What a Year It's Been!

Exactly one year ago today, around 4am, I gathered up my few belongings from the Extended Stay America, dragged the cats into their carriers and loaded everything I owned into my car and left California. I was in Las Vegas by breakfast time, out of Utah by dinner, and resting at a rest stop in Nebraska when the time change happened. I pulled into the familiar driveway of the apartment building in Chicago around 5:30pm on Sunday, unloaded the cats (who had been very well behaved through the journey) and went out and got a Lou Malnati's pizza, which I ate by the light of a string of Christmas lights. This was my time to start over. My time to leave the bad things that happened in California behind. To come "home."

In the past year I've reconnected with old friends, gotten a job I never thought I would have, made new friends, lost weight, and really gotten back to being Robin. It hasn't been easy. My car got repossessed in January. When I got my job in March I had a negative balance in my bank account that had been negative for probably 2 months. I was relying on Eric's mom to buy me food and pay my bus fare to go to job interviews. When I first got back, I had 2 pairs of shoes, 1 pair of jeans, and one bra. Slowly, but surely things got better. I got some new furniture, a new TV, a microwave, and was able to start replacing my kitchen stuff that I had left behind. My job allowed me to buy my own groceries, pay my own bus fare and even get some new clothes. I was able to buy a new a/c unit and a TV for the bedroom. I was able to get cable TV again and a new iPhone. I could even go out to dinner or go see a movie. The job also helped with the weight loss. Being a deckhand was a lot more physical than I ever imagined but it has been so much fun. I've met great people and made some really good friends. I go out after work for drinks, I go to movies, I joined a fantasy football league, I participate in a gaming group with co-workers.

So, one year later, I got up this morning, fed the cats, ordered some groceries, cooked breakfast and watched TV by the light of an actual lamp. I've moved forward this year. I've done a lot more than just coming home. I still have a way to go, but that way is definitely up!

Today is the First Day I've Felt Winter

One of the nice things about living in California for 3 years was the mild winters. I could survive California winters with a sweatshirt most times and we rarely ran the heat. It was nice, but I always find it weird to put up a Christmas tree while wearing shorts or while everything is still green.

Luckily, I moved back to Chicago in November and it was surprisingly mild here in the Midwest. I had lunch with a friend the first week I moved back and it was in the 70's. I was happy about the mild temps because I had lost most of my clothes in my "transition" period in L.A. and only had 3 pairs of shoes (2 pairs of sneakers and 1 pair of flip-flops). After the mild weather we got snow every weekend for about three weeks. Again, I didn't mind it because I hadn't experienced it in a few years. It was pretty, made it feel more like the holidays, etc.  After the snow, another mild streak. It was almost 40 degrees on Christmas and all the snow had melted.

Now the holidays are over and apparently so is the mild weather. This week we have had wind chills below zero all day for the past 3 days. I've been feeding some sparrows with a bird feeder on my porch and usually I can go out and sweep the seed debris away without having to get bundled up. Yesterday, sweeping was cold. I went out Friday night and it was cold. Again though, I haven't minded it. I've missed seeing my breath and frost on the windows.

Today that changed. I got up early to go to the grocery store and I needed to put gas in the car. I bought some mittens when I first got back because I knew I'd need something. It's hard to pump gas in mittens. So standing at the gas station this morning waiting for the gas to finish it's journey into my car, I was cold. My face was cold, my hands were cold, and even though I was wearing warm boots and a jacket, I was cold. I was cold when I got back into the car and put my mittens back on. It took me almost the entire drive to the grocery store to warm up. Leaving the grocery store I was cold again. The bottle of juice I bought started to fog up as I walked from the store back to my car. My trunk hesitated before opening. The sun was shining, but I couldn't wait to get the groceries back upstairs, feed the sparrows and be inside for the rest of the day.

Winter is here and now I know it.

2015--So Long. Thanks for the Memories

2015 was definitely a roller coaster of a year. I had some really poor experiences and some really amazing ones. I started out the year sick with a cold. I didn't know it then, but a sweet e-card from a co-worker would be the start of a really nice friendship that blossomed throughout the year. I got stung by a bee in March...on a bus of all places...and that took at least a month to finally go back to normal. Then there was my kidney stone surgery. Not something I would recommend. A lot of pain and a longer recovery than I had expected. Here's to hoping that 2016 has better health issues for me and my loved ones.

