As I was awaiting the beginning of torts, I decided to check my phone. It had 7 missed calls from K and two texts from her imploring me to contact her. Fearing the worst, I called her. What could the reason be for such frantic attempts to contact me? She told me she hoped my pants and feet were wet since I walked out of the house this morning ( Read more... )

Tonight is my last night as a resident of the city of Los Angeles. It is an extremely bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I'm moving back to the city where I grew up, where a good chunk of my family is within a 1 hour drive. On the other hand, over the past 6 years, I had some of the best times of my life in Los Angeles and with the people I met as a ( Read more... )

My fifth favorite thing about Los Angeles is the unbelievable mexican food. The first place of note, as detailed by the incomparable Greatest and Best Website in the World, is Faria's, at Pico and Sawtelle. Many a Sunday morning was spent enjoying the bounty of the Faria's breakfast burrito, but the cuisine did not stop at noon. Their pork in green ( Read more... )

My sixth favorite thing about Los Angeles is North Campus at UCLA. I could wax poetic for hours about the beauty of the sculpture garden, walking the Janss Steps and turning around for the view, sitting by the Shapiro Fountain and taking in the architecture of Powell and Royce. But in this case, the old cliche applies, and pictures of North Campus ( Read more... )

My seventh favorite thing about LA is the diversity that is so prevalent here. All ages, races, ethnicities, and sexual preferences are not only present, but embraced. Drive through West Hollywood and feel the vibrancy of the gay community. Eat in Little Ethiopia. Visit a Russian Market in Little Moscow. Visit the largest Armenian population in the ( Read more... )

My eighth favorite thing about LA is the weather. Why wouldn't a 10-day forecast that looks this be a lot higher? Well, the downside is that this is the same forecast you see in December. While to a lot of people that would be heaven, I really miss seasons (hence moving back to Pittsburgh). But there's no denying how nice this weather is for 8 ( Read more... )

Dane Cook or Carlos Mencia?

Actually, it is a trick question, both are as funny as genocide.

My 9th favorite thing about LA is driving Coldwater Canyon. There are a lot of fun roads to drive in LA, including Mulholland, but for my money, Coldwater Canyon is the best. If you get it on a sunny day, with minimal traffic, it is almost like being in another world. It definitely does not feel like you're driving through Los Angeles. You can ( Read more... )

We'll start the countdown of my favorite things about LA with my sweet tooth. Diddy Reese, on Broxton Ave in Westwood, makes hands-down the best cookies I have ever tasted. The chocolate chip are of course the traditional favorites, but the macadamia nut cookies are an underrated second choice. And the best part? The price. In Los Angeles, land of ( Read more... )

Now that I'm done being a graduate student (for the most part), I'll be able to post here again. Please contain yourselves.