WOO-HOO!

I got an awesome apartment with great roommates! I need to chill out. The place I thought I had made a bad impression at chose me after all. I move in next week!

Looking for Fair Land, Living on Landfair

Work is fine. Just been putting in long hours. I never feel tired at work. I just feel tired when I get home, which would be okay, except I'm sleeping on a couch right now at a UCLA fraternity. I have to be in at work at 5 a.m. tomorrow and I don't mind because the job is really fun. I have to do that about once or twice a week, but I've gotten used to it.

Now, if I could just get an apartment. I found this great place in Glendale that has great roommates, but I don't know if they'll give it to me. They have a number of people checking it out and I was really tired, so I don't believe I made the best first impression, to be honest.

Homelessness aside, I'm happy to be here.

L.A. Whoa, Man

So, I'd tell you about my first day of work, but I signed a confidentiality agreement, so I can't. At any rate, I can say that I enjoyed my first day and everyone I met was nice.

Right now, I'm hunting for apartments, but more importantly, cool roomies. The task is a little daunting, but I'll have a lot of time this weekend to look around AND figure out how far or near everything is.

Also, I went to Google headquarters the other day. They had a huge party and I rocked with KP, some Germans and good ol' Dina from my freshman Nexus days. Dina and I found robots and battled each other. I think she kicked my ass. Then there was a lot of techno, video games, great food and open bars. Also, they had a giant stage for "Rock Band." The Germans recruited KP and I for their band, "Das Wankers" and we did a rousing rendition of the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop."

So It Begins

My boss wants me to come in early to get acquainted with everything. So, I am now leaving on Wednesday. Anyone want my Radiohead & Beck ticket for this Friday in SF? It's a print-at-home ticket, so I can email it to you.

WWW: Welcome to the Working World

So, I got the job. I start in a week, but you know me, super paranoid. Don't want to jinx it. They wanted me to start this Wed. but I asked for just a few more days to get all my stuff. They were cool with it. Hopefully, they don't forget.

Anyway, yes, after all the papers are signed, I will officially be working on a network talk show. You can ask me which one on facebook or gmail chat, if you're curious. I don't want to say which show on here just because I reckon the producers don't want me blabbing to the world wide web about it. Also, I'd probably get Google-bombed.

The job is basically a 60-hour work week but it pays alright. No complaints here. It's the kind of job where after awhile you might get moved up and things get a little easier, so it doesn't bother me too much. It's not too different from the lifestyle I had before at the newspaper.

Now I am just looking for a place to live. If you know anyone in the L.A. area who needs a roomie, let me know. I'm scrolling through listings, but I see that a lot of people screwed themselves over. I've seen plenty of nice places for super cheap. The people who are looking for roommates are overpaying, I think.

Oh, and I am borrowing the parents' car for a week or two. I'm going to be shopping for my first car in L.A. If you know of a good dealership, the advice would be much appreciated.

Lastly, while I'm packing my stuff from the Bay Area, I will take a short break this Friday to see Radiohead and Beck at the San Francisco Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park. If any of you are going or would like to come with, hit me up. It's going to be a great concert.

Mexican Wedding

I'm on my way home from Mexico City and man did I have a good time. My aunt's wedding was great and I'll put photos up later. Holy crap did we eat and drink a lot! Eating here is so different. When we went out to a restaurant, we stayed there for like 8 hours eating both lunch and dinner at the same place. My family is awesome!

A Mexican wedding is something else. When my aunt came down the aisle, they did not play "Here Comes the Bride." Instead, they played this traditional Spanish music, which may or may not have to do with the fact that the groom's side is mostly from Spain. It sounded very tango-y. The setting was amazing, too. There were candles all over the room and white tables shaped like cubes that had lights in them and, of course, an open bar. Don't worry, UCSB was repped well, in fact, VERY well.

The wedding lasted until five in the morning. At four o'clock, I nearly died when they told me they were now serving breakfast: Nachos just the way I like them! They had a great wedding singer and a saxophone player, too. Also, there were over 200 people there, all dancing and having a great time, some with sombreros and maracas (ahem, me).

In other news, holy crap, I have a job interview this week for a show you might be very familiar with. I can't say which show just yet, but I will tell you my job description sounds awesome. If I get the job, and hopefully I do, I'll announce the show later. Weird, though, that I got the call about the interview the exact day after I said in my blog that I feel like I'm about to get some good cards here.

