All posts by Wander Lost Blog

Wander Lost Blog is about the journey of A., a hapless 30something who has lived in Chicago, San Diego, LA, and currently resides in NYC.
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The Rebound.

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Just like rebounding from a bad relationship, you need to rebound from a job loss by going on a new interview and getting your first look as to what’s out there. A few weeks ago, I had my first phone interview post-layoff and just like you don’t know how to act on a first date after years in a relationship, I pretty much committed every faux pas on that phone interview.

I got emotional when the recruiter asked why I was no longer at my previous employer. I drew blanks to questions I should have known the answer to. Basically, it was a disaster.

But you know what – I felt so much better afterwards. It’s like ripping off the band-aid of an old wound. Every phone and in-person interview since has gone substantially better.

So, just like re-joining the dating world, I am taking the first steps into the terrible wonderful world of job hunting.

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Mr. Please Let Me Eat My Meal in Silence.

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On Friday evening, I was sitting in 405 traffic following a community service event and was starving. I took it upon myself to Yelp Happy Hour Sushi places in the area. I drove to the place in El Segundo, sat myself at the sushi bar, and ordered a Happy Hour beer and sashimi platter.

The nerdy guy to my left asked to change seats with me so he could plug in his laptop and I said of course, no problem. He insisted on buying me a happy hour beer for my trouble (all of $2.50 – way to go, Moneybags) to which I said that was not necessary.

My sushi arrived and I happily began eating. Nerdy guy kept asking me questions while I was mid-bite. Mind you, I was in sweats and literally covered in dirt and sweat from the service event. I tried my best to be polite; after all, I am unemployed and you never know when the next job opportunity may meet you. But after he told me for the 3rd time that he was the best tech publicist in Los Angeles and that was he launching a huge product next year and everyone would know his name, I lost my patience.

I stared at my phone, texting girlfriends that I was being hounded by Los Angeles’ most obnoxious self-professed tech publicist, and didn’t answer any of his questions. He still blabbered on, telling me his life story. Against my will, I learned that he also went to USC, then dropped out (to which I said, “That’s cool” and he retorted, “Were you even listening? Dropping out is not cool at all.”

One girlfriend texted back saying she would call me immediately and pretend to be my boyfriend but I had already begged the waiter for my check. As I paid my bill (at least the beer was comped), he slid over not 1 but 2 different business cards and told me to call if I ever needed a publicist. Who has 2 different business cards?

I bolted out of there only to sit in another 40 minutes of traffic and fumed at myself for not having the balls to tell the guy to leave me alone. More than anything, I had just wanted a relaxing beer and sushi in silence.

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Guest Post: Mr. Only On Special Occasions.

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I don’t have many rules in the dating game but I do have one that I have always stuck to throughout the years: don’t date and job hunt at the same time. My ego can’t take all that rejection.

So I put out the call for guest bloggers for all you dating adventurers out there and A.W. answered the call! Here she describes her first attempt at an eHarmony date and unfortunately he didn’t turn out to be Prince Charming.

I’ve gone on many first dates over the years- setups, guys I met out, J-dates, etc.  But this was my first eHarmony attempt.

Let’s just say it was not so hot.

He had invited me to a wine and cheese bar, he was handsome, well dressed, and seemed to be an okay guy at first glance.  I think this guy expected me to study/memorize his profile, which I hadn’t.  The night started out bumpy when I asked if he preferred red or white wine and he said he didn’t drink. Ooops, clearly I missed the part where he said “special occasions only.”  Strike one.

However, as we started talking, some of the things he said were getting weirder and weirder; booze couldn’t even be blamed for these faux pas.  This was just his personality.

I noticed he couldn’t take his eyes off of my metallic silver nail polish- I am sure in his mind this made me some sort of a weirdo, but in all honesty I was just rocking the Essie color of the season with a normal manicure, nothing crazy.  I’m not a red or pink nails kind of a girl.  I was dressed pretty conservatively- Tory Birch flats, Gucci bag, Banana Republic shirt, all very classy and modest.

