still in love with craigslist

so the used fridge that my old roomie, vk, and i had bought has been a pain up the wazoo. twice i almost had a sale and both times it fell through. the latter was just last night, two days before i have to move!

starting to get worried now. i just need to get it moved out and i don't want to put up the money to rent a truck and beg my friends to help me move it.

next i call the store that i buy it from. will they buy it back? no, they are overstocked. in fact they won't take it back for free!

now i'm getting desperate.

i talk to my landlady and she was unwilling to buy it from me or let me sell it to the next tenants. . in fact, she wanted to charge me $100 for movers to move it.

alright, i'm throwing in the towel. i need to move the damn fridge before tomorrow and decide to post it on craigslist for free.

within ten minutes, i've gotten five calls from people willing to pick it up today! ahhhh. relief.

i am in love with inventor of craigslist

so yesterday i had a mild panic attack about the difficult task of selling/dontaing/getting rid of all my furniture. after an initial rush of purchases made through the econ dept, there were no bites. this was not good considering i have two days to move out of my apartment and a few days before i leave the west coast!

yesterday i decided to post a few of the larger items on craigslist. . within minutes i started getting calls!

this morning i was able to sell my sofa, my dining room table, two rocking/recliner chairs, a large black bookshelf, and a couple of small picture frames!!!

there were two sets of customers. the first was a couple, both undergraduate students. one at ucla one at usc. they managed to carry the massive, leather sofa out of the apartment. i was very impressed.

the second customer was a nicer, older guy. i was worried at first because he was wavering about the dining room table. in the end, he decided to go for it plus the whole slew of other items. turns out that the woman he was dating was goin to visit his apartment tonight for the first time. . although he had been in the process of re-doing his apartment for awhile, i guess he needed that stimulus to prompt him into action. it was actually cute that he was going through all that trouble to impress a girl. . .

well, just finished posting the rest of my furniture. . .keep your fingers crossed for me!!

one foot in LA

internet access has been sporadic the past couple days. . . good news is that the roomie and i decided on the williamsburg apartment. it's good to have a home:) it's still not an ideal situation but i think the best we can do under the circumstances.

i'm back in LA now, wrapping things up with school paperwork, moving, cleaning, running errands etc. i'll probably be moved outta here within a week or so. .

this weekend was nice. hit up hollywood with a couple of friends and got to get a little dancing in. (always fun) my friend's friends started a party bus/limo business. . great idea, the one drawback to going out in LA is public transportation is poor so whenever you go out in a big group you have to worry about having a designated driver. . a serious pain, plus a lot of clubs and bars are not walkable distances from one another, seriously limiting your options when you're in the mood to party. so their service allows you to bar/club hop without having to worry about driving yourself, you can bring all your friends, and party away! fabulous!

next weekend will be the going away party. one of my friends from san diego will be in town for the weekend so it'll be lots of fun.

Day Six (out of steam)

Basically today was a dud. The roommate and I looked at zero apartments. Not completely because of our lack of effort. We contacted a few real estate agencies but didn’t’ have any leads. On top of that, the broker for the Williamsburg RR apartment that we actually have first dibs on, called to ask what our decision was. There was another party that was interested in renting the apartment and had submitted an application.

Actually, There are two apartments open for rent in the building: one on the 2nd floor and one on the 4th. After mulling things over, we decided if the application was on the 2nd floor apartment we would take it and if it was an application for the 4th floor we would take more time. Turns out that the other applicant was flexible so we have more time.

The problem is that we are just t-i-r-e-d of looking! So we ended up just talking about the reality of signing the lease on the RR and living in that situation. I think we just feel defeated and are ready to give in. But then I realized that we each will have to put in over 2G for the 1st month’s rent, last month’s rent, and broker’s fee. . . (gulp), seriously wiping out all of my savings . . . really depressing. . I need to find a real job.

Day Five (slow day)

I think N and I are definitely slowing down in our apartment hunting, having exhausted most of our resources and our morale! We focused our efforts in Williamsburg (near Bedford, Lorimar, and Greenpoint) today.

We met up around 9 a.m. with ambitious plans: (1) meet with “no fees” company that acts as a middleman between apartment owners and potential tenants, (2) meet with Chinatown real estate agency, (3) meet with Williamsburg real estate agencies.

The “no fees” company had no listings that were in our price range or interesting for us. We decided that the novelty of living in Chinatown would eventually die down and then we’d be stuck in a dirty area of town in a tiny apartment with no closets.

