Dr. Sam figures that the agoraphobic cat needs to face her fears, and despite warnings that coyotes eat cats in this neighbourhood, Frosty insists on having Gracie join us for brunch in the backyard. Needless to say, petrified cat escapes and spends next 18hrs hiding under the closest thing it can find to a couch in the neighbour’s yard! Gracie 1 - Coyotes 0
Much of the next week is spent assimilating back into modern society. Laptops and mobile phones feel like a novelty after our technologically barren Mexican jaunt. Just coz we're wild and crazy, we stage a synchronised Facebook status update to simultaneously announce our engagement to the online world. Clearly, we've missed some elements of being connected. We revel in the outpouring of love received from our social network, and still chuckle like school children at the thought of our epic 'relationship status'!
Feeling like legit LA residents we get a Rewards Card at our local supermarket, and Sam eventually collects her social security card after battling with the system - suffice to say US voice recognition software doesn't allow for foreign nuances of the English language, and trying to collect your all important Social Security number seems to require knowledge of what that number is to collect it?!? We're told by a friend that unemployment benefits in the US are only issued for 3 months then you're cut-off, so we decide a much more beneficial card to collect would be a 6 Flag's Magic Mountain Season Pass - they're so much more fun AND they last for 7 months! We venture to this 260 acre utopia of G-forces, and with minimal queuing run from ride to ride until we almost pass out dizzy. Every rollercoaster we are locked into induces manic screaming and/or laughing - at one point I think I dislocate my brain, and another I feel like my mouth is about to fall off from negative G's. See for yourself:
It takes days until we feel like we are no longer on a looping, rolling, dropping steel track defying all of Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion. Perfect.
A less thrilling but no means less daunting task is scouring the LA rental market for our own apartment - given that we are in fact engaged, it seems logical that we should try living together in our own place. Craigslist, online, street press, community notice boards – we searched them all. Eventually narrowing the search (which isn't difficult as 50% of ALL listings cover medicinal marijuana, massage, and 'other' not applicable specialised services), we're left with a few options. Condo-style living loaded with facilities (gym, spa, tennis & bball courts, pool rooms, golf driving range - all features presumably to distract you from miserable area outside of gates!) or the glamour of Hollywood?? A final visit to the super condo seals our fate, as yelping dogs (under 30 pounds as stipulated in the rental contract!!), screaming kids and gang bangers all congregate centrally in the poolside area - an entirely too 'lively' scene for our liking.
We unanimously agree and move into 'Club Taormina' in Hollywood right away – a cute little studio with a Mediterranean style pool area with cabana, and only 10 apartments (as opposed to 10,000), we feel we've found our home. Our 1st visit to our pool sees a fellow resident loudly embellish on his mobile phone (seemingly for his AND our enjoyment) the most outrageous ex-girlfriend retaliation story we've ever heard - needless to say this girl's local priest (and entire email database) believe she has become an adult entertainer and have photos of her illustrating such. Welcome to Melrose Place! After his call, our new friend shared with us some of the local attractions in the neighbourhood... D
A less thrilling but no means less daunting task is scouring the LA rental market for our own apartment - given that we are in fact engaged, it seems logical that we should try living together in our own place. Craigslist, online, street press, community notice boards – we searched them all. Eventually narrowing the search (which isn't difficult as 50% of ALL listings cover medicinal marijuana, massage, and 'other' not applicable specialised services), we're left with a few options. Condo-style living loaded with facilities (gym, spa, tennis & bball courts, pool rooms, golf driving range - all features presumably to distract you from miserable area outside of gates!) or the glamour of Hollywood?? A final visit to the super condo seals our fate, as yelping dogs (under 30 pounds as stipulated in the rental contract!!), screaming kids and gang bangers all congregate centrally in the poolside area - an entirely too 'lively' scene for our liking.
We unanimously agree and move into 'Club Taormina' in Hollywood right away – a cute little studio with a Mediterranean style pool area with cabana, and only 10 apartments (as opposed to 10,000), we feel we've found our home. Our 1st visit to our pool sees a fellow resident loudly embellish on his mobile phone (seemingly for his AND our enjoyment) the most outrageous ex-girlfriend retaliation story we've ever heard - needless to say this girl's local priest (and entire email database) believe she has become an adult entertainer and have photos of her illustrating such. Welcome to Melrose Place! After his call, our new friend shared with us some of the local attractions in the neighbourhood... D
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