with a hedgefund yesterday in Beverly Hills, which was an enlightening experience. I've never seen so many Bentleys, Benzes and Beamers on one level in a parking garage before in my life! I definitely felt sub-par driving around Santa Monica Blvd and Rodeo Drive in Guillaume's little, beat-up Saturn. :) But, the interview went well. I don't think I'd be up for such a long commute (about 2 hours each way) every single day, which brings me to another point. As much as I hate traffic, I defintely don't mind LA traffic. It's fast, full-speed traffic that only exploits the crappy, slow drivers. And, everyone uses their blinkers (indicators, for you Brits reading this)!!! That's certaintly a very welcome change to my commute.
I'm realizing that the strangest thing about where we're living is the very obvious mix of people - youngsters and old folks alike are all going to the same places. Example: during our St. Patty's celebration, we found that at every bar, there were people celebrating that were our age with folks my parents' ages! It was a little different, but defintely a fun time [will post pics soon]. This little coffee haven I found a few blocks from our place is another example; about half are 20-somethings and the other half late-fourties and older. It's another change that I think I'll start to get used to. Everyone's rather friendly here, too, which is a relief.
So, off for more exploration. Updates to be forthcoming!
I'm here!
Ok, I don't have much time to write about everything right now, but I've made it safely to Long Beach...it's very nice! It was so great to see Guillaume at the airport, and the weather has turned out to be really nice for my first day in town. The bad news is that my interview with Bloomie's went really crappy....well, actually it didn't go crappy, but I was informed that they had just filled the position that I had applied for. They wanted me to consider other positions (floor positions like sales, cust. service, merchandising, etc.), but I'm not going to sell my self out like that. I don't have the desire to work in retail, and I'm just going to wait it out and hope for the best. We'll see how things go Monday with my other interview. Right now, Gui and I are having a coffee/muffin break while we look around for apartments. It's really nice in this area - very trendy with starbucks all around and a few small bars and pubs. We still need to find a place to have a green beer!! I'm not even wearing green today!!!! So, off we go...I'll keep things updated soon. I'm sorry if I haven't called anyone, my stupid phone is roaming and likely charging me out the a** to talk on it.....I need Ely to hook me up! : ) I'm gonna see about getting another plan while I'm here, maybe. So, y'all have fun for me tonight...don't forget the ICBs and kilts! TAKE PICTURES! All my love to everyone back home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