Then at the end of June this happened. The death of poor Charles, my 2003 Subaru Forester, thanks to a lady in a rental car on a cell phone. Thankfully Eric was not injured and the car was the only thing severely damaged. It did mean 5 months of walking and enduring Los Angeles Public Transportation but it was an experience.

Right after Charles, we rented a car and brought home Vann. Chaplin needed a companion and Blair needed peace from the young kitty we had gotten last year. Vann stayed in the closet for 10 days when we first got him here, but he has emerged as a very loving, social cat and he and the Shmoo love playing and Blair loves the peace and quiet.

In August I had my first "bucket list" experience of the year. I got to go to Disneyland, and thanks to some great friends, got to have dinner at Club 33. Kind of amazing to think that I took a bus to and from one of the most exclusive restaurants in the World. 

Then in September (a little after our official anniversary), Eric took me to Fabio Viviani's restaurant, Cafe Firenze, in Moorpark. Again, I rented a car to go to an unforgettable meal that the executive chef himself picked out for us. It was so nice to be treated like a VIP just because Eric had had a 10 minute interview with Fabio last year. 

In October, the insurance payment came through and I bought Alain. He is completely what I did not expect. Nissan, black in color, sedan, and relatively new. The buying experience was not pleasant but I am happy with what I ended up with. We took Alain for a drive down PCH and saw a beautiful sunset. Nice way to break in a new car.

Then in November I got to go to a cooking demonstration by Hugh Acheson. I had seen him on Top Chef and fallen in love with his personality and his monobrow. I even got to chat with him a bit before the demo started when he needed to buy a new gold spoon. I mentioned at the time that this was probably in the top 10 of my greatest experiences. He did a simple recipe, was easy going, funny,  charming and the soup he made was fantastic. I also learned a few things that I can now use in my own cooking.

Plus I got a signed cookbook to add to my collection.

So that's just a quick glance of what 2015 offered me. There was also some major relationship issues, fights, infidelity, and a trip to Chicago I wasn't sure I was going to come home from. But all these were learning experiences and part of what makes me who I am. We've been in California for 2 years now. We're better off than we were in 2014, but, as with lots of things, we could be better.

In 2016 I plan to give up all my Sagas on my phone. No more candy crushing, pepper panicking, papa pear throwing, pet rescuing, bubble bursting or anything else King thinks I should play. I will continue with Angry Birds and Words with Friends, but that will be about it. I plan on reading more, hiking in the mountains (foothills) that surround L.A. and perfecting a song or two on my guitar. I also want to eat healthier and watch less TV. I want to continue growing friendships, and reaching out to those friends who I've strayed from in the past few years. I also want to write more, cook more, and maybe take a vacation for the first time in 10 years. 

Happy New Year everyone!

30 Day Writing Challenge--Day 13--Your commute to and from work

My commute to and from work has become much easier in the past month now that I have a new car. I had a 2003 Subaru Forester that I bought back in Chicago, in February, during a snowstorm. I LOVED that car. His name was Charles and he served me well. Taking me to horse shows, to Florida for a couple of years, and back when I needed to come home to Chicago. It also got us here to California, although there were times in the mountains of Colorado that I thought we were never going to make it. Charles was totaled in an accident back at the end of June and it took awhile for us to get the settlement. In Los Angeles, it takes at least 2 months to get an accident report due to the amount of accidents that happen here every day. So for the 3 months that I was sans car, save the few times I rented one, my commute was not exactly difficult, it was just long. I had to walk or take 2 buses to a subway station, from that station I had to get on another bus that would drop me off about a mile from work and I would walk the rest of the way. It was usually crowded, hot, and I'd have to leave a couple of hours before I was supposed to be at work just to get there on time. It was good exercise and all in all, it was probably a little less expensive, but I wasn't a fan.

