I PASSED!

Hooray! I passed the California Real Estate licensing exam!
That means, I just need to file the necessary paperwork, and I'll get my license.
Step 1 = accomplished!

The UpSide of Redundancy...

.. is having to use all of your flexible spending money quickly.
I bought FOUR new pairs of glasses! (That makes 17).
Mwaaaa haa haa haa haa!

Exam Day with the State of California

I spent this past weekend, this beautiful sunny weekend, cooped up in the Kaplan learning center, taking a 2-day intensive Real Estate licensing exam preparation class. I have studied my text book, my exam prep book, my Kaplan test prep materials, my flash cards, my sample paper tests from 3 sources, my practice CD, my real estate dictionaries. I've read and re-read it and re-re-read it. Repeated it out loud. Studied in the lazy-boy, on the sofa, at the kitchen table, at the desk, on the floor, in bed. I've gotten out of bed by 7:30 every day, and stayed up late reading. My brain is full. It's also a bit mushy and melted from the heat that this frantic burst of activity has generated! And I'm ready. I'm SO ready for this exam.

This morning I went to the State Building in Oakland to take the exam. I wasn't nervous at all. After 30(!!) minutes of instruction, and 90 minutes of filling in the dots, I left the building, relieved! It's over! No more cramming! Hooray!




Time to go to Boston for a few days, relax, and celebrate!

Ok Ms. Lower Back, are you happy now?

Dear Lower back,

I have given up the sedentary lifestyle for you. I pledge to never go back to the cubicle lifestyle unless absolutely necessary to survive. I pledge to get you more exercise on a regular basis. To stretch you. To strengthen you. Oh, and while I’m at it, I’ll get you a few shots of cortisone to make you feel better.



Talk about a turbulent week! Losing my job. Chronic un-diagnosable back pain. Sheesh. Time to get more aggressive. I had 3 cortisone shots into my lumbar spine to try to get rid of that annoying pain. I was informed that they should kick in from 2-14 days after the procedure. I spent the first day waiting. Second day waiting. Third day = relief! Fourth day = pain. Fifth day = relief. Oh, for goodness sake, get me off of this roller coaster! Sixth day = relief. Hooray! The cortisone seems to have worked. THANK YOU modern medicine!

Lower back, are you happy now? I’ve given you everything you have asked for!

And another one bites the dust...

It's happening again.
I have had nightmares of this scenario.
I'm losing another great friend to the East Coast.
This time, it's G.
G-Money.
G-Love.
The G man.

I met Girish eight years ago. He was one of my first friends in San Francisco. We met at the Union Street fair, where he and my roommate, Ann-Marie recognized each other across a crowded outdoor beer-area. They had met briefly in Chicago when Girish came into Ann Marie's store to purchase some skin care products for his sister. What are the odds that they would meet again.. AND recognize each other?

Throughout the years, Girish has been a SOLID friend. During the dot com boom, when I was stressing myself out with 80-100 hour work weeks, G would pry me away from my desk for dinners. The moment I hopped into his car, all of my stress faded away. He made me laugh and forget about everything that was going on. Girish was (and still is) an oasis.

And that's just the beginning. G is always happy. Always supportive. Always uplifting. Always helpful. Always fun. Always game for trying something new. Always put a smile on my face. Always the kind of person that everyone wants to be around.

And it SUCKS that he's leaving. Booooo.

Philadelphia, I hope you know how lucky you are.

(I'll miss you, G!)


(bye Charlie!)

Successful Blind Girl Date!

That's right. I had a very successful blind-girl-friend-date this week!

Many of my good girlfriends have moved away over the past few years. While I know it's too much to ask to find another Lisa (Bagchi), I'm always on the lookout for fun, outgoing, confident, intelligent women to hang out with. I even have A.T. on new-girlfriend-patrol (and he found me Carolyn at tennis!).

While in L.A. recently, our new friends Heather and Becky told me that they know a fun and sane girl in San Francisco. Despite some oh-so-scary attempts at finding female friends in the past, I decided to give it a shot. I called her up and set up a date.

It was a Thursday, so we started out at Diageo happy hour (of course!). We had a few cocktails with A.T., then went to Bar Bambino for a delicious dinner. I had a fantastic time, and can't wait to hang out again. Lisa is very fun, open, caring, down-to-earth, silly, smart, daring, honest, and beautiful. Someone who likes athletic daytime stuff like hiking as well as those nighttime outings to drink, dance and mingle. I think I found a new partner-in-crime!

But I'll have to wait a few weeks to see her again, as I will be studying my booty off for the Real Estate licensing exam, and she is taking a group of students to Kenya.

The Deep End

To answer everyone’s questions, no I’m not going to take some time off and travel the world. If I were going back into the same career? Sure, I’d go for a spin around the world. But as I’m moving into a commission-based job, I better get moving, and fast!

To get your Real Estate Salesperson license in California, you need to take 1 course (Real Estate Principles), sit for your state exam, then you get your conditional license, which is good for 18 months. Once you take 2 additional courses, your license becomes a full, 4-year license. As a Salesperson, you must work for a Real Estate Broker.