So we headed to Williamsburg and found that none of the agencies opened before 10:30 a.m. Instead, we went to a bagel shop and got breakfast. I had an amazing everything bagel sandwich with eggwhites, cheese, and ham all for $3.00! It was large enough that I was able to save half and eat the rest for lunch! Hmmm . . . New York bagels are really significantly better than those in the West Coast!!

After killing time, we went to various real estate agents and over the course of the day looked at three apartments.

Apt 1. Essentially the same layout, in the same building, as the RR-style apartment on N5th near Bedford. Great location. Beautiful, dark hardwood floors and quite spacious.

Apt 2. On Bedford. Larger than Apt 1 but much more open and more difficult to divide into a share. Moreover, the apartment wasn’t as well maintained.

Apt 3. Greenpoint. Beautiful large apartment. Perhaps the largest apartment we’ve seen in New York. Large kitchen, and three rooms that could be used for bedrooms/living room as desired. The ceilings were high and it had been recently renovated. The only downside was that it is a fifteen minute walk to the L-train which would be a pain late at night and during inclimate weather.

Basically, I’ve decided that I have a stronger preference for living in a hip area of town vs. living in an awesome apartment that is farther from the hotspots. At the end of the day, I’m moving to New York so I can experience city life not to have a great apartment.

By 5pm, N and I were beat. So we rewarded ourselves with yummy frozen margaritas and the best chips and salsa I’ve had in awhile (Vera Cruz). Later we met up with J for dinner at the Sea. A great Thai restaurant, quite affordable by any standards, and which is beautifully designed. After dinner, we had a drink at Laila’s that was just a hop skip and jump away from the Sea. . . and on my way back on the L to the 6 Express uptown, I realized how nice it was to be able to be in walking distance to all of that and be a fifteen minute train ride back to Union Square. . . so tomorrow is another day, and hopefully the last day of searching!

Day Four (Williamsburg no More)

So today was a disappointing and thoroughly exhausting day. We looked at six apartments and found out that we did not get our first choice Williamsburg apartment.

Apt 1. Lower east side. Great location. A “flex-2 bedroom” which turned out to be essentially a one bedroom with a storage space that isn’t big enough to even sit up straight while sitting on the “ground”.

Apt 2. Chinatown. The positives: proximity to Chinatown restaurants and shops, it has a small patio, and it had decently sized rooms for lower Manhattan. The negatives: a stone’s throw away from the train tracks, it is a basement level apartment, there are no closets, and probably no viable way of setting up an AC unit.

Apt 3. Chinatown. This apartment is actually adjacent to Apt 2 but much larger and had closets. The main downside- it had already been rented!

Apt 4. Park Slope. Perfect apartment: newly renovated, high ceilings, beautiful hard-wood floors, very large living room, medium sized bedrooms with closets, and a large kitchen. Most likely the largest apartment we’ve seen. Unfortunately, neither N nor I are pumped about living in Park Slope. Moreover, the apartment is about a fifteen minute walk from the busiest parts of town.

Apt 5. Park Slope. This apartment is smaller and not as nice as Apt 4.

Apt 6. Supposed to be in Park Slope but is actually in Prospect Heights. Very large but not in a great neighborhood.

I guess long story short. N and I were seriously deflated hearing that we didn’t get our first choice None of today’s apartments gave us the right vibe. And we feel that after four days of serious apartment searching, we’re back at square one . . . well, at least there are four more days of searching before I have to head back to LA. And there is always hope that a new day will bring better things.

Day Three (feels like thirty three)

Apartment hunting in the NYC is seriously a full time job. And after three days, I’m already getting exhausted. We saw six apartments today but are still homeless (well, technically I’m not but N is).

Apt 1. Boonies of Greenpoint. Apartment itself was nice but it is far far far from fun spots of town and a trek to the subway station. Very spacious and the neighbors/realtors seem quite friendly.

Apt 2. N and I both got the “this is it” feeling. It is a two bedroom share (supposedly railroad but the rooms are on opposite ends of the apartment) with a nice kitchen but tiny living room. But it is sunny, there is a shared garden out back, and it is a perfect location in Williamsburg.

Apt 3. Larger and only a few steps away from Apt 2. Would be great for a couple but is a railroad that was converted to a 2 bedroom. The bedrooms are separated by French doors which is not ideal in terms of privacy. There is a nice sized common area though and a larger kitchenette. There is also a private entrance for the back bedroom.

