RECOVERATI

Tag: Los Angeles Recovery

Two towels on the beach at Venice

The L.A.w of Diminishing Returns

My husband and I made a big decision last week. Other than agreeing on what apartment we wanted as our first together, where we went on our honey moon and how we spend our money, this decision is the biggest ticket item to date. I haven’t shared what we decided with many people because I ...

Bowie with hands covering his chest

Give Me Your Hands ‘Cos You’re Wonderful

The last thing my father did before he died was play a flute solo in church. Power move. He was an atheist who frequented our Episcopalian church with the simple excuse to play music for people. He ended on a high note–literally–collapsing against a piano. He felt no pain. He would elicit no such drama. “Atheist Dies in Church, Performs Final Solo,” read the headline ...

View of buildings from Bryant Park

The Victimless Crimes of New York City

I am sitting at a community table, listening to Erykah Badu on Spotify, in a bustling Starbucks on West 41st street near Times Square. I welcome the noise of the espresso machine snarling at me over my own thoughts and even my music. I remember this feeling of aloneness being here.  I’ve learned how to ...

10 Things I Hate About You characters

Can You Ever Just Be Whelmed?

A new friend from Richmond called me today to see how I was doing. She was surprised when I told her I had been feeling anxious for the past week. She remembered me the last time we talked–that I sounded optimistic and excited to be here. I told her it was the new anxiety meds ...

Cyborgs

Yes, I Accept.

Typically, whenever I utter the words, “yes, I accept,” there is a an unmistakable shit-eating grin on my face and a twinkle in my eye.  The only times I have ever found these words worthy of eliciting my signature response apply to the following situations: A). I have been offered a badass job, B). Apple products require ...

West 4th Street empty apartment, LA

“The Rent is Too Damn High!”

On Saturday, February 7th, I parted ways with my former apartment on West 4th Street, where my Los Angeles neighborhood was never fully determined–not quite Downtown, not quite Historic Filipinotown, not quite mine.  My heart and mind were laden with strangely peaceful misgivings about my next moves as a person who is now officially homeless. ...

Divine winking

Humor in the Divine

I used to recoil at the thought or suggestion of meditation. I never gave much credence to time spent alone because the idea of me spending more time with myself than was necessary felt unbearable. I did not see the freedom in stillness, nor did I believe I could ever find spirituality within myself. I spent ...