new and old

i've been slowly unpacking and it's like...halfway done. bah. unpacking is only slightly less lame than packing.

since i got here, i've been to monterey park twice while my dad was here. i've also been to the DMV twice. i've got my california license and new plates too. people who work at the DMV are joyless people; it's quite tragic. i've gone to costco, target (my home away from home), linens 'n things, bed bath & beyond, staples, and school (UCLA) already. so most of the things that i have to do, i've done. now i can do fun things, like go to 3rd street promenade, the mall, the grove (fun outdoor mall in the style of u village...sort of), old town pasadena, pretty much wherever i want! yay! driving here isn't too crazy, mostly because...i fit right in! actually, i'm much more tame by comparison.

yesterday, i went to a bbq at joe ying's friend's apartment. it is confusing to meet a whole bunch of people you don't know at one time. but it was super fun. i met a girl who is starting the same program at UCLA also in elementary education. now we each have a friend on the first day of school. yay! the people's craziness revealed itself later in the evening. it reminded me of friends and group hangs back in seattle/portland. and i wonder if we seem crazy (in a good way) to new people too. i even met a girl who could tell i wasn't from LA because i looked "wholesome." i decided to take that as a compliment. being wholesome is definitely better than the alternative. it was pretty funny.

and now pam is in LA and we'll get to play! and on a random note, i got back in touch with another friend, also named pam, over the last couple of days and we got to talk this morning. she called all the way from germany. i haven't seen her since...my first year in college. it's fun making new friends and finding old ones.