Apt 4/5. We actually never got to see the insides of these apartments because the broker brought the wrong sets of keys. They are both in Chinatown. The first quite close to the train so the problem will definitely be noise. However, it is in the basement so possibly it is not so bad. Looking into the windows, the apartment seemed quite spacious and there is supposedly a garden. The second apartment was a little farther away from the train tracks and closer to the center of town.

Apt 6. In the lower east side so location is great. In our price range but teeny tiny. The larger bedroom is decently sized but the smaller bedroom is tight and there is essentially no living/dining area.

I guess the decision that N and I still have to make is whether we’d prefer the cool parts of Brooklyn or the LES/C-town. The former definitely has appeal as far as a great artsy vibe, more open space, cleanliness, and seeming quality of life. The latter is more urban and has a grittier feel, which is also cool, and it is within walking distance of a very happening scene. Right now it’s a toss-up.

The upside is we had a possible lead in Williamsburg (cross your fingers and knock on wood) and should hear back from the agent soon. The idea of living in or near Chinatown is also appealing. It would be a neat cultural experience and the location is great to the cool spots in the lower east side and east/west village. Also, dining options are spectacular, affordable and I’d be close to cheap grocery stores.

Tomorrow will bring another day of searching. And another day of praying to the gods of Craigslist.

day two of apartment hunting: exploring williamsburg

Only looked at two apartments today. Both in Williamsburg. I really like the nabe. It definitely has a trendier vibe with lots of artists and young people. Would really like to live here too but apartment prices are really overpriced.

Apt 1. WAY overpriced. Not well maintained and a sketchy situation. The guy was trying to get out of a lease and was probably also trying to make a profit off of us.

Apt 2. Promising but wasn’t sold. Decent location. 15 minute walk to the hipster areas of Williamsburg. Newly renovated, nice kitchen and bathroom. The bedrooms were decently sized with okay sized closets. Teeny tiny living room though.
Had dinner with future roommate, his friend, and former roommate at Teddy’s. Had some delicious nachos and deep-fried portabella mushrooms. Walked around the nabe and had some frozen yogurt after that. . .now to rest up and start another day (hopefully with better luck) of apartment hunting.

first day of apartment hunting

Started the first day, of what I forsee as a long week of apartment hunting today.

We looked at four apartments in Brooklyn today with no luck.

Apt 1. Not a great location. Not great for a share. Poor use of space.

Apt 2. Not a great location- too commercial.

Apt 3. Nice feel. Very nice, dark red wood floors. New paint. Nice skylight. TOO SMALL!!

Apt 4. Not a great location. Poor design and use of space.

The good news is that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like Brooklyn, especially Park Slope, Carroll Garden, Brooklyn Heights, etc. There’s a lively atmosphere with cute restaurants, shops, and bars. There is a nice park nearby. Overall, it seemed clean, safe, and fun. Moreover, there are amazing tree lined streets with gorgeous brownstones . . .I would be a very happy woman if I could find a decently priced apartment there.

The evening was fun. Met up with an old friend and her boyfriend for tapas. After the boyfriend went home, it was a relaxing girls’ night. Enjoyed some drinks and talked about love, life, relationships, etc. Girlfriends are wonderful.

disappointing delta song

Spent most of the day in an airport or on a plane. I flew Delta Song for the first time in my life. . overall, I was not impressed. Although I appreciated being able to check 3 bags and free headset, I felt that the airline was trying too hard to be “cool” and not hard enough at being efficient. They also took away my blanket before we even landed! The regular Delta flights are much better organized, serviced, and managed.

My original flight was cancelled due to bad weather in New York, which I found hard to believe. Next, I was transferred to the next flight to New York. At first that flight was delayed by a half hour, then an hour, then two hours, then a half hour again!!!

In any case, I arrived at my friend’s apartment around 9 p.m.. After lugging 4 suitcases (3 large and one carry on) up four flights of stairs, we walked to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant for a late dinner. My dish, lemongrass flavored beef skewers with rice rolls, was pretty good.

