e*star LA

I did an 8 Random list before, but that was about a year ago. Norbert over at Gnorb.net tagged me so I’m making this a refresher course. Besides, I had a different car back then and everyone knows Angelenos are known by their cars (and New Yorkers by their coats – Don’t say Tyra Banks never taught you anything). So I’m going to get right into it.

1. Actually, I feel somewhat guilty about owning a convertible. When I have the top down, I feel like people that are in their cars next to me at the stoplight are thinking, “Look at that girl, she thinks she’s so cool in her convertible. She obviously has a really small dog or something.” I mean, what I want to say is I’m really a cat person. I know that subconsciously I want to decrease that pretentious hipster factor so maybe that’s why I’ll just randomly yawn really wide and scratch my armpits.
2. I have always been surrounded by guys. I have 3 brothers, no sisters and work with 30 boys and 5 women. Ask me “Nurture or nature?” and I’ll have absolutely no clue.
3. As mentioned in the About section, I name my things. I’ll use this opportunity to go more into it. My car’s name is Chelsea, my Macbook is named Mariah, my phone is named Nielsen, my Nano is named 2Pedro (you can guess what my first iPod was named). When I get into my car on the street or in a parking garage, I’ll greet her by her first name. If I’m mentioning one of my possessions I’ve named, I’ll use its name like it were a person. Maybe this means I’m lonely. (Though I do choose to watch movies by myself so maybe it is a bit of voluntary loneliness…)
4. I don’t see myself ever owning a car with automatic or even tiptronic transmission. There’s just too much pleasure in rowing through the gears. Just the experience of driving from Naples along the Amalfi Coast in a tiny Fiat Panda was a great high. I know people think I’m nuts just because of the way I drive. The other day, my friend told me I drive “like a guy.” I took it as a compliment, though I know this list may make me look like I have penis envy or something.
5. The truth is, the most important relationships in my life are the friendships with my girlfriends. They know my darkest secrets, are thoroughly entertaining and they are behind me all the way, no matter what. We all try our best to back each other up yet can each hold up our own end – that’s something none of us take for granted. We’re a team.
6. I actually love Los Angeles. Maybe it wasn’t apparent enough in the URL of this blog, but looking back I think I was really meant to be here. Call it destiny or divine intervention, if you will, but this is in contrast with a lot of the attitude I’ve come across here which is a sort of love-hate thing people have with the city. “Hate” because of the traffic, “love” because of the tons of things there are to do here and scenes to be a part of. The hate thing for me is cut out, though, because I’m within walking distance to work from my apartment – and both are essentially central to everything. I feel really fortunate.
7. Much of how I appreciate music I owe to being classically trained. I will notice the time structure, chord changes and bassline before I learn a line of lyrics. Add to that, though, the fact that my strong suit is also my weakness. Improvisation and “jamming” are not my strengths.

So that’s your e*star dosage for the week, Gnorb. I’m honored to have been tagged. And definitely check out both Norbert’s blog and the other guys he’s tagged, both in and out of the 9rules community.