Another long week!

This week had all sorts of things going on. I did get an additional part-time-ish job with a party staffing company - which is fun, easy work and a good way to make ends meet. I worked my first job for them on Saturday evening, so that's a plus.
Another great plus to the week was a trip to a monastery for my birthday. I know, this is quite a strange way for a twenty-something to spend a birthday...but it's just what I needed this year. The monastery is about an hour and a half away, out towards the Palmdale desert. I arrived there Wednesday afternoon and stayed to Thursday afternoon. I was able to: be quiet, reflect, pray, enjoy nature, listen to God. It was really terriffic. I realized how much has gone on this past year! At this time last year I was in 'transition' preparing for an imminent move to Thailand...and now I'm in LA! I was also reading a really cool chapter in the Bible, Isaiah 55...which is just too good to pick a verse or two from, not wanting to post the entire chapter...it can be read at following link: Isaiah 55.
That all was a great way to spend my birthday, but what follows, was not! Driving home, through the desert, at 2pm, a deer ran into my (Kim's) car! The silly thing jolted out directly in front of me! Luckily, I'm not in the slightest way hurt. Stunned, I sat there for a minute and looked back at the deer, who was looking at me. I felt awful for hitting such an animal, but knew there was nothing I could do. Then I figured I should probably stop and check my car and as I pulled over heard a funny little noise. There was a dent at the right bumper/hood but not too awful. Opening the hood there's a little smoke and I see the green radiator fluid, and realized that all the fluid was gone. So...to make a long story short...a friend arranged things with AAA and also came and picked me up...and after 3 hours of waiting I was back on my way home. I wasn't really upset about the whole thing until the estimate came from the shop the next day!
That sent me into frustration of the job situation and everything. But I'm absolutely positive that this is where I'm supposed to be, and I wasn't expecting it to always be all rosey...so I'm trying to plug along...and seeking to "not just live, but live abundantly."
On another up-side, I'm really beginning to think I have a chance at getting in some of these PA schools. Which, to be honest, I didn't think I had a chance to begin with. I've got some more work to do on odd applications this week and I'm taking the GRE this Thursday!
Today was a marvelous day. I attended a Catholic church this morning with my friend, Kathy. The priest is this really neat guy, originally from Ireland. After mass we ate at this marvelous Greek food place - which who'd think there'd be one in a prominantly latino part of town...you just never know. And also we went to the Farmer's Market where they were also having a halloween celebration and there was lots of cute kids dressed up, and dogs too :)

a long week!

This past week has been full of all sorts of stuff! I spent last weekend with my neices, Alyssa and Madison, which was fabulous. I finally got a couch. I got my PA application in. And had a little housewarming party. Among other stuff of course. I've been looking for some alternate, temporary work too...all that said, this post is a bit long!

It was quite a long drive (2 hours) to pick up Alyssa and Madison, but worth it of course. Madison just loved the lights of the big city as we drove in Saturday evening. After we got home from dinner, Kim had set up a 'tea party' which the girls were delighted with. So on we played into the night. On Sunday the girls wanted to go shopping. They were very excited about the 'Little Tokyo Mall' we had driven past on our way into town. But I think they were a bit disappointed with it...it's really not much of a mall, just a two-story complex of asian shops, and they're not very exciting shops. We also rode ponies in the park, which was very fun! On the way home, Alyssa (prompted by a phone call with Grandma) asked me why I had decided to live in the neighborhood I do. I tried to describe to them what 'resources' mean and that the people in my neighborhood don't have much of them. I think they gained some understanding, but their attention span wore out before we could get too far into the explanation :)

On Tuesday we got our couch. Our friend Brian, who has a truck, took me to get one...from a thrift store, even though Mom is repelled by the thought of all the 'bugs' that must be inhabitants of it. We found a quite nice one, and it matches our other decor nicely. It was amazing how homey our place felt as soon as the couch was added. I also got this fabulous little 50s-looking cabinet. Just what I needed to put my art supplies in! (picture = couch + haircut)

And lastly...I finally got my PA application finished! Yippee! It was quite a lot of work. There was a ton of information to enter and explain, every college course, all previous work, community, and health-related experience, etc, etc. The biggest things to finish at the end were deciding who would do each of the 3 recommendations and writing the narrative on "What is my motivation to becoming a PA?" They only allowed about 1/2-3/4 of a page, so I had to be very to the point. But I think I finally nailed it, Kim, Mom, and Aunt Pam were my fabulous editors. In it I basically explained why and how I'm motivated by serving the poor. So now I just have to wait for my transcripts and recommendations to come in. And start studying for the GRE, I take it Nov.2nd. I decided to apply to 5 different schools. 3 are in the area. The other 2 I decided to add last minute, just to keep my opportunities open and to save time and money. They're both the same school, but one is in Las Vegas, and the other in Vallejo, CA and that one's a cool joint Masters of PA and Public Health. My first choice is to stay here in LA, but if it comes down to it, I'd like the option of deciding.

