In history, there has always been an interesting list of “lasts.” By “lasts” I am referring to situations or things that have met with finality. You know – the end. La fin. El final. La fine.
For example, in 1786, the last person to be burned at the stake in England was Phoebe Harrius. She was convicted of creating fake currency, and was executed outside Newgate Prison in England. Her crime was considered high treason at the time. In 1912, the last medals made entirely out of gold were given at the Olympics that year in Stockholm, Sweden. And who can forget perhaps the most famous ‘lasts’ of all time: the last supper of Jesus Christ.
Not all ‘lasts’ are so grim or unfortunate, however.
For instance –in 1712, Jane Wenham was tried in what is known to be the last witchcraft trial in England. To her joy, she was found innocent. In 1991, the 75-year reign of Communism in the Soviet Union breathed its last breath. And on his death bed, Thomas Edison’s last words were “It’s very beautiful over there.” What he actually was referring to, we may never know. But his words serve as a calming reassurance nonetheless.
It is with this mini-recollection of ‘lasts’ that I proudly, yet bittersweet-ly, call to mind my own “last 25 days… in Los Angeles.” But first, I must state a few important disclaimers: 1) My life, in no way or form, can come nearly as close to being noteworthy as the aforementioned ‘lasts.’ And, 2) When referring to my “last 25 days… in Los Angeles,” I am not calling to mind the past 25 days, but the 25 days that are to commence starting tomorrow (June 30th). Yes, my friends, I am officially East Coast bound!
I’ve spent the last 4.5 years in the Los Angeles area, and I’ve seriously had the best time. I still remember leaving the East Coast out of boredom. At the time, I guess I was looking for some kind of challenge in my life. I was tired of the mundane routine of going to work with the rest of the Metro DC work-force, marching in and out of government buildings doing government-related things. My solace truly came on the weekends with the endless list of bars and lounges to hit up, or new restaurants to try. But after a while, even that scene lost its luster in my eyes. So in an attempt to spring for the unexpected, I decided – whole-heartedly – that I was going to move to the West Coast. In no time, I was L.A.-bound.
From L.A. ... (photo from Walter Daley's Blog)
The past four years have been amazingly fulfilling. I can almost equate my experience to spending 4+ years in college all over again, only this time I wasn’t limited to the confines of campus dormitories and/or dining hall food. I had to make-do for myself, with my family being on the other side of the country. I can honestly say that moving was probably one of the best things I could’ve done for myself, and now I find myself at another cross-roads with my move back to the East Coast becoming more and more real each day.
Back to D.C. (photo from Social Times)
It’s a little ironic and weird that the company I work for decided to uproot itself from Beverly Hills, and move to the suburbs of the Metro DC area. And I still have mixed emotions about it. First off, I am not mentally prepared to leave SoCal just yet. I even had my mind set on hanging out here for at least another five years or so. But with this crumbling economy came wear and tear, especially in California where jobs seem to be scarce. With the corporate move came a restructuring process that inevitably opened the doors to lay-offs and an ultimate change in the guard. The department that I worked for was, and still is, left in limbo – and I got fed-up with the lack of control over my life that was slowly, but surely, creeping up on me. At the same time, however, I am only half a year away from being fully-vested in my company, which I’ve grown to appreciate more so than any of the other companies that I’ve worked for in the past, and I wanted to somehow capitalize on that. So with the re-org in place, I made sure to apply for a position that would keep me in the company (guaranteeing employment –at least for the time being). Thankfully, I found a position that I was interested in, and lucky enough for me it is in a department that I actually want to grow in. Couple the fact that the company is moving me back home makes the over-all experience a pretty sweet deal; it makes absolute sense.
I figure that I owe it to myself to see where this opportunity can lead me. If it means being at home for a couple of years, or eventually heading out to another metropolitan area – it’s all relative at this point. I’ve moved once before, and I know I can do it again. And, if the cards work in my favor, I just may end up back in Santa Monica someday ---a place that I’ve come to love as my second home.
And so the beginning of my last 25 days in Los Angeles begins, and it I am hoping to get in as much of what I love about L.A. as I can before I head back to DC.
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