I arrived in Los Angeles on February 19, 2011. It was a Saturday. It was raining. Sunny California? Not yet.
I had just driven in from Flagstaff, Arizona were a snow storm made the drive much more adventurous. It was adventurous since not a soul in Arizona knows how to drive in snow nor are they capable of understanding that snow, ice and general wetness can cause the roads to be slippery thus hazardous to cars and the passengers within. I being from Ohio knew how to handle myself appropriately but feared for my life due to the many idiots on the road.
I had started my journey in Ohio the 14th. I made my first stop in Missouri . The next day drove to Oklahoma. The next day to Flagstaff, Arizona. I stayed in Flagstaff so I could see the Grand Canyon and hang with a friend. It was worth it.
So I arrived in LA on February 19th. I happen to arrive the same day a good friend arrived from Florida. Not really a coincidence like I make it sound. He was a good friend and after the events I'm about to tell you, I'll use the adjective "good" less frequently. I don't want to mention his name because that might be rude but for all intensive purposes we will call him Rick because his name is actually Rick. So Rick arrived from South Florida that evening. I picked him up from LAX then we met a friend of mine for drinks and dinner. We didn't have a hotel yet but I was confident that finding one would be a task as simple as breathing. After dinner with my friend Yuri, Rick and I went off to find a hotel because we had no place to stay. We had not found our apartment yet. I say 'we' because Rick and I were looking for an apartment for the both of us. It took us 3 hours and stops at over 20 hotels to find a room because they were all booked due to the NBA all star game. At first it was frustrating but by the end it just became one of those Rick and Alejo adventure stories that are just so awkward that they can only be funny, maybe only funny if present at the time.
The next day Rick and I started our journey to find an apartment. We checked out Craigslist.com, we looked up adverts in the local papers and mags, we drove around, we walked into open houses, we even walked into some locked houses. We asked around, we made phone calls, text messages, sent emails and even thought about combing the area via air balloon. We met people, shook hands and did follow ups on the places we liked. We ventured into Hollywood, West Hollywood, Silverlake, Echo Park, Culver City, Los Feliz and other hip type places around the Los Angeles area. We got feedback from friends and advice from strangers. We searched high and low, far and wide, narrow and thin, in and out, up and down, around and about for an apartment, duplex, house or whatever. Well we searched from like 8am to 4pm, so it wasn't that exhaustive of a search. I am fond of a little hyperbole. Come on, give me a break. We were new to LA and we wanted to kick it old school and free style with new friends, hot destinations with our silky smooth style. Ok, 2/3 of those 'kicking it' methods are true.
Eventually, we set our eyes on the second place we found. It was a cozy little duplex on the edge of Hollywood and West Hollywood. It set the bar when we found it and nothing surpassed it. In the end, I think we got a little tired of looking and staying in hotels. Rick dealt with our future landlords. I don't know how or why but that is just the way it happened. He got the phone calls, made the phone calls and set up the meetings. Within six days we had filled out the applications and on that Friday, Rick gave me the thumbs up for our new place. We got it! We got it! We got it! I could breathe again.
The next morning Rick was on a plane to Philadelphia to meet with family for a few days followed by a trip back to Florida for oral surgery and then hitting the road to Los Angeles to meet up with me to start this adventure together. An adventure that included international jet setting, music maestros, film geeks and super cool dudes that drink fine wine and enjoy the company of fine people. OK, only part of that is true but it sounded good, right? It's good to have goals.
On Monday we were signing a lease. I stayed in a hotel for two days before signing, elated that I was going to have my first California home. I did nothing while I waited those two days. I slept. It was glorious. I didn't care that it was the weekend. I was on cloud 9. If the elevator went any higher I probably would have found myself on cloud 187 (out of 187).
So the Sunday before our lease signing occurs, I text Rick to see if everything is up to snuff, kosher and set to rock and roll. He didn't reply. I didn't fret. He could have been busy with family. Nothing to worry about. I text him the night before. I get no response. I thought, maybe the time difference from Philly to LA was causing some snafu in the lines of communication. I wake up 7am west coast time that Monday morning, the Monday morning, the sign the lease Monday morning. I text Rick again but there is no response. I call him an hour later, and an hour after that, and an hour after that and still no response. I was in panic mode. I contact a mutual friend to see if she had heard from Rick the previous two days but nothing. I check his facebook and foursquare pages (thank you social networks for providing some type of useful stalking) and nothing there was to report. I was a bit worried. Okay, very worried. I left a voice mail asking for some type of explanation. Somehow I got myself together and went to my new place with the intention or more appropriately the hope that everything was cool, that the paperwork was already done and ready. Hoping that Rick had gotten a hold of our new landlords and gave them the skinny on what was going down.
Nope. Hopes dashed.
In fact we hadn't gotten the place yet. No paperwork was at all ready. Nothing was set in motion. Our application had yet to be accepted. I played it cool, though the landlord of what is now the place I didn't get shared how obvious my confusion and disappointment was. Poker face? I think not! So I called Rick, very sad and confused and left another voice mail.
I didn't know what to do so I went to the movies. I didn't want to see something sad or profound. I wanted to see something stupid. I wanted a distraction. So I saw Hall Pass. Unfortunately but not unexpected, the movie was not a very good distraction or maybe it just wasn't a good movie. No, it wasn't a good movie and it wasn't a good distraction. As the previews started, I got the call that our application was declined. I won't say why but I can say it wasn't my fault. So the movie was over. I was sad. I had no place to go. I couldn't get a hold of my friend. I was feeling like a big shit or like someone had taken a big shit on me. Even a trip to my favorite record store to do some uplifting shopping did not help. I didn't know what to do or where to go. I was stuck or lost. I was baffled and distraught. In summation, I was fucked.
What to do?
I called Yuri.
to be continued...
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