It was a nice evening. We stayed up until 2 a.m. just chatting.

busy week

it's funny, one of my friends told me for someone that doesn't have a "job" i sure do keep busy.

on top of tutoring, i've been doing some editing work for one of my grad school friends. meanwhile, i'm also in the process of packing up, selling my stuff, and finding a new apartment. i'll be back east from the 16th-25th looking for a new pad and don't know how internet access and time will be. . so if you don't here from me for a week or so, don't panic.

and for my LA friends, don't despair. i'll be back to hang out and finish moving for a couple of weeks and will find myself back in sunny so-cal at the end of oct, mid-nov, and next june.

locked out

i slept well. very well. 9 hours. that's is abnormal for me but i'll take it on the rare occasion that i do.

groggily (before my morning cup o joe), i made my way over to the kitchen and scanned the mess that i had left last night. i spent the evening organizing my recipes, looking through magazines, and doing some research. so gathered up the trash and decided to take the trash out. i grabbed my keys and trash bag and headed out the door. made my way out to the garbage cans out back of the apartment.

walked back up to my apartment and had a sinking sensation. i had forgotten to put the housekey back on my keychain!!! ARGG. i debated what to do. jiggled the handle for a few seconds. then decided to knock on a few of the neighbors' doors. no one answered.

then i realized that although i didn't have my cell phone and couldn't call my landlady (i have very few numbers memorized), i did have my car keys. i drove over to my friend's apartment and used her phone to call my former roommate. luckily she still had my landlady's phonenumber.

long story short. i called my landlady, stopped by her home, borrowed her set of keys, and got back into my apartment.

lesson to self: memorize landlady's number and never ever leave keys inside!

bummer

i had to cut my run short today because i was late for my meeting with the girl i am tutoring for. so after i finished tutoring, i decided to go for a walk, get some sun, and get a little more exercise.

because my clothes had no pockets and i didn't want to bring a bag, i grabbed my housekeys, ipod, and on a whim, stashed a $20 in my shoe. there's some cute japanese shops and grocery stores in walking distance to my apartment.

and off i went for a brisk 45 minute walk. weaving up and down the streets to the rhythm of the beatles. halfway through, i realized that i could no longer feel the bill in my shoe. i felt around for it for a bit.

seriously bummed.

20 bucks would have bought me the makings of a nice dinner or some cute new gadgets from the tokyo outlet store. . .eventually, i decided to let it go. and hey, i probably made someone else's day, right? no longer in a spending mood, i dug out some frozen fish and veggies and had a less than great meal at home. (sigh)

echo park and silver lake

just got back from e's. we met up this evening and decided to walk around echo park. it's got a beautiful park with a lake in the middle. the major attraction of the town. . what was even better was one street (douglas?) lined with rennovated victorian homes. finding it took some work. first we parked and attemped to walk it. after walking up and down some steep hills and circling around the same streets, we decided to get back in the car and find it by driving.

it was well worth the effort. some of the color schemes made me raise an eyebrow (shades of purple on one, dark forest green on another, etc) nonetheless, very beautiful and very east coast. made me forget that i was in LA.

after that, we drove over to silverlake. silverlake is a lot of fun. quite hip, bustling even on a sunday night with interesting shops and restaurants. we stopped at the "kitchen" for dinner. a smallish restaurant with only ten or twelve tables but pretty packed. we had a bottle of red wine left over from the hollywood bowl ($3 corkage fee!), shared a spinach salad with goat cheese, grapes, and walnuts tossed in a citrusy vinagrette. for an entree, i had the tri-tip beef stewed with onions over garlicky sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes. e had a soy-sesame marinated flank steak with wasabi mash and stirfried veggies. both were excellent. mine was tender and very flavorful. and the marinade on e's entree was suprisingly good. i've had similar dressings on seafood, but with steak it has a much more unique flavour. all in all, a delicious dinner without breaking the bank.

last of the summer days

growing up on the east coast semester system, labor day is a mark of a new school year. . perhaps because i have never really been out of school, i still think of september as the start of a new year and may as the end. . . but i'm still in LA and have grown accustomed to the quarter system where classes start the last week of september. . so i'm making the most of my time in california and remaining summer days.

right now, i'm waiting for e to come pick me up to go to the hollywood bowl. . i think it's amazing that i've lived in LA for 3 years and have never been! tonight is a "night with copa with pink martini and bebel gilberto"!!! we're bringing a couple of bottles of wine and stopping for some take-out from thai town. should be a great, relaxing night!!

http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tix/performance_detail.cfm?id=2225

tomorrow i'll be running errands but have an apartment warming party to look forward to. and sunday i plan to drive down south a bit and go bask in the sun. if it's warm enough. . .if not, there is also the LA county fair which could be interesting.

if there's time, i'll stop by the farmer's market and get some fresh produce to make dinner for my lovely friend a. she's had a rough summer with comps, etc. but come monday, she'll be a free woman again and we can party like it's 1999.

virtual window shopping

i love the internet. . you can browse, find reviews, buy anything you want (with expedited shipping for those birthdays, anniversary's, etc too).