Lastly, to answer some questions about my last post:

1) Cara de torta because it comes from a a Spanish phrase that means "not to worry."
2) By "Face time" I meant going to job expos and conferences. Not walking all one zillion blocks of L.A. Geez, Nicki, what am I going to do with you? ;-)

Cara de Torta

I am currently sitting in a factory in Mexico. Oddly enough, the past couple days I have been taken to a sushi restaurant and a French restuarant and both were better than similar places in the U.S. Only a few more days until my aunt gets married.

In other news, I got a rejection letter from some place I did not know I even applied to. Apparently, I sent a job application on July 21. According to the email, the person received over 700 applications, which probably means mine did not even get read. This explains a lot. Crap, I wonder how many places that I have applied to have received so many apps. If that is the case, then I think it might be time to take a stroll through LA and get in some face time. Man, summer is not a good time to look for jobs. Everyone is looking at the same time and the jobs are mostly simple so it is not as if an amazing resume will do anything. Luck of the draw, I suppose. Well, I am a pretty lucky guy. I think I am going to get some good cards soon.

VP Madness

You guys hate it when I talk about politics. I know. It's boring. However, I find it fun to hypothesize who is going to be VP. So, I'll try and make it fun for you. We'll do a pool. Winner gets $20 bucks or the equivalent.

Let's begin. Who's going to be Obama's VP? According to AP, Obama is picking between these three guys:

• Gov. Tim Kaine (VA): Pretty much a newcomer, but he claims he's Obama's #1 choice. (Note: That story focuses on how he endorsed Lieberman for Pres in 2004. Interesting.) What's his deal? He is Catholic and has a history with the same social justice issues that Obama cares about, even spending time doing work in Honduras with the Jesuits during the 80s. He's all about fair housing, gun control, restricting the death penalty, blah blah blah. Yet, he has some weird positions. He claims he goes by his faith and that on religious grounds he is against gay marriage and abortion. Still, he says he would never ban either because he believes those are for the people to decide. Eh, have fun explaining that during the debates.

My Verdict: There's only one reason, I think, that you'd mouth off to the press about being on Obama's shortlist--you aren't really as far up on that list as you'd like so you need some public support to put pressure on Obama's team. Also, strategically, I don't know how important Virginia is or if he will help with those 11% who claim they haven't made up their minds. Undecided voters are interesting. I suspect that most of them vote Republican, but are just embarrassed to admit it. Why? If I had to guess (and that's what I'm doing), they are socially liberal, but fiscally conservative.

• Sen. Evan Bayh (IN): A former Gov. of Indiana, he has the record of having the largest win of any Dem in that state. Supports higher education and fiscal responsibility (BS words, but hey he wastes less money). Dude has worked a lot with health care and has some foreign policy experience having dealt with committees related to Armed Forces and Intelligence. He's one of the guys who pushed for Rumsfeld's resignation. He also says we're wasting time with our plans to stomp illegal immigration. What his plan for that is, I'm not sure. Yet, he also has sat on committees that deal with international trade and small businesses. Additionally, he has put a lot off focus on dealing with Iran.
  

My Verdict: He is very good for strategy. He comes from a state that you need to win. I am told that no one has ever won the presidency without winning Indiana. Also, it helps that he is so experienced with foreign policy. Something Obama is not.

• Sen. Joe Biden (DE): God, this guy is a lot of fun. He's a Roman Catholic that mouths off and is strong on his positions. In 2006, I actually said I wanted this guy to be Pres. He has been in DC since the 70s, he is moderate when he needs to be, he plays hardball, and has TONS of foreign policy (Chairman of Comm. on Foreign Relations, hello?). I could go on about this guy but...

My Verdict: He reminds too many people of Howard Dean and the fact that he's been in DC for so long plays against Obama's message of change and being an outsider. Also, Delaware?

So, who will Obama pick?: My guess is Bayh. Strategically perfect and has all the foreign experience you could want. I'd like to see Biden, but that won't help. If not any of these, I'd like to see Jim Webb. He was talked about as a choice for so long, but then he was missing on the list this week. The dude is a Dem who was Secretary of the Navy under Reagan. That sounds like a winning combo to me.

As for McCain? I dunno enough about his choices, but I'd guess Romney. He's the fiscal conservative undecided voters can love.