Another Day

A mid-week update!

My Chelmsford buddies all know that I've packed the same lunch since middle school--a turkey and pepperoni or salami sandwich, chips, a drink, and maybe a side of fruit. Well, I was tired of that and decided to treat myself yesterday (even though I actually packed my lunch), so I decided to go to a restaurant called Mao's Kitchen that Maria from the Boston office recommended a few weeks ago. From the outside it doesn't look like much, but let me tell you, the food was fantastic, and I should know because my mom cooks fantastic Chinese food.

I ended up ordering the Mapo Tofu, and for $10, it was more than worth it. The tofu was just firm enough, the flavor was the right amount of spicy, the beef was plentiful, and they didn't kill it with too many vegetables. I highly recommend this place; it's a Venice gem.

After living here for about three and a half weeks, I finally started to run out of clothing to wear, so I did my laundry (the first time at a laundromat!) at a place called Venice Beach Wash Coin Laundry, which is conveniently located in a little strip mall next to Whole Foods and CVS.. While my clothes were in the washer, I decided to go to CVS to buy some dryer sheets. After I walked by Whole Foods, I noticed a 99 Cent Store and ended up going there instead. For anyone who won't be living somewhere for a long period of time, 99 Cent Stores are the best. I don't care about brand names as long as the product does what it's supposed to. So I picked up a few things and only paid about $5, whereas if I went to CVS, it probably would've cost me $5 just for dryer sheets alone.

So while I waited for my clothes to dry, I decided to study up on my GRE vocab. There I was, minding my own business, flipping through flashcards. And of course, someone had to approach me... this guy must have been in his mid-50s or so, a bit crazy like most Venice inhabitants. I don't know what it is about me, but they must think I seem nice or something (which is ridiculous!). Anyways, the first thing he assumed was that I was trying to learn English... really? Then he proceeded to ask me questions about what I was studying for and blah blah blah. Turns out he's a Bible-thumper, but luckily he ended up talking to me about architecture instead because I told him I was majoring in architecture. Let me just say; if my roommate/landlord wasn't there with me to be my excuse to leave, this guy would have gone on and on all night. He was loquacious (GRE word!) to say the least. Moral of the story? Always wear headphones. I need to invest in some big, obvious headphones.