The Journey for An Apartment - A Tale of Two Friends, part 2.

So I called Yuri.

I called him and asked If I could come down to his place, use his Internet and make a call or two. It was easier than trying to find a cafe with free Internet and a place to park. I know there are cafes everywhere with free Internet but unfortunately there are not a lot of places with free parking. I did not want to worry about something like parking, plus I had only been in Los Angeles a little over a week and I really didn't know where to go or how to get there.

To bring you up to speed. I was feeling down and out. A friend, who I had known for a decade just left me hanging without a future residence to reside, with no explanation and no way to get a hold of him. I was a little crushed.

So I drove to Yuri's. I gave him the low down, the down low, the 411, the cut and dry, the skinny, a general update on what had recently occurred. He was kind enough to provide dinner and some wine. I explained my story. He listened. He was sympathetic to my problem. Yuri even offered to let me sleep on his couch for a couple of days till I got settled.

At this time I was confused and a bit flustered. I had to start work the next day. I was starting my old job at a new position, so I was starting work without a place to live. I wouldn't get a real chance to find a new home till the next week due to my work schedule. My sadness was starting to turn to hard boiled frustration. I wanted answers. Unfortunately I could only conjure up various scenarios for how this happened. I could not test my theories or come to any concrete conclusion which also sucks.

Thankfully, Yuri was kind enough to let me stay at his place but his place was an hour away from Los Angeles. My drive to and from work was frustrating most of the time. Making a six or seven hour work day longer by 2-4 hours of driving. I couldn't just go around the corner to see an apartment or house. It was a bit of nuisance to email, call or text listings for residence and try to set up appointments around the same time or anytime I was in the area. I know my life had really hit rock bottom.

I'm kidding. I know it wasn't that rough. While all this was happening, the economy was still looking down the barrel of a gun, Japan just had an awful natural disaster and then some, and whole bunch of other awful things were happening across the globe. It wasn't that bad but it was difficult for me. It wasn't, "oh holy lord, save me from this hell" kind of bad but again, it was difficult. What made a difficult situation a much easier situation was the friend who didn't leave me stranded, Yuri. Sure, I could have slept in my car. Sure, I could have spent money on hotels or hostels from time to time. Sure, I could have found the first shit hole in Los Angeles and just moved in. Sure, I could have done anything imaginable and made my situation work but I didn't. I didn't have to.

Let me give you some back story. Yuri and I are old college chums. I came out here to visit back in September and back then he was courteous enough to let me crash on his couch. He knew I wanted to come to LA and make it big. He supported this dream. Not only did he offer any assistance to the cause but also provided constant positive reinforcement during the winter months as I plotted my return to southern California. He has had my back the entire way. I cannot thank him enough. The best thing Yuri gave me other than support was the opportunity not to fail. I could have started out rough, maybe set myself up to fail but the simple act of welcoming me into him his home was good enough to remove the bitter taste from my mouth due to the previous abandonment and start fresh.

My stay was more than a couple of days. It took me two weeks to find an apartment and another 12 days to move into my new home. I could not buy Yuri enough dinners or thank him enough. Not just him but his other roommates as well; Nick and Lance, who were both very kind to me.

I don't know how to quite think of Rick yet. It is hard to let go of a friend you've had for ten years but at the same time after all this, it is a friendship hard to hold onto. I don't know if he chickened out or if he had no real plans of moving. I don't know if he felt guilty over the rejection for the apartment. I don't know anything. I haven't heard from him. He called me the day after we were rejected while I was working and left a voice mail. The voice mail said, "Hey, this is Rick. Call me back." Did I call him back? You bet your sweet sweet ass I called him back. He didn't answer though. He didn't answer the next six times I called over the next few days. The last voice mail I left explained how I was making my search for an apartment a solo adventure. I was on my own but then again, not really. I thought he might have been dead but his twitter and foursquare account showed activity. (useful stalking method, don't judge)

I only know three people in LA. Most of them are involved with school, work and/or business adventures that take up most of their time. I'm a shy guy that was never great at meeting people so it would have been nice to have that 4th friend to do things with but oh well, sometimes the cookie crumbles.

Now, I move forward. I have a place. I have a nice roommate and friendly landlord. I am in the heart of it all, well, west of the heart of it all. My story isn't a sad one. Apparently, this happens a lot, so I've been told, by many people. I am just doing what I've been trying to do the past couple of years and that is, do the best I can with what I've got. Now, it is time to make other dreams come true. Rick and I had some dreams. We talked mightily about our ambitions. Now, it's just me. I have no connections and don't know what I am doing. Our adventures of being awesome together have shifted to ... to...? I don't know yet. I know what I want but I do not know how to get it or where I am going but I'll be sure to fill in the blanks.


oh well, till next time.







thank goodness for good friends and couches. Couches not necessary.