To get your Real Estate Broker’s license, you must take 8 courses, then pass the state licensing exam.

I purchased all of the courses necessary to get my Broker’s license, but since I would like to start working ASAP, I will get my Salesperson’s license first, then finish up the additional courses over the next few months and sit for the Brokers exam.

Dannnng, that’s a lot of reading! But fortunately, I love being in school. Strange, I know..but true. The next few weeks, I am going to eat, breathe, and sleep Real Estate. My goal is to take and pass my state licensing exam before AT and I leave for Boston on June 27th. Can it be done?

Farewell Cubicleland!

It’s the end of an era. No more popping up over my cubicle walls like a prairie dog to talk to my coworkers. No more sitting in a chair all day. No more staring at a computer screen till my eyes hurt. No more carpal tunnel.

On Monday, June 11th, I went to a meeting that I had set up with my boss’s boss to discuss my frustrations about my current project (mainly, the difficulty in performing my role in San Francisco while the rest of the team was based in London). I was greeted by her (via phone), her boss, and a representative from HR. (Uh oh!). I was informed that my position was being moved to London (which makes perfect sense). However, this change would make my position here in San Francisco “redundant”. Wow! I did not see that one coming!

I spent a few days feeling a bit disconcerted, but strangely enough.. liberated. After the initial shock wore off, I realized that this really was going to be a great opportunity for me, and just the kick in the pants that I needed. I was long overdue for a career change. My lower back had been requesting a job that does not require so much sitting / inactivity, and had been voicing it’s unhappiness lately.. a LOT. Yes indeed, it is time for a change.

Oddly enough, for the past year or so I have been brainstorming/daydreaming about potential new careers. Ideally, I would work for a non-profit, but sadly, non-profit work won’t pay the mortgage! Some of the new-career-finalists were: event planning, life coaching, teaching, opening some type of dog service (grooming/walking/boarding), opening a big-bra store and single-handedly eliminating every saggy/bisected/misshapen/flattened/misplaced breast in America and beyond, and…. the ultimate winner.. REAL ESTATE. Seeing as I am interested in a career that gets me out of the office, allows me to be social, and constantly exposes me to new people.. this seems to fit the bill. Add to that my fascination with properties, and I think I found a winner.

Yes, I know it's a competitive field. Yes, I know it's not the best market. Yes, I know I'll be working on commission (yikes!). But this time I'm following my instinct for a career that I will enjoy, not my wallet. Period.

So there you have it. Out with the old. In with the new. Wish me luck on my new endeavor!

p.s. thanks to all of my fantastic friends who were so supportive during this weird and sometimes quite stressful phase!

p.p.s. thanks to all of m former colleagues who were outraged and angry on my behalf, when I couldn’t be. That was really sweet. Despite the suckiness of the “redundancy”, it’s a blessing in disguise. Hopefully you won't get "Shaffered" too.. unless you want to be!!! : -)

Press Your Luck

A guy walks into a doctor’s office and says, “Doctor, it hurts when I do this..” The doctor says, “So don’t do that!”

If only I could be such a smart patient. But I decided to drive to Los Angeles with A.T. instead. Who can pass up a road trip? Besides, if it hurts when I sit, that big fat corporate ride of his has a nearly full recline on the passengers side. I can lay down for a while (not out of character for me on a long road trip.) A.T. had to be in L.A. for work (a golf tournament) on Monday anyway, so why not accompany him on the drive and spend a few days exploring down south?

After a quick and relatively traffic-free commute to L.A., with the obligatory get-out-and-stretch stops and a tasty layover at In-N-Out burger, we rolled into Casa de Mitch in time for the festivities. Mitch has a fantastic setup. He sits on his cute little front deck every Friday after work, watches the cars go by, sipping cocktails or beer, and welcoming all his friends and neighbors as they eventually join him in his Friday merriment. Mitch’s full bar and keg full of home brewed beer await his smiling guests. There is no plan for the evening. No one calls ahead to confirm that they are coming. People just show up. At some point, the group orders dinner. His latest entertainment option? His Nintendo Wii.

Now, I am not a video game person at all. Not since Atari have I been addicted to a video game. Frogger. Donkey Kong. You know, Old School. However, I decided to try my hand at Wii bowling, tennis, and baseball. So much fun!! I’m very glad that lazy kids and adults all around the world will be getting some exercise with their gaming! To say that A.T. was taking his game seriously is an understatement. I video taped his first few matches because the grunting noises coming out of his mouth made me giggle like a schoolgirl. Email me for a copy. Hah!

But I digress. We had a lovely night at Mitch’s place in Santa Monica, filled with friends, good conversation, and entertainment. Heather brought fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market, and A.T. delighted the guests with several variations of a fruity strawberry drink that left all of the girls drooling for more. He also taught the ladies how to make the cocktails themselves, so that they can muddle their way to popularity at their next event.

