Today was a good day. I got up and went to church at about noon. There was a guy from San Diego that I planned to meet while I was there. He was a cool guy and I met his friend and sister who was with him. We talked for a while after church and I met up with some others I had met the previous night as well. They’re really cool folks that I hope to know better in the future. Service was great as well. The message has been solid every week since I got here. I find it to be just as solid as what I received back home which is a great surprise to me considering the churches age and location. It’s great what God can do with little.
After church I wanted to make sure I had something to go do. I didn’t want to drive home and just sit around all day. Some folks were going to In&Out Burger after church so I tagged along. They picked the one on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood which was crazy busy. Think of a burger joint where finding parking in or even surrounding the place is impossible. I haven’t seen something like that before, pretty remarkable. The food is great there too. A simple menu and real beef and potatoes for their burger and fries. I’ve met a lot of new people every week, it’s insane. There are a lot of pretty girls out here too (not surprising). I’ve never had a girlfriend (sorta glad), but maybe someday…lol. My time will come 
Hollywood is one interesting place I must say. It’s very busy, even at regulated intersections with stop lights the traffic is insane and difficult. Finding parking is a challenge, and every walk of life lives there. It’s more colorful and exotic, and all sorts of great shops and stuff are there too. It’s got a little bit of everything. I saw a few floats drive by when we were at In&Out. They weren’t full of people, just being taken somewhere. I guess there was a gay pride parade going on later in the day. I made sure I got out of there before then, yikes. The drive home was nice, I hit a little traffic but having the windows down and music blasting like I always do just makes everything easier. When I got home it was really hot in my room. It was only 70 or so outside but it must have been 90 in my bedroom. I took a cold shower to cool off, which felt really good (obviously). I started watching Munich later in the day and didn’t finish it until way later. It’s one of the few Speilberg movies I’ve never seen, and runs almost 3 hours long. Soon after I got home and I was about 1/4th of the way through the movie, my roommate and his girlfriend Jennifer got home. They were going to go grocery shopping so I went with them to get some stuff. I got lettuce, carrots, broccoli, artificial crab meat (good stuff, I haven’t had it in years), pistachio nuts, cherries, and raspberries. I basically bought a bunch of things I like eating, something I can have for snacks or dinner that isn’t going to be unhealthy.
When we got back we sat down to eat and afterwards had a long conversation about things. Jen is very skeptical and into the “interfaith” thing. I don’t mind this really, and she is really nice and open to talking. Chris is much more grounded in his theological beliefs. We talked for a long time, a few hours at least as we ate and afterwards. I didn’t encounter much skepticism at home because I was in a little bubble, something I explained to folks last night at the party I was at. I was in a protective shell, and wasn’t around anything threatening, different, etc. It was good that I moved and threw myself into a new culture, new groups of people, etc. I really needed it I think. I needed to see some new things and sample other ways of life (not beliefs, lol no worries there). I was so sheltered at home that there was a fear of people in general, and an uncomfortable tendency towards different folks. I’m around different cultures everyday so I’m getting used to interacting and being around others. That’s good for me, someone who was very shut off and reserved to most around me when I was a teenager. Back home everyone noticed something different from the norm. If most people here showed up back home, they would be looked at funny. Just the clothes alone would be made fun of by some of the punk kids around Ransomville, and the hick race fans in their big trucks. At home if even the smallest thing felt out of the ordinary it was spotted really easy. Out here everyone and everything is diverse so nobody cares. I don’t have to feel so examined and such like I did back home. I’m not as nervous out here or as “on the defense,” because honestly nobody notices. That is a nice change for someone like me. Hopefully this helps get me out of my shell even more so than the last year has brought me.
Till next time…
