I think I forgot to mention that my latest
contract had me living and working Los Angeles. That dream of moving to LA and “making
it big” was never something I seriously entertained and living here has made
utterly grateful for that. Kudos to those who pursue their passion, but LA is
definitely a city that chews up and spits out the less tenacious dreamers and
is fickle with her affection toward even the most successful of starlets. Like many,
I leave work at the end of the day feeling pretty worn out and then I tend to
rally a bit once I get home. Here however, the LA traffic- combined with generalized
overstimulation from car horns and billboards and flashing lights- generally
zapped whatever energy I had left. And
it is just such a scene. All the time. I defy to find me another city in which
people so carefully curate their coffee
run outfits and meticulously match their workout wear accessories.
I lived in West Hollywood, renting a room from
an awesome girl named Amy. My work commute was only 3.5 miles but, on my worst
day, it took almost 45 minutes to get home. Literally, I can run faster. And
the self-entitled Maserati-drivers who feel like traffic rules don’t apply to
them just infuriate me. My commute took me through Beverly Hills along Santa
Monica Boulevard and the amount of wealth in this part of the world is
mind-boggling. When I first arrived, I thought it so foolish that people drive
such luxury cars when LA drivers are, to generalize, kind of reckless, and LA parking
spaces are, to generalize, kind of miniscule. “Those cars will for sure get
dinged, even if the owners valet the sh*$ out of them,” I thought. But I soon realized that ‘Angelinos’ spend inordinate
amounts of time in their cars- they might as well utilize and enjoy bells and whistles
and comfy car seats, otherwise those cars might just feel like prisons.
So, I confirmed what I already knew: LA is not
the place for me. But I came for the facility- The California Rehabilitation
Institute- despite it being in LA. CRI is a joint venture between UCLA and
Cedars Sinai- both big names in healthcare. The hospital opened in 2016, so it
is still ramping up, but it is already the largest rehab hospital on the West
Coast.
Apparently this is what I look like with brown eyes and blonde hair
Cedars-Sinai is a fantastic medical facility
with loads of specialists at the top of their fields, so people fly in from all
over for cutting-edge procedures and rare-disease treatments. If those people
need rehab afterward, they come to us. I
had patients from probably a dozen different states, which keeps things fun. We
are also the rehab hospital of choice for LA-based celebrities. I had a few VIP
patients- one Oscar-winner and a few people with stars on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame, people who are clearly well-known in their respective entertainment
sectors, but not quite household names. I hadn’t heard of them before, so they
don’t count as true celebrities in my book. If you play that ‘Six Degrees of
Separation’ game, however, they do put me within about 2 degrees of separation from
everyone in Hollywood!
I should also say that, with celebrity status
and wealth come some very interesting personalities. Most memorable of all were
not the VIP patients, but their high-strung bulldog spouses. I’ve said it
before but my psychology pre-reqs have proven to be some of the most useful
classes of my entire OT degree!
So, CRI was a great place to work but I’m ready
for less traffic, fewer fashionistas, more bang for my buck, and a celebration
of seasons!
Next stop: Colorado!