i've spent the better part of the evening looking at digital cameras online. . .the canon sd20 and sony cybershot dscp200 have caught my eye. . hmmm. . .

anyways, here's some great sources for reviews on various high tech gadgets recommended by my crazy CT friend.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

http://www.cnet.com/

selling it all

in the spirit of moving to new yawk and starting a new life, i decided the best thing for me to do is to sell, give away, or donate all my old stuff (except clothes and things with sentimental value) and buy new (used) stuff once i get there. today, i made a list of all my possessions:

car
ikea coffee table (standard issue)
(pimpin) black leather sofa
bed with no box spring or real mattress
blue lounge chair
two rocking woven recliners
dining room table with 4 chairs
t.v.
v.c.r.
dvd player
t.v. stand
two desk lamps
one halogen lamp
one metallic lamp
two cd racks
ironing board/iron
cookware, dishes, etc
shoe rack
3 bookshelves
2 barstools (expertly assembled by former best roommate ever)
various framed prints, wall-hangings
lanterns
clock/radio
dresser
desk chair

hmmm. . . kinda weird that at 25, that's all i've accumulated. . .but then again, the most valuable things are the photos, the cool decorations i've bought traveling to other countries, and the experiences and friendships i've made. i guess i'm feeling a little nostalgic.

taking the plunge

the past week or so in so-cal have been wonderful. i've been enjoying the nice weather, one-on-one time with my friends, great food, etc. . . and while the idea of living in venice beach was really appealing, the idea of hanging around, feeling stuck in limbo, and putting my life on hold, so to speak, is not.

knowing that my goal is eventually to pursue a career and new life in new york, waiting until the spring or summer or fall of next year, somehow seems silly. furthermore, one of my good friends is actually in need of a roommate right now, so it seems like a good opportunity to take the plunge and move cross-country once again. it's 99% decided in my mind, and now i just have to start thinking about the logistics of moving (i HATE moving).

i am both sad that my days on the west coast are drawing to a close and excited about a new start on the east coast is on the horizon. i will miss my west coast friends dearly, and hope they make there way back to the east too. but in the meantime, there is much to do, the hollywood bowl, korean bbq, chinese theatre, mexico, etc.

labor day

last night was a blast.

we went to asanebo in studio city. it was my first time having omasake at the sushi bar. the chef was superb! the sushi was AMAZING, melt in your mouth fresh, and the subtle touches made all the difference in the world (e.g. lime zest on toro). it was a seemingly endless feast of spanish makeral from japan, toro, yellowtail, blue fin tuna, squid, kanpachi, etc.

the chef was also friendly, not snobby at all, and carefully instructed us how to eat each piece of sushi. no soy sauce. soy sauce. all in one bite to savour the mixture of flavours and textures.

omasake is definately the way to go when you have some cash to spend. it was such an enjoyable experience to be able to eat slowly and interact with the sushi chef.

ahhh. . seriously the best sushi i've had in LA, perhaps ever, actually.

after dinner, we drove to the rumba room in studio city. salsa classes started around 8:15 p.m. and the band started playing at 9 p.m. i switched partners some during the lessons, but mostly danced with my friend. after the lessons, some random guy asked me to dance.

and he was g-o-o-d. too good. while i had a good grasp of the basics, i felt like i could barely keep up with him. it was non- stop spinning, swirling, and fancy moves. but it was oh so much fun. after a few dances, i was beat. we watched some of the expert dancers for awhile. . the nice thing about the rumba room was that there was a wide range of ages and skill level so everyone felt at home.

now i have to finish preparing for my tutoring session. maybe i can squeeze in a run before the bbq tonight.

slow morning

so, i made all these plans for the morning, but it's already past noon and i still haven't really gotten going. i'll eventually (hopefully) feel motivated and start preparing for my tutoring session. tonight i'm going to studio city for sushi and to take some free salsa classes. i'm really excited, it's been on my to-do list f-o-r-e-v-e-r, and i love to dance!

yesterday was fun. my friend and i drove to newport beach and walked along the boardwalk. then we had dinner at the university center in irvine. i'll be going to her wedding at the end of next month. it's a huge wedding, over 500 people invited with 400 expected to attend. most of the guests are the groom's family and family's friends. i am debating on whether or not i should bring a friend. one on hand, it's a good opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. . on the other hand, everyone probably knows each other and then i may be left alone. . hmmm. . i guess i have a month to decide how brave i want to be.

coffee junkee

last night was a restless sleep. i know entirely motivated by the excessive amounts of caffeine. . officially, i went to bed around 3 a.m., mostly scanning various apartment listings on the web. even so, it was a shallow sleep.

