new things, good and bad

Saying goodbye to friends is getting old. I can't seem to keep them in California, no matter how much I pout. Will someone please tell me what the East Coast has that the West Coast doesn't?? Ah, well. I'm very pleased that the people I love are starting (or continuing) new, exciting chapters in their lives, even if they are so far away. And, planning a visit in the near-ish future helps me stay positive.

Luckily, I have scored myself a new job. Using only my brilliant smile and sparkling personality, I won over the manager of a trendy coffee shop in North Park, a neighborhood of San Diego that's a hipper, less yuppie version of Downtown. Nevermind that I haven't a lick of coffee experience, so far it's going very well and I'm scheming and dreaming of saving up my money for a week-long tour of the East Coast and all my loves I've lost to Boston, Chicago, and New York. Aside from extra income, I also love that my hands smell like coffee at the end of the day.

Mabel and I turned in an application for a fabulous 2 bed/2 bath apartment, also in North Park. Fingers crossed our leasing agent doesn't screw it up and it can be all ours. I'd write more on this, but I don't want to jinx it!

Oh, and as for the book club - what was supposed to be a work-free, totally vacant week turned into a frenzy of house shopping, research, and finding another job. I'm so tired at the end of the day, I can't bring myself to focus on a book. I gave Emma a shot, but was bored five chapters in. I'm not in the mood for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie or The Art of Racing in the Rain, so I've settled on Julie & Julia. I spoiled the story for myself by seeing the movie before I'd even finished the first chapter, but Julie Powell's writing is so entertaining, I refuse to give up the book. Looking forward to reading a few more chapters tonight before getting to sleep early.