New Things. And, Finally, Some Decisions Made!

Received 1 job email rejection yesterday.

In the past two and a half weeks, I accepted one job offer for a teaching gig in Korea.

I also had one meeting-slash-interview at a real estate office while in Los Angeles.

I had a request for one interview for a job in the suburbs of Philadelphia, for an hourly gig, which is basically just to hold me over for a bit and get me out of the house some.

I just turned down the offer for the job in Korea tonight.

I learned on this past trip, to my friend's wedding, which I used as an excuse for a vacation and made into 2 1/2 weeks of bouncing around Napa Valley and then catching up with old friends in LA (I even stayed at 3 different friend's places in 2 weeks in LA), a couple of things.

One: I learned that I love a lot of things about LA. I have a heart for LA. I really see myself as living back there in the future, which I hadn't done before - I thought I was done with the SoCal chapter of my life.

Two: I learned that I want to pursue stand-up comedy. Not sure how serious I am about this. Just that I can't wait to get up at open mic night again. Yikes. Hope I have the guts to do it again.

Three: I am much more fragile than previously presumed. Not sure why I have this notion that I'm somewhat invincible.

These are the physical illnesses I experienced during my 2-and-a-half week trip:

1. Caught a cold

2. Got severe motion sickness from the long car ride (11 hours), was so nauseated!

3. Got hunger pains (which my body was reeling from for nearly a week with weakness & low appetite)

4. Was exposed to bedbugs (gross! hope that never happens again!), and

5. Had an allergic reaction and busted out in terrible hives (quite gruesome, am still on meds from when I returned on Sunday and had to head to the hospital). I hope that never happens EVER AGAIN. Had never happened to me before. Am partially convinced that I'm allergic to guinea pigs, on account of a friend's roommate's pet guinea pig I was exposed to (the only thing I could think of that was something new I had encountered).

I have never experienced so many extreme illnesses (and new ones, at that) in such a short period of time.

And tonight, I realized, with defining clarity, that I want to move back to LA.

Yikes.

But, then again - boo-yah! Half the battle has been won - getting to the part where I had to figure that out.

I don't want to put off another year from my dream, my career, of becoming an established writer, of writing screenplays, of working in the entertainment industry. I could live in Korea for a year and teach, but it's another year of schlepping myself off to another foreign country, of being outside of my comfort zone constantly, and getting homesick and toughing it out - and - I'm 28 years old. I want to get established in my career. Pursue my dreams. Fall in love.

On a completely unrelated note, I ordered Proactiv online today. Yesterday I had seen a slew of those infomercials on TV. The wash my dermatologist gave me isn't doing squat. Going for that much-discussed/marketed stuff. Goodbye, adult/stress acne - your days are numbered.