Yesterday, after dinner and getting back to the apartment, i had set up the coffee machine. .right before my head hit the pillow, i considered changing the timer, but (1) i thought i could sleep through it and (2) i was being plain lazy.

so this morning, after a scant four hours of sleep. my beautiful coffee machine began to drip drip drip. and then the aroma of brewed coffee wafted towards me. . and like a coke addict, i couldn’t refuse it’s siren call to me.

thus, i am sitting in front of my computer at 7:30, with a big mug of coffee almost ready to start my day. will be ready after i finish the cup of joe. today should be fun, after the post office and some cleaning, i’m headed down to the OC to meet up with a friend. we’ll hang out on the beach or maybe go kayaking or for a hike. i’m excited to see her, she’s getting married in a month. . so there’s a lot to catch up with.

tutoring gig

my friend’s apartment doesn’t have a coffee machine so the past few days i’ve been feeling off kilter. probably driven by caffeine withdrawal, I made the mistake of having coffee at 2 p.m. and an espresso macchiato at 5 p.m. . consequently, it’s 1 a.m. on saturday morning and i’m totally wired!

earlier on this week, i got an email from an undergrad looking for a tutor. the girl got a low score on her mid-term and needs help to pass the final. the exam is in a week and a half and the girl sounded like she needed a lot of help. . at $30/hr, i couldn’t pass it up.

we decided to meet in the afternoon to go over her “problem areas”. . . after talking for a few minutes, it became evident that the main problem was that she hadn’t really been studying and putting in enough effort (her words, not mine). the girl was a 3rd year student, doubling in econ and political science and was unconcerned about her GPA. it’s always shocking to me to meet students that are so ambivalent about learning and about their education.

in any case, i think i’ll definitely have my work cut out for me.

afterwards, i went to the promenade with a friend to pick out a birthday gift. walking along the oceanside and across the pier just reminded me how nice it is to live in los angeles. it will be hard to leave this place. i’ve come to really enjoy and appreciate many aspects of living in California. a friend from college was asking me where i was considering re-locating to. she suggested chicago. there are a handful of cities that i would seriously consider living in, los angeles, new york, seattle, san francisco, and d.c. but the idea of moving to starting over completely, both in terms of career and friends, is too daunting.

after our walk, we went to get dinner at the counter. a laid back restaurant on ocean park. they make burgers to order. i had 1/3 lb of ground meat, grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, roasted chilis, and baby greens with roasted garlic aioli! with a side of onion fries and washed down with stella beer, it totally hit the spot.

relaxing night out

went to a hole in the wall restaurant last night called tlapazola with two good friends- e and c. first thing we notice is that our party is probably about 15-20 years younger than the rest of the clientele. nevertheless, the food was quite good. advertised as a fusion restaurant adding california twists to traditional mexican cuisine, the chefs do not do anything too daring. we shared a masa pancake appetizer with shrimp, essentially pancake stacked with greens in a light sauce and broiled shrimp. i ordered the chicken chile relleno (i’ve spent the past 3 years looking for chile relleno as good as the one i had in new mexico) and my friend ordered the lobster and cheese enchilada (excellent), and Alaskan halibut in two sauces- a mole sauce and caper sauce (also quite good). then we topped it off with caramel flan.

over margaritas, i tried keeping the conversation light or at least off of me. . honestly, i am starting to get tired of explaining what happened with the ex.

so instead we talked about the economics department, about my friend’s 5/6 year long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, etc. after dinner, e and i dropped c off, she had to get up early. then we went to downtown culver city to a cozy hotel bar and spent two hours nursing cocktails and talking about relationships, about falling in and out of love, and taking risks.

an interesting question regarding personal philosophies regarding love arose. is it better to play it safe and stay in a relationship for the sake of commitment and compatibility or should one take risks and hold out for that love of your life? each path has its rewards and drawbacks. probably to some degree, the path one chooses is determined by how risk-averse he or she is. i’d like to think that the latter is possible for everyone, but it requires patience, enduring more pain along the way, and probably luck doesn’t hurt.

i think the reality involves some combination of the two. i think there is some one out there that i will believe to be the most amazing man in the world, with which there is chemistry along with compatibility. but to make the relationship be truly successful, I think you need all three: chemistry, compatibility, and commitment. . ha ha, I guess the three c’s.