Back to the issue at hand…

Top 5 One liners of the evening…

1) In response to why he was living in  LA “Calvin Klein called and wanted  me to pick up my modeling career again”

2) Whether he liked Runyon Canyon “It’s trashy.” (I had already mentioned I live over there and go on a weekly basis).  He also told me I was “very Hollywood, ” which is a description I never really considered about myself…

3) Why he hadn’t been to NYC in a while “When I got I like to do expensive things, so I want to have the funds.  I want to go shopping…at places like Saks, Neimans, and Nordstrom and I am going to spend a lot of money.”  when I politely told him they have those stores in LA he said they don’t have “the good stuff, not like NY, since the recession hit here.”  Hello, have you heard of this thing called the internet?  Welcome to 2014.

4) With regards to me saying I practice yoga “You do fake yoga.  I learned from a yogi in Calcutta and have practiced in the Himalayas.”  Then he proceeded to go into a 10 minutes dissertation about his yoga versus my yoga, which included a story you could tell he had told verbatim dozens on times.  He said he didn’t expect me to stop doing yoga based on what he was saying, my reply was “don’t worry, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

5) In describing a party he went to over the weekend (that he had already sent me an awkward email about)  “My Filipino MILF friend who I one went on a date with and used to have a thing for me had a party….”  In the email, he mentioned he had stopped by a party and when he got there a priest-like person was leading a prayer and he thought they might be trying to induct him into a cult.  I knew that was weird and a semi red flag, but I always give people the benefit of the doubt.

In hindsight, I also think I should never go out with anyone who doesn’t drink at all.  (Only on special occasions).
I think I need to prescreen these candidates a little more.  I also think he could probably do a top 5 one liners on my end of things he considered weird.  We were just not compatible.

The night ended with an awkward hug/ him attempting to kiss me on the lips and an offer to walk me to my car (‘I think I’m good…”)
Let’s call this a learning experience: I also got some wine and cheese out of the equation.

And onto the next one…

on Los Angeles

LA Bucket List.

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When you have infinite time during funemployment but limited funds, you have to come up with good ways to take advantage of traffic-free LA (well between the hours of 11 AM and 3 PM) during the weekday on a budget. So I’m working on my LA bucket list to tackle when I’m in between phone interviews.

  1. Hike Runyon Canyon
  2. Visit Getty Villa
  3. Bike down the coast from Santa Monica to Hermosa
  4. Drive on Mulholland Drive
  5. Visit Turtle Races at Brennan’s
  6. Go to a Lakers or Clippers game
  7. See the stars at Bar Marmont
  8. Dim sum in Chinatown
  9. Re-visit LACMA
  10. Pizza at Pizzeria Mozza
  11. Have a drink at Roosevelt Tropicana pool in Hollywood

If anyone has any “must-dos” in LA, please let me know!

 

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Thai “I’m Never Leaving” Land.

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Thailand was in a nutshell, breathtaking. Did you know that one of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that you don’t have to return to a work inbox of 1,000+ emails? Now, figuring out how you’re going to pay for said Thailand trip on unemployment is a whole other issue…but it was worth every cent.

To sum it up in a few short details:

  • I crashed an ATV, was told I was a liability and I could no longer drive, so I had to ride on the back of a boy’s ATV for the tour gripping him. I don’t think he minded.
  • There were lady boys.
  • We rode elephants. Elephants poop a lot.
  • Beaches. So many beaches.
  • 5:00 is Happy Hour in every pool bar in Thailand.
  • I have developed an affinity for seasickness in my older years.
  • Bangkok gets a bad rep. It’s a cool place with too much traffic (much like Los Angeles).
  • I dived off a dock into the South China Sea. That’s rad.

All I have to say is: when are we going back?!

KohPhiPhi