Loving The Day LA

 

I have never been one that has believed in New Years resolutions, but I feel a need for a shift. Just like when I felt the need to leave New York and come out here to California and change my life up a bit. This also happened around the time of the New Year, but was delayed almost two years because of the fortunate meeting of my longtime boyfriend Davis. I feel I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time now and am only getting moderate happiness. I feel that I can get so much more!

 

Life is short and I want mine to be more fulfilling, so I’m going to make some changes and see how they play out. I plan on pursuing these resolutions hardcore for at least two months. I do better with short-term goals. I figure they may not all stick, but after 60 days of truly making a strong effort I will be able to judge which ones fit into my life and are giving me the most positive benefits.

 

 

When I think of what I would like to do most as a job this is what I keep coming back to. I would love to write about my experiences, my travels, restaurants that I eat at, food that I cook, wine/cocktails/ beer that I drink, books/articles that I read, products that I try,  and health and fitness advice that I’ve found successful. Essentially I want to experience things and share them with others.  

 

I’ve spent over 8 months looking for a job. I currently work in the hospitality industry and have done so for over 14 years. I’ve decided now , however, that I want to pursue a career that has more to do with the degrees I received in college (Advertising and Psychology). I have spent countless hours applying to positions in pr, marketing , or as an executive assistant, knowing full well that some of these positions would not fulfill all my interests, but might be sufficient for now. I know the job that I want, and if I can’t find it out there I’m just going to have to create it myself.  So for the entire month of January I will not search or apply for a job. I will focus on the success of this blog, because this is what I really want to do as a career and I’m confident that I can make it happen!

 

 

I live by the beach in Marina Del Rey and this is because I LOVE THE OCEAN. I think it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Watching the sun reflect off the water outside my window each morning that I get up feels amazing. I wake up with such a sense of happiness, a calming warm glow, and a slight smile that I always notice. I see sea lions, pelicans, boats, paddleboarders, crew teams and kayakers all enjoying the crisp, dark blue water, but I  know it’s not as picture perfect as it all seems.

 

When going down to the docks and looking more closely I see tons of garbage floating along the edges of the marina. While walking along the beach there is always some piece of garbage in my eye line. I don’t think there’s been one time that I’ve walked along the beach and not picked up someone else’s garbage, because I can’t just walk by it. It’s not the type of person I am. Something in me always wants to help, but I know that I don’t do enough.

 

So this year I am going to volunteer with two of the dominant organizations that deal with the preservation of the ocean: http://www.surfrider.org/ and http://www.healthebay.org. Both organizations have many different kinds of ways you can volunteer. From beach clean ups, to working in the office, to working special events, to becoming an ambassador where you educate others and give presentations. You can even volunteer to monitor the water at Malibu Creek Watershed using water chemistry sampling equipment that they will train you to use or create an Ocean Friendly Garden by redesigning people’s gardens and back yards using design and maintenance techniques that minimize harmful pollutants running-off into our coastal waters. I actually just signed up with Surfrider today and am dropping my volunteer application at Heal The Bay tomorrow.

 

I have chronic  back pain and yoga is amazing for it. It helps more than anything: more than going to a chiropractor and more than getting a massage. Although I do feel that a combination of all three is ideal, if I had to choose one it would be yoga. It just does wonders. Not only does it help with my back pain, but it makes me feel healthy and great. It makes me strong, helps me with my flexibility, my digestion, gives me an appetite (for the right kind of food), clears my mind, makes my soul feel good and just makes me feel like I’m a good person every time I leave class. I just feel aligned: mind, body, and soul. It’s a great feeling that I try to carry with me throughout the day and I’ve got to be honest I’m getting kind of addicted. I crave that feeling and I’ve been actually starting to go three times a week, but I want to keep it up or maybe even take it up a notch (four to five times a week). I think it can only get better and I’m excited!

 

Right now I’m taking classes at Yogi’s Anonymous http://yogisanonymous.com/ ( love Angela and Ally’s class), Hot8Yoga http://www.hot8yoga.com/ (love Marlize’s Power class), YogaWorks http://www.yogaworks.com/(love Caroline Goldberg and Anne Van Valkenberg’s class) and Studio Surya Yoga http://studiosuryayoga.com/radiate.html (love Yonnus’ class, she’s awesome). These are all in Santa Monica and Venice. I love these studios and these teachers.

