L.A.
I'm back from L.A. SO much to tell. The bbq at my house before I left was OK- till I read the "letter" my visiting former exchange student left for me-it left me very hurt and VERY pissed off. She said that she'd noticed I was "uncomfortable around her child" and that's why they chose to stay in a b&b. I was furious- it is completely untrue. I am really angry with my blabbermouth mom for telling her it's sometimes hard for me to be around pregnant women, because my friend took those words and somehow misinterpreted them. I have no problem being around her child- NONE. Our relationship will never be the same, and I can't help but blame my mother- my friend never would've thought anything like that if my mom would've not wanted to talk so much about me. I sat on the floor and played with her baby & tried to play & give attention to the baby, but it's not my fault that child is not properly socialized. She screams if anyone else but her parents touch her. Anyhow, I am really, REALLY angry with my mother.
Now for L.A. There were 7 of us from Anch and a few villages that went. It was OK- obviously, my boss just wanted us to "bond" because we went to the beach, shopping, etc. Of course, we only did what SHE wanted to do, because she is the boss. I ended up having to be "navigator" when our asst. was running off sleeping with some dude she knew in L.A. I don't think I had a good time, really. The weather was overcast- not good for being at the beach. My boss took us to the shittiest part of town one day- We were warned that it was "OK" during the day, and of COURSE she HAD to go to Wal-Mart, because what is a trip to L.A. without Wal-Mart. Well, the damn store is in ghetto-ville. We were the only non-blacks there. In a HUGE shopping mall with Wal-Mart attached. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was staring at us. To make matters worse, she got lost on the way there and PULLED OVER and GOT OUT THE MAP, sitting in a parking lot in prime crime community. This little Alaskan about had a nervous breakdown. My boss called me a baby twice that day. No, I'm not a baby, and that WAS NOT a car backfiring that we all heard.
The asst. wanted to go out to a nightclub Fri. night with me. I got all dressed up and we went out. Um, I ended up watching her purse while guy after guy asked her to dance. As I was sitting there looking at the cage dancers sprinkled here and there throughout the dance floor, I noticed that there were 2 other tables with a fat girlfriend planted at each one, like me- watching purses. Fuck that shit. Just as I was about to leave, some dude asked me to dance! I figured this was my break- I could have fun and I was quite flattered, honestly. My ego boosed up a bit....until I found out how drunk he was. Staggering drunk. A short hispanic dude, who was actually a really nice looking guy if one ignored his swaying & slurring. Oh, and he dropped his gum out of his mouth. It landed on my skirt and then hit the floor.
I was ready to go home. My coworker wasn't ready to leave, but left with me anyway- I gave her a choice to stay. She explained to the club security guy (after she gave him her number) that she was going home only because I wanted to. Thanks.
The conference hardly existed- I mean, it was there, but we hardly went, which is nothing new. I feel a little cheated because I probably would've had more fun there at times.
Friday was the fun day, because another Anch. coworker and I went to Universal Studios with a tour company that dropped us off at the front gate and picked us up hours later. That day was truly a blast. Most everyone else in our group had left that day, including the boss.
The only sun that I got was at the L.A. airport on the way home, sitting in the open-air smoking section, breathing cigarette filled air, but getting a tan.
In closing, getting out of here was necessary. The trip was simply ok. I'm glad to be back. My hubby missed me.