new home

My sister and I moved out of the San Gabriel suburbs, out of our mother's house, to a new place of our own. A few days ago I met another occupant of our quadplex, and she asked me, with a teasing smile 'How are you liking it here - how d'you like the noise.' And though yes, there's the obvious presence of rambunctious little neighbor kids and a lot more street traffic/noise, the price of freedom is well worth it. The commute to work is shorter, even if by a fraction, the neighborhood is super-walkable, fairly bike-able, and there's lots to explore. Yesterday evening, we walked to our local polling location and dropped off our ballots, then got pizza at a tasty Italian joint and headed back home - to new home.

end of summer

We had rain in the San Gabriel Valley yesterday! And right before the Labor Day Weekend, what timing. I have been feeling rather quiet these days...feels like I don't have much to say. Preoccupation with work and basking in my days off/looking for more work, personal projects and putzing around helping others with projects is what I mostly find myself doing. I've really gone into hermit mode otherwise - evaluating what's important to me, people to make an effort with and who to just let go, treating people things everything right, enriching my mind and body and just keeping clear of poison. Three old friends I have recently been in contact with all asked me a question along the lines of "So what are your goals/what do you want/where are you headed?" I mostly know what I want, am half-certain of the means of getting there, but am cognizant that I can't be in complete control of everything. So I guess I am saying for myself, make sure you put in a hell of a lot of effort in everything you do, but let yourself breathe a little, roll with the tide.

promises

I bought a simple sterling band at the flea market on Sunday and have been wearing it on my ring finger ever since. I'm treating it as a simple reminder to stay committed to myself, perhaps a promise ring to put myself first and really work on achieving personal goals. No boys, no drama, no bullshit, etc. It sounds dramatic but it will keep me on track. It's all in the details.

graduated!

I'm finished with undergrad! Thanks USC, it has been a long & arduous journey. I learned a lot, despite my reluctance to adhere to the culture of higher education, matured through trial and error, ventured slightly out of my comfort zone, and started some life-long friendships. Oh and steeped myself in architecture lore and studio culture along the way. And now, I suppose, I'll keep fighting on.

building character

I've always wanted to work at TJ's - first I wanted to be the in-store artist and paint pretty pictures and signs all day but I never went for it because I didn't think I'd be good enough. With practice I think I could do some kick-ass work, but now I digress.

For the past two months I'd been working for one of my favorite former architecture instructors - designing, modeling & creating drawings for a competition for a Holocaust memorial. As soon as I finished that scheme I went off to Chicago for a week, then when I was back in L.A. I went on campus to fill out some D-clearance forms, saw my boss and then, in a turn of events, received the news I wouldn't be working for him, indefinitely. He'd done some paperwork for his taxes and realized he really couldn't afford an intern while he didn't have steady work coming in. So I was let go - but a few days before I had filled out a part-time crew application at Trader Joe's, secured an interview the next week, and two days after I was turned away from the architecture office I had a job at Trader Joe's. Funny and fortunate how things turn out. Today was my first day and it was a whirlwind of activity - I got a shirt and a temporary name tag, I helped with restocking food, bagging groceries, did a cart-run, and a bit of paperwork. This is something new, refreshing, and it feels good to burst out of the comfortable bubble of working for people I know or are on familiar terms with. Time to make new connections and learn new things.