 

 

I cook a lot and I have been challenging myself, but I want to continue to grow as a cook. I love when I cook a meal and it tastes just as good as you would get a great restaurant. I want to keep getting these stellar results. On Christmas Day I was going to make eggs benedict with grave lox, creme fraiche and caviar, but it was going to be a little time-consuming and intricate so Davis and I decided to make omelettes with lox, creme fraiche and red onions instead. They were perfect! And it felt like a light breakfast, which we both really enjoyed. But I’m going to revisit that eggs benedict recipe and do it  when I’ve got a little more cooking time available.

 

Sometimes I get put off when I see in a recipe that the food requires overnight marinating, or slow cooking methods that last four or five hours and sometimes constant monitoring (like good Bolognese sauce).  Julia Della Croce’s Italian Home Cooking book  http://www.juliadellacroce.com/books.html is filled with recipes like these. The amazing Ina Garten’s cookbooks http://www.barefootcontessa.com/ also have these recipes scattered throughout and I often skip over these pages when searching for something to make for dinner. These foods usually are some of the most amazing tasting foods and I don’t want to miss out on them anymore because I didn’t plan properly, manage my time wisely, or was just too lazy to put in the time and effort needed for the recipe. I know that I’m capable and I know that I have the time if I just commit to it. So that’s what I’m going to do. At least one tasty time-consuming recipe a month. Sunday is usually a good day for me and Davis loves to cook so maybe I can get him to give me a hand and it can be our food project that we take on together each month.

 

 I live by the ocean and watch people do these sports all day long and am utterly jealous. I say to myself “I’m athletic and love the water. I should be doing this”. So why am I not? Good question. Marina Del Rey Boat Rentals http://boats4rent.com/marina-del-rey/boats/waverunner-jetski/ has rentals of stand up paddleboards at $25/hr. For such a cheap rate I should be doing this at least once a month. It looks like so much fun! I’ve been told it’s a great workout and what a wonderful way to get close to the water and explore the marina.

 

For sailing lessons I’m going to take classes at the UCLA Recreation Marina Aquatic Center http://www.recreation.ucla.edu/insidepage.aspx?uid=0b6ddfff-7739-4048-a791-cbe6dde8befb located at the end of the marina. They have several different programs: a three-week class on Thursdays during the day, a two-week class on weekends and full day weekend intensive. I think I’ll be doing one of the wekend classes so that Davis can join me. It just seems so ridiculous that I’ve lived out here in California in Marina Del Rey for four years and have yet to be on a boat in the ocean, other than the Marina Del Rey Water Bus http://www.marinawaterbus.com/ , which I took once. I’m ready to get my sea legs.

 

Surfboard wise I was told by a friend of mine to start with a foam surfboard. I heard these are great for beginners and they don’t hurt as much when you get hit by them when you fall off. She said it made the process of learning much easier, because it decreased her fear of getting hurt badly. So this sounds like a a great way for me to start my surfing process.  I have three great surf stores near me that I’m going to search for a foam board and wetsuit at : the newly opened 585 Boardriders at 585 North Venice Ave. right around the corner from Abbot Kinney Blvd. (haven’t been in yet, but this place is huge and looks like it has an amazing selection), Rider Shack http://www.ridershack.com/ and Mollusk http://mollusksurfshop.com/. Hopefully I can find what I’m looking for there, if not there’s always Amazon http://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=UTF8&node=507846&tag=amazusnavi-20.

 

So those are my 2012 New Years’s resoltuions. I’m so excited about following them and hope they bring me that extra bit of happiness and fulfillment I’m searching for. I’m an optimist and a dreamer, which I like to see as more of a good thing than a bad thing. Maybe pursuing thes resolutions will lead to other opportunies for fullfillent in other parts of my life. You never know unless you try and I’m always one that’s up for trying!

 

 Cheers! Happy New Year!

 

 

Ella Gogel