I am envious of Mitch’s role as the Social King of Santa Monica. He has surrounded himself with a phenomenal group of friends. Mitch was talking with a young lady once. When he told her where he lived, she asked “Do you live near those people who party every weekend?” to which he replied, “I *AM* those people”. Apparently there was no further contact from said woman. Ouch! Nicole and Adam, neighbors, had felt the merriment emanating from Mitch’s house several times and wanted in. They came by one day and offered up a whole cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory!). They said that they had somewhere to be that night, so they couldn’t stay, but they definitely wanted to join the fun at a later time. Mitch wasn’t sure if the cheesecake was poisoned or not, but the crowd finished off the cake without any trouble. Shortly thereafter, Nicole and Adam became a regular part of the crowd, and very proud of bribing their way into the festivities.

Saturday I woke up with a very very achy back. Drats. Must have been that long car ride. Or that really uncomfortable sofa bed. (Mitch says his dad thought it was VERY comfortable. But if it was so comfortable, why did his dad give it to Mitch!? Hmmmm? Very suspicious!). A.T. and I went for a very lovely breakfast, followed by a walk along the ocean (looking for dogs to pet and movie stars to leer at), and a cruise down the Santa Monica Pier for a ride on the ferris-wheel-like ride. After that? Another dog-stalking walk home, a nap, and a trip to Pinkberry. A.T. has been told that if you are in L.A. you MUST try this frozen yogurt, so we set off without a map to find the closest one. (Reminder: we are map people). As soon as I told A.T. that he was absolutely going the wrong way and that we needed to backtrack, the Pinkberry appeared. (magic!!). Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt of the sour (surprise!) variety. They have regular & green tea, and lots of tasty toppings. I chose the regular yogurt with Fruity Pebbles and Captain Crunch. A.T., who as a child was not allowed sugared cereals as a child, chose the kiwi, mochi and mango. Very tasty indeed.

Saturday night, we met up with Cynthia (Mitch’s lovely lady), Becky, Heather and Alex for (surprise!) cocktails at a bar that supposedly boasts one of L.A.’s finest bartenders. That’s quite a claim to make to A.T., who reads cocktail blogs for a living! So we went there for a sip before heading out to the Culver City Art Walk. The bartender was OKAY, but after seeing Chris MacMillan in New Orleans, we were spoiled. I didn’t particularly care for any of the bartenders-choice drinks that he brewed up for our group. To be honest, AT can do a better job! But this showmanship was very good. He set a lot of things on fire. He mixed everything in a pitcher full of ice instead of shaking it. Lots of razzle dazzle. And we all had a great time. Did I say we stopped in for one drink? Six or seven rounds later, we were running down the street, trying to catch a bus to the restaurant so that we weren’t late for dinner! (Public transit in L.A.???) Fortunately the restaurant also had an attached art gallery, so technically we did do the Art Walk and did not abandon it entirely. We had a delicious meal, stopped in for a horrible margarita at the Mexican restaurant next door, went back to the first bar for our “free” round of drinks, but I was so tired that I fell asleep at the bar (how gauche!). We tried to call a cab, but 45 minutes later (or so it seemed when I was sit-sleeping), AT was sober and he drove us home. Did you know that it’s darn near impossible to get a cab in Los Angeles? Sheesh.

On Sunday we had a very delicious brunch at Nicole and Adam’s house. Then we went on a mission to uncover the truth about El Pollo Campero. Back in January, when AT & I were flying home from San Salvador, we noticed an odd phenomenon. We saw 27 boxes of El Pollo Campero (El Salvadorian version of KFC) enter the airplane. Not a single person ate any chicken before, during or after the flight. When going through customs, we though surely they would confiscate this food. Customs didn’t bat an eye, nor did they inspect any of the chicken boxes. Hmm. Odd. We finally asked what was up with the chicken and were told that people bring it home to their families. Wow! That must be some GOOOOOD frickin chicken! Sometime a few months later, A.T. found out that there are, in fact, some El Pollo Camperos in Los Angeles. We set out to find one and uncover the mystery of this poultry to tasty that customs turns a blind eye to it crossing the border. The verdict? Pretty delicious! A light and very crispy coating with yummy spices, very tender and juicy on the inside. Served up with fried plantains and beans. We weren’t disappointed. The restaurant was BOOMING. At first we were intimidated by this chicken-crazed crowd, and didn’t know where the “line” started, but the 20-person-deep queue moved very quickly. With the exception of the pair behind us, we were the only non-Central-Americans in the place, which lends to its authenticity. But I do wonder… does it taste the same here as it does in El Salvador???

After the chicken-hunt, we went to visit Mitch’s parents in their FABULOUS beachside home. Mitch let me drive his snazzy electric car. (Did you know that you could squeal the wheels when taking off in an electric car?) Their front porch overlooks the bike path, about one block north of Venice beach. Mitch’s dad introduced a very excited A.T. to the concept of the pickled brussell sprout martini.

Back to Mitch’s house for another social gathering. A crowd assembled yet again to grill some food, mingle, and watch old-school Family Feud (with Richard Dawson in his snazzy polyester suits), Press Your Luck (big bucks! no whammies!), and Entourage. Sadly, I had to depart to go to the airport. What a fabulous little weekend getaway. I never did see anyone famous. Perhaps next time. I just want to see how tiny they really are in real life, compared to a normal person!

p.s. that back pain? It wasn’t from the ride down. It was from the Wii sports!!!!