I still don't like my ambulance job, but Friday evening at work was interesting. We had to do a standby for two professional basketball games. First the Clippers played the Warriors, the the Lakers played the Hornets. I've never been to a professional basketball game, and was amazed at how huge the players are! They made the court look tiny (although it doesn't look so tiny on tv?) We had to stand at the tunnel opening where all of the players come out of, so I was standing in the midst of all these humongous and kinda famous people, and even though Coby Brynt wasn't playing, he showed up too and I was standing right next to him! LA is an interesting place!

Last night we had people over for a housewarming party. It was fun and good to see different faces together in the same room. I tried making horchata from scratch, which is a Mexican drink made from rice and cinnamon. It turned out okay, but I think I'm supposed to use plain rice and I used jasime, so it was a little funky. I also made baked plantains (in the banana family) which are traditionally served with black beans, fresh cheese, and sour cream. They were very tasty...in fact I'm off to eat a left-over for lunch and to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

Next week I have a number of appointments and will really be working hard on trying to get another (or second) job.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - haircut@loma beauty salon

answer: i did get my hair cut! A good 4 inches or so and it looks much better...it had been over a year since my last one (i know that's kinda gross!) My neighbor Carmella and her daughter Cynthia accompanied me, as I was going to a neighborhood salon for a "corte de pelo" (haircut). And a good thing, because Ana who cut my hair didn't speak ingles. As I was sitting there with the drape around my shoulders and all of my hair wet, I felt oddly helpless and like a little kid. Carmella and Ana were speaking together in espanol while all I could do was sit there. I was reminded of older immigrants trying to function in cultures where they don't speak the language...particularly healthcare settings where a younger individual has to translate for them. They're put into such a position of suplication within a culture that's foreign to them. Not that my experience today was that extreme...but it was just a little taste of how it may feel. Interesting.


*no reply from my professors yet!
*tread group came to my neighborhood this tonight, it was really cool to have them around mi casa.
*i bought a pair of jeans today. should't have spent the $ but i think these actually fit, and besides mom gave me $ long ago to replace the old ones i've been wearing for a good 7+ years!

up up and away!

So I just emailed two of my college professors with a proposition that they write me recommendations for my PA school applications. Scary! I also sent away all my paper work to my 5, count it 5 oh my goodness, colleges for them to send in official transcripts. Tomorrow I must write the essay, it's subject: Describe your motivation towards becoming a PA. Where do I start?!
On another note, I was driving behind a brand new BMW with "Repent Now, Jesus is Coming Back!" in big letters on it's back window. Why would anyone do that? I thought of rolling down my window and letting them know that if they believe Jesus is coming back so soon, maybe they should sell their BMW and give the extra money away to others who need it for life sustaining measures rather than luxury cars. I realize I'm sounding very condemning at the moment, and who knows, maybe that person does fabulous things and gives away alot of money - they could. But come on now, don't roll down the street in a shiny new $60,000 car and concurrently offer to other people that they might want to repent...rah!

Such full days! I was just getting ready to go to sleep and wanted to talk here. Besides any feelings of homesickness or whatnot since moving to LA, it's just been so overwhelmingly obvious that this is where I'm supposed to be. And as I get ready to go to sleep, I'm happy with that thought.
I recently read this book called "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. In it this sheperd boy ends up going to different countries and having all these crazy experiences all because he was searching after this dream he had. I knew when I read it that the timing was serendipitous...because in a sense I feel a little like that sheperd boy. As scary as it was for him to step out, he did it and was glad for it. Not everything is perfect or easy - but I know this is where I'm meant to be...and there I am happy.
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On the news front:
*I possibly got an 'in' at the hospital by my house today! Pray that it may turn into a job!
*I get to see my neices this weekend! Yay! I'm very happy about being fairly close to them.
*my goal for the week: to get all my PA applications completed
*Biggest questions of the moment: 1.)Do I even have a chance at getting into a PA program this time around? 2.)How to raise money for NightLight in Bangkok? They're having to turn away women who want to get out of prostitution but need an alternative source of income. 3.)...much less serious, Will I get my haircut on Thursday? I hope so.