Student Blog
Living in LA

Appreciating Los Angeles ⟩
November 3, 2011, by Alix

Living in LA

I’m heading home soon to CT. I can’t wait to see my family and friends, but I’m also worried about the fact that it is freezing cold and there is still no power after last weekend’s snowstorm. This means that I will be sleeping in below-freezing temperatures with no heat. I’ll probably bring an additional sleeping bag to put underneath the covers in my bed.

In Santa Monica, on the other hand, it’s 75 degrees and sunny. I’m starting to wonder how I ever lived back east. In fact I’ve been appreciating LA a lot this week, especially after Halloween. I remember all too well how in CT and NYC, Halloween costumes always had to be constructed with inclement weather in mind. It was useless trying to wear a cute outfit, because you always ended up putting a parka over it. High heels were unrealistic in the mud and slush and piles of leaves. For this reason, my costumes usually depended on a single key piece worn as a hat (bee antennae, angel halo, etc.).

So my costume this year turned out great (we dressed up as Yoshimi and the Pink Robot from the Flaming Lips album), but I do feel upstaged by my fellow ambassador Chris and our friend John, who both completed a surprise mid-party costume change into Dr. Seuss’s Thing #1 and Thing #2. Those costumes, being based on long-sleeved flannel pajamas with built-in slippers, would also have done well back east.

⋯

Halloween Weekend ⟩
November 2, 2011, by Chris

Living in LA School/Life Balance

Halloween weekend was quite eventful. It started off with me catching a 9:30am flight to San Francisco for a fair at USF. Immediately after the fair I made my way to the airport to catch the first half of the USC v. Stanford game. I barely made it through security in time to catch the opening kickoff. I was able to watch most of the first half before having to board my plane back to Los Angeles. My plane landed in time for me to listen to the end of regulation and I made it home to watch the three overtimes that followed. After the game, my roommate and I decided to get our costumes ready for the greatest Halloween party ever. We actually planned a costume change during the party. We showed up to the party as Forrest Gump and Chinese take-out, but changed to Things 1&2 during the party. Now, it’s back to the reality of class and work.

⋯

Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic ⟩
October 24, 2011, by Chelsea

Classes Living in LA What are OS/OT?

In OT 550 “Foundations of Occupational Science” we had an assignment last week that was to attend a sporting event instead of going to class . . . pretty cool, right? The purpose of the assignment was to examine the components that comprise play for adults, such as intrinsic motivation, self-actualization, creativity, lack of seriousness, etc., and also to see how sporting events are representations of political, social, and religious rifts in society. Well, I decided to go to a sporting event I had never seen before: polo. The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic takes place at Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades. Ladies in broad rimmed hats scattered the lawn surrounding the field holding glasses of champagne in one hand and a golden Veuve Clicquot sun umbrella in the other. Men in suits and wearing Panama hats lounged in their lawns chairs. Needless to say, it is quite a classy affair. For only $15 you get a day full of entertainment, socializing, and lounging in the sun! In class the following week we discussed our experiences and related them to the themes in the readings. It was so interesting hearing about everyone’s experiences and trying to collaborate with the whole class to reach an agreement about what constitutes play. Some say we work to play, and some say we play to work because without play we would get burnt out. And then there are those that get paid to do something they truly love and never really “work” a day in their lives. Once I become an OT, that will be me!

⋯

Spartan Race and OT school? ⟩
October 5, 2011, by Chris

Living in LA School/Life Balance

I’ve decided that I’m going to register to compete in the Spartan Race in Malibu next month. For those of you who don’t know, the Spartan Race is a 3 mile obstacle course involving mud running, rope climbing, balance beams, etc. I’ve started to kick up my training recently and it will be interesting to see if I can maintain my work-life balance. The USC OT flag football team will start its season on friday. Hopefully we don’t get stuck in an all male league again.

⋯

Flamenco Anyone? ⟩
October 4, 2011, by Kimberly

Living in LA

Last Saturday night I went with friends to El Cid, a restaurant in Silverlake (a neighborhood near downtown LA) that offers dinner shows on the weekend featuring authentic Flamenco music and dancing. Now if you’ve never seen Flamenco, I would highly reccommend looking it up on YouTube to check it out. It is a unique style of music and dance that originated in Andalusian Spain (the south). The guitarrists, drummers, vocalists, and dancers all train for many years to understand not only their mediums, but the culture of Flamenco and the history behind it.

We had a great view of the show from our table in the balcony of the restaurant. It lasted for an hour and was passionate, emotional, beautiful, and very unique. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a little different venue for a Saturday night dinner out. It was nice to be with friends somewhere different than the local bar, to enjoy a lovely meal, some good Sangria, and the show. So if you live in LA or are thinking about USC, make sure to check out this and other cultural-unknowns throughout the city. There are many to explore and experience. Ole!

⋯