My Morning Commute Changes My Life

Everything is Shit

 - artwork by artist JR at http://instagram.com/jr

I'm sitting on a bus somewhere in East Los Angeles. On the way to Venice, Calif. to an internship I have just decided to split ways with. Why?

Well first some background. I returned to the US on July 1st and before I landed, I had a plan that I needed as many jobs I could manage before school started. Thankfully, the economy had been progressing. The search lasted two weeks. I got two bartending jobs and an internship.

I started at a Public Relations firm that manages travel and lifestyle companies. Great company! But two weeks in, I put in my two weeks to leave. Now I tell you why.

Catch me on Line 733

My morning commute on the bus takes Washington Blvd through East LA, then drops me of in Downtown LA at the corner of Hill and Venice. The area is a trip to watch. I see a Latina squeezing, cutting and selling fruit to the public. I see cars from beaters to Bentleys pass. And then I see the several black homeless men who occasionally ask me for change. Everything is not okay.

So Good!

"Cuanto es?"
"Dos cincuenta."

$2.50 for 16oz of fresh squeezed OJ

The next bus picks me up and staggers down Venice Boulevard. It takes me 2 hours to get to where I am going and I do it to save a buck and save the environment. The former is more relevant at this moment.

South Side of LA

Once you leave downtown LA you enter mid-city. This is where we pick up the characters. Some talk to themselves while others dance in circles. Everything is a trip.

Once you get past that you go through Culver City which is the city between metropolis and coast. The bus stops in front of run down strip malls, selling a variety of ethnic food and etc. The dirty buildings vanish in the background to the more depressing character in front of it.





On the sidewalk, he lies there skinnier then Americas Next Top Model and dirtier than your average construction worker. Cigarettes lit around him as he puffs on one before setting it back down against the cement. The few beverages around him sweating pellets of water indicating that a compassionate soul was near not too long ago. My heart sinks as the bus passes him. The scene is on self repeat as the bus passes more homeless men strung out on the sidewalk near the iconic shopping cart full of shit.

I am a man

                                  - artwork from Artist JR from http://instagram.com/jr

Survival of the fittest in these parts. California is a place that boasts comfort ability and flexibility but lacks connectivity and direction. This was translated into my own personal predicament. A lack of connection and a step in the wrong direction was taking place at my internship.

Cactus Garden at my the office 

I am woman who has a plan to reach my goals. Wasting time and energy on something that is not fulfilling to the plan has to be cut out. Now I have space to create, collaborate and develop. Dandelion Zephyr is back and I look FORWARD to this experience of writing.

Come As You Are: Mardi Gras in Sydney

      Since I never been to Mardi Gras in the USA, I knew I would regret passing it by in Sydney. On Saturday, March 2nd, the city hosts the annual parade. It is the celebration of the LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay and transsexual) community. Mardi Gras in America is about bead collecting, showing your privates and getting massively intoxicated.

Just Google Image: Mardi Gras Sydney 2013

Not only was it my first Mardi gras but also my first time staying in a hostel. I stayed at Xbase Sydney Hostel. I knew I did the right thing when greeted I received a handful of free drink vouchers.

 

PRO'S of staying in a HOSTEL

•         You have a bed for about 25.oo a night
•         Everyone staying there is younger and wants to party
•         Hostel offers a lot of free and cheap activities to do

Cleanliness: A

Friendliness: B

Security: A

Experience: A

-Hardest Part = Finding the place after exiting the train station and then catching the right bus to Bondi Beach the following day. I made it though :)

+Easiest Part = Making friends both nights!

Meet Dani and Natalie, a couple from Melbourne. They had traveled up for the parade. After quickly adopting me for the night they talked me into an outfit that grabbed attention all night long, Thank you because I would have not dared to do it alone.

After pre-drinks at the Scary Canary we made our way into town to grab a spot. The streets were packed with people coming from all directions. Imagine the Rose Parade times 20. The route was twice as long and the crowd from the frontline had 10 rows of people standing.

TIP: Buy a cheap stool to stand on and bring more than one flask.

Love his pants

Once we found a spot, we had attracted two more Americans from New Jersey named Tess and Elena. As the parade began, my camera flashes low battery, tourist mistake #4.  This means you will have to wait till Dani emails me them.

1st hour: View pretty blocked but the first group not so much to look at consists mostly of fire, police, military service.

2nd hour: We squeeze our way farther up for a bigger gap to peak through. The rain starts to come down which triggers the contents of my flask to disappear. Drink of choice is Jim Beam Honey. It sure did keep me warm. The floats are starting to get a bit more interesting. 1 drag queen, 2 drag queens, and 6 drag queens pass by. They all look like Victoria's Secret Models, no joke.

3rd hour:  SO MANY FREAKING PEOPLE, they are draped over every single balcony. 

We made it to the front row and yes they saved the best floats for last.

House Party Animals

Elena, Tess, Nat, Dani

Dikes on Bikes

Bears

Here is a list of some of the most memorable ones:

1. Men in Bondage (Check out the picture)

2. Hippies

3. Bears: which are gay men but by the looks just an average Joe appearance. Example: John Goodman would be considered a bear if he was gay.

4. Doctors

5. Tradies, which represents the working community like construction workers

6. Sports Players: cheerleaders, rugby, and water polo (largest and hottest)

10:45 pm the parade end and we take off to the infamous Kings Cross neighborhood in Sydney. Known as the red light district the clubs are endless, as well as the lines. They tell me that is where the strippers and junkies hang out but I didn't see any.

Men in Bondage making out

The Club is where we decide to try to press our luck. I grab the girls and drag us to the front of the line, mind we stick out because we were the only ones in costume. I give the lady some name my friend told me to say. We got in immediately as people in line howl at us for not waiting long enough. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Start of Kings Cross is
marked by this huge sign.

The Club is amazing venue wise something like Vegas with the exotic and succulent decor. Music was great but the people were acting so pretentious. If you know Rae Rae then you know my next move. I ripped that dance floor up in my tiger leotard suit for two hours, not giving a hoot.