San Diego has been my home for over ten years now. My parents moved my family out here in hopes that we'd have a better life. In the end they just moved back to my small little hometown right smack down in the middle of no where.
I never understood why they moved back. There is nothing in Merced, aka Mer-Dead. There are cows. There are the neighbors that all know each other. Yup, that's about it.
Here in San Diego there are my two favorite things, sunshine and tan lines. Why would I leave? I had everything I could ever want here. My little studio apartment was all I needed. Sometimes I picture myself living the life of Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's or as Carrie Bradshaw--The only thing is I'm not in NYC.
I don't think I could live too long in NYC. The air isn't fresh. There is trash all over the place. I feel like I could get robbed at any second. No one knows their neighbors over there. And other than go out and eat--what is there to do? I'd take my fast paced life style here in San Diego over NYC any day of the week. In December I can walk to the beach during the day and be driving into the snowy mountains by night. I could go hiking in the morning and sailing in the middle of the day. There is everything here. It is my own little paradise.
Back to that idea of being Holly Golightly or Carrie Bradshaw on the sunny beaches of California. Now, I'm not a prostitute or a writer. I'm an event producer. I'm also not white. I'm Asian. However, take Holly Golightly's view of love, her I don't care attitude and use of French words plus Carrie Bradshaw's huge dating record and thoughts on relationships plus both of their love for fashion and BAM you have what I like to call "Moi."
Now, my life isn't as glamorous as you might think. It's probably a little bit more glamorous and a bit more stressful. I mean yeah, I live in an amazing studio apartment that is only a couple of blocks away from the beach and a great career as an event producer but my life doesn't have what Breakfast at Tiffany's and Sex in the City has--a leading man. I mean, there have been a few good suitors of the past but none of them have really stayed for the long run.
In my college years I basically told myself that love and relationships were nonsense. So, I didn't have relationships. I had what I like to call, "Boo Boos, Boo Thangs and Boy Toys." Now that I have settled down in my career and able to pay off my own bills without any help from mommy and daddy, it felt right to finally start looking for a boyfriend. By the way, I'm twenty-four and I've never had a boyfriend.
Now this doesn't mean that I am exactly the Virgin Mary. I mean, I'm religious but I'm not that innocent. I mean, I may have lost my virginity at twenty-one but by no means necessary should my nickname be Prudence. In my life I have actually had a few good men roll through. The top three of those men are The Engineer, The Banker and The Electrician. If I was to be completely honest, my heart still skips a beat when I hear their names. The weirdest thing is that I'm still talking to all three of them--Just as friends of course. San Diego may contain more than a million people but some how we are all connected and run into each other all the time. And when I say "all the time" I really do mean ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME. One of them has a new girlfriend and she works with my best friend. I say one of their names once and they hear from their supervisor that I still have feelings for him. My best friend has had sex with two of three of their best friends. I mean, I love San Diego but sometimes I think that you might have more anonymity living in a small town of four hundred people.
I really do love San Diego. I live in Pacific Beach or as the locals call it--PB. Everything I need is seriously a block away from my little studio. Within a one block radius I have--my nail salon, a local grocery store that sells fresh produce, a liquor store, this cute little cafe that I tend to have breakfast at, my favorite bar and my favorite taco place. The beach is less than a mile away. My pride and joy is really my studio.
My little studio is all I really need. While I could afford a nicer place, I would rather keep things nice and simple. I travel frequently for fun and for work so I don't really spend too much time at home. It is nice to be able to sleep in my own bed of take a nap on my own couch when I get home though. The main reason I purchased this studio is because I have my very own rooftop lounge area. It has become the spot to hangout at within my group of friends because you honestly never know who might just stop by or what might happen.
I finally just got back from working an event in LA and my apartment was the only place I wanted to be at right now but due to the fact that I now was added on to a team that was working on a large San Diego based event--I had to stop by for a lunch meeting.
The meeting was almost over by the time I got there. They called me up because they needed me. They would just have to deal with the fact that I have a life. The meeting ended and I watched as they all shook hands.
The event coordinator looked towards me after the last few people left. She had a man standing behind her. "Farren." I could tell she was a little disappointed that I showed up late but the flip of her hair and her delighted smile proved to me that she wasn't going to hold it against me.
"Geraldine," I shook her hand and then she pulled me into a hug.
We laughed a bit before she introduced me. "Mr. Smith, this is Farren. The woman who is going to make sure the whole entire show runs smoothly!"
I took his hand and gave a nice firm handshake. He wasn't dressed too nicely. It wasn't a shock to me. This was San Diego. I've had wedding guest show up in boardshorts and no shirts. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Apparently this event needs you desperately. The event is in two months and our team is scrambling more that I'd like." He had this look of panic in his eyes.
"Don't worry," I smiled, "Every thing on my side will run smoothly. You'll have the press, the guests and this city raving about your event."
