1. Today I got 2 calls about job opportunities in DC/VA. My resume is probably sitting in half the head hunters' databases in Nova. Only cause I did a crazy job search a while back. As I am no longer in the area, I had to refer some other people that I knew. I did think for a millisecond about interviewing and possibly moving back. But only a millisecond. I can't give up on LA just yet. So then I got curious and did a search for EVMS (my job) on monster. One for LA and one for DC. For LA I got one result. ONE! For DC there were pages and pages. WHAT have I done to my career? Unless I stay at my company for a long long time, or switch industries, a successful career in LA seems gloomy.
2. It's very different meeting new people here in LA and there in Nova.
~In Nova when you meet a new person, they probably have the exact same bkgrnd as you, is friends with people you grew up with, has dated at least 5 people you know, is in the same industry as you are (gov), hang out in the same places you do, you have probably already heard gossip about them, and you just feel like you already know them even if you have never met them before in your life. You do not have to converse any longer. You are now friends.
~In LA. Well being NEW to LA, when I meet someone new, they are 100% strangers. They don't know anyone I know, because I don't know anyone. No one in LA is in the same industry. And I have no clue what they do if they tell me their job title. They tell me where they live or grew up, and I have never heard of that city before. They like to hang out in places I have never been before. And there is just no one to vouch for them not being a psycho killer or not.
~So my final thought on this is that the reason it's hard to make friends in LA is because EVERYONE is 100% stranger. And it really takes 100% effort to get to know that person. So to make a friend in a new place, you have to get their number and then constantly harrass them to hang out. And while hanging out, ask endless questions and have awkward silences. Then finally, you can be friends. What a headache. This is why I have .5 new friends in LA. The .5 stands for all the people I have met so far and have never seen again.
3. Another thought on meeting new people: People on the East Coast always ask "WHERE DO YOU WORK." People on the west coast ask "WHAT DO YOU DO." I might have already mentioned this in an earlier post. But this is an interesting thought and run into it constantly.
4. Cool thing about LA is that you never go to the same place twice. There's too many cool places to check out.
5. I have blogged about west coast vs east coast stereotypes before. Growing up on the east coast, I have always had an unattractive image about CA and the people of CA. Yesterday I met someone who is from CA, but lived in NY for a few years and hated it. He went on to tell me all about the flaws of people living on the East Coast. It's funny because as he was describing what he didn't like about East Coasters, I realized he was describing me. OHHHH - I had no idea those were bad things. It is all subjective because everything I do not like about West Coasters, he said was normal and fine. So - I'll take my East Coast flaws and even flaunt it. But I will try to be more open minded and nicer when meeting new people now since they probably think I'm snobby.
6. Last rambling..TODAY IS MY FRIDAY! NICE!
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Another random difference -- people on the west coast use the article "the" when referring to freeways ("Take THE 5 to THE 405...") but people on the east coast do not ("Take 5 to 405...") My buddy Dana, who grew up in OC but went to school at UPenn and lived for several years on the east coast (Philly, NYC, and DC) is the one who told me that one!
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