Now that I'm back with a car full-time, the commute is a little more enjoyable. I leave my apartment building around 7:15am (earlier if I pick up a co-worker or have to get gas or hear about an accident on the news), and decide whether or not someone will be nice enough to let me turn left out of our driveway and wait in the line of cars to get on the 101 freeway. If no one is budging, I turn right and go around the block which usually takes less time than waiting in line. Then I go up the ramp and wait at the light to merge with the traffic heading through Hollywood. This part is usually smooth, although lately, there have been some major back-ups at Sunset. I pass the Church of Scientology, the Capitol Records building, the nice homes in the Hollywood Hills and head up the Cahuenga pass. Then it's downhill past Universal Studios Hollywood and time to merge with the people coming off the 134. It's at that point that we slow down. Majorly. I have a setting on my car where I can see my average speed and it's between 13 and 15 mph. But it's ok. I listen to the radio, or to a podcast. This is the longest part of my commute through the valley. It clears up a little at the 405 split, but then once we get to the Encino exit, we're at stop and go traffic again. I get off the 101 either at Winnetka (if I want to stop at Starbucks), or DeSoto and head to work. Once I'm off the freeway it's only about 5 minutes past the hospital where I had my kidney stone surgery, and past many apartment buildings and some office buildings to work. I go to my designated parking space and I'm usually done driving until the day is over. The reverse commute is about the same time, sometimes longer. Now that Daylight Savings Time is over, I am always amazed at the number of people that don't turn on their headlights, even though it is dark when we leave work. I usually listen to a podcast on the way home, and mostly pay attention to traffic. I will say that one of the malls around here has put up a Christmas tree that actually "sparkles" which is kind of neat. I enjoy looking at that and also at the sign that tells me how long the commute will be to downtown, which gives me a good idea of when I'll be home. Sometimes I stop at the grocery store or for a quick fast food dinner on the way home.

30 Day Writing Challenge--Day 5--A Place You Would Live, But Have Never Visited

There are lots of places I would live that I have never visited. I think number one on the list would be Italy. I love "Under the Tuscan Sun" and would love to have an adventure like that. I've also heard great things about Italy, the different regions, the different foods...it all sounds wonderful to me. I would also live in New Zealand. The pictures I have seen are gorgeous! Also, my ancestry is from Norway so I would live there. I'd have to learn the language but I think I could do that. I would have to be near water though so I probably wouldn't head to the desert.

It's funny to think of living in a place I've never visited, but I have to say that the first time I went to England, I fell in love. I could have stayed there with no problems. It's also a bit strange because I was always seen as someone who didn't like change. My parents didn't take me on a trip to Hawaii when I was younger because I said I preferred being at home. But in my lifetime, I have moved an average of every 2 and a half years, sure some were within the same state, but it was still uprooting and starting new.

When I met my current boyfriend I said I would never move to California, yet, here I am. I had only been to Los Angeles once, on a business trip before, never been to Pasadena or Hollywood for that matter, and now I have lived in both. I also thought I would never live in Florida, but I lived there for a bit. I wasn't a big fan of it, but that's the nice thing about how we live these days. You can easily move from place to place. No covered wagons, not much disease and you can be in a different country in a matter of hours. It's exciting discovering new places. There are always new restaurants to eat at, new places to travel to, new people to meet.  I think home is a place where you feel comfortable not necessarily a geographic location.

One Year Later

It has officially been a year since we pulled the U-Haul into the driveway in Pasadena and started our California adventure. We've struggled, had some unexpected setbacks and losses but in the end we're still here. We both have jobs. We're paying our bills on time. We've explored a little bit of Southern California. Had some nice experiences and some not so nice experiences.

In this next year, I'd love to make some new friends, explore more of what the area has to offer and to help Eric get on his path to fulfilling his lifelong dream. (I'd also like to get California license plates for the car).

So we probably didn't think we'd be where we are now after 365 days, but to be honest, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

DARN!

I haven't written in over 2 weeks. That definitely was not my plan. I've got to get myself more disciplined so that I don't go that long without writing. I've been tired, which is no excuse. I said I'd write every day, even if it's just a sentence. Even if I'm tired I should be able to spit out a sentence. They say you have to do something consistently for 60 days for it to become a habit, so starting now, that's my goal. 60 days in a row. Word. Sentence. Essay. Novella. Whatever. It will be done.

I'm also going to go back to exercising or stretching in the morning and taking walks. I need to lose some of this weight. I'm sure if I do that I won't be as tired. It's not like I have an excuse of bad weather here in California. Also planning on eating better. Smaller portions. More fruits and vegetables. Less take-out.

It seems overwhelming, but it's really not. Just a small thing and I CAN DO IT!  Enough with feeling let down and disappointed in myself.

Stay tuned!