It was the middle of summer 2008 that I couldn't hold my emotions in any longer regarding sharing the apartment with the Pats. And because of my little hysteria, they chose to move out. All the while, Rambo decided he wanted to officially move back in with his family because he's been paying for the apartment in LA when he's spending half the time of the year in Las Vegas with his family. Robert and I was trying to look for another apartment as well but failed. Both of us didn't have good credit, or not enough money. Patricia had more than enough money for her own apartment with Patrick, and they got Dustin as a third roommate when they got a 2 bedroom apartment at the Grand, a complex located right by the Sherman Oaks Galleria. At the end, Robert was invited to live with them, sleep in their living room on their couch and I ended up homeless, living out of my car.
That year I was homeless for four months. It was mostly my pride that I didn't want to share an apartment with Patricia. But I didn't care. Robert and I ended up getting a storage unit for most of our stuff and Rambo's living room furniture that he left behind. He even offered it to us so we can have it when we get our own apartment. I utilized all that time to work as much as I can. All I did was hustle, hustle, hustle... But all I ended up doing was paying for my cell phone bill, my car loan payment, car insurance, and a very high storage bill. In the beginning, the bill was $250 equaling to $1000 for 4 months until I found an apartment with 3 other people.
I spent a couple nights at different friend's houses and apartments. I didn't want to over-stay at any one place. I would go from a friend's house in Beverly Hills, to Carson to Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, Tujunga and back and forth. I usually just sleep a night or two, use the time to take a shower, and heat up food and go to work early in the morning.
While I was homeless, I was also dealing with drama at work as well. I was working my inventory job and there was management issues and a big turnover. My boss partnered up with one of the crew managers of the company and there were several disputes in the early part of their business relationship. My boss's new business partner eventually stole more than half of his clients and employees. It was then when I received a raise, increased hours of work, people noticed I was sleeping in the business parking lot and gossip to the bosses, and the crew manager turned part business owner offered me a motel room for several nights. I was hesitant but reluctantly accepted the offer. When the business split was finalized, I was asked who to work for. The one who help me out with motel rooms, who has most of the clients/employees. Or the one who originally managed the company for more than 20 years and bought it from a family member. I decided to go with the original business owner because mostly of loyalty and integrity.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Living With Roommates After The Separation
After I separated and divorced from my ex-husband, Mathew Lorenceau, I lived with Uncle Soukanh in Canoga Park. Then I had a string of apartments with various people. I had the pleasure of living with my friends: Rambo, Patrick, Dustin, Robert, Nancy, Johnny, and Karen. All of them I shared fond memories with. Of course, we had our bad moments too.
The Original Trio
The First 4 Roommates
My first apartment was with Rambo, Patrick, and Dustin. We were the original roommates. Rambo had a roommate before asking all three of us to move in with him. Rambo's ex roommate was giving him problems and he just moved out a month or two before we moved in. After a month he lived there (December 2006), Dustin wanted to move back home to Missouri.Rambo and Patrick left to go work a season of Ultimate Fighter for a couple of months. I started to see Robert, a friend of mine that I knew through my ex husband, Mathew. We started seeing each other while I was home alone. Robert was different, he cared for me and respected me a lot more. The way he acted shows that he loves me. We started dating February 2007 and then he soon moved in March. After working a season of Ultimate Fighter, Rambo and Patrick came back home and we had fun hanging out. Among them was going to Santa Monica Pier, going out to eat, being part of a reality show that never aired on TV and making our own commercial to submit to a ketchup contest.
The second set of 4 roommates
At the end of summer 2007, Patrick started dating Patricia, a girl he met through Craigslist.com. She started sleeping over, from the first night they slept together. As the days continued, her little corner of stuff started growing bigger and it spread across the living room and the rest of the apartment from Patrick's sofa bed. I didn't like it very much. It wasn't technically my apartment. I just pay rent to Rambo and he was hardly there most of the time. She took showers, watched tv and went online in the apartment and stayed living there for free for 4-5 months. It totally aggravated and annoyed the hell out of me. She was not only living there without official permission but she was a slob. She couldn't clean up after herself at all. She leaves a mess wherever she went. I usually had to clean up after them. At first, I can handle one slob, which was Patrick. But dealing with two slobs was worse.
Patrick and Patricia (The Pats)
Everyone in the final group roommate pic
At the end, I couldn't take it anymore and I exploded and went hysterical towards the Pats. They ended up moving out along side Rambo. Rambo couldn't afford living in LA while he was living half the time in Las Vegas and the other half of the time in Los Angeles so he decided to officially move back to Las Vegas to live with his family. Dustin and Robert went to live with the Pats in another 2 bedroom apartment nearby while I became to be homeless living out of my car.
The Original Trio
The First 4 Roommates
My first apartment was with Rambo, Patrick, and Dustin. We were the original roommates. Rambo had a roommate before asking all three of us to move in with him. Rambo's ex roommate was giving him problems and he just moved out a month or two before we moved in. After a month he lived there (December 2006), Dustin wanted to move back home to Missouri.Rambo and Patrick left to go work a season of Ultimate Fighter for a couple of months. I started to see Robert, a friend of mine that I knew through my ex husband, Mathew. We started seeing each other while I was home alone. Robert was different, he cared for me and respected me a lot more. The way he acted shows that he loves me. We started dating February 2007 and then he soon moved in March. After working a season of Ultimate Fighter, Rambo and Patrick came back home and we had fun hanging out. Among them was going to Santa Monica Pier, going out to eat, being part of a reality show that never aired on TV and making our own commercial to submit to a ketchup contest.
The second set of 4 roommates
At the end of summer 2007, Patrick started dating Patricia, a girl he met through Craigslist.com. She started sleeping over, from the first night they slept together. As the days continued, her little corner of stuff started growing bigger and it spread across the living room and the rest of the apartment from Patrick's sofa bed. I didn't like it very much. It wasn't technically my apartment. I just pay rent to Rambo and he was hardly there most of the time. She took showers, watched tv and went online in the apartment and stayed living there for free for 4-5 months. It totally aggravated and annoyed the hell out of me. She was not only living there without official permission but she was a slob. She couldn't clean up after herself at all. She leaves a mess wherever she went. I usually had to clean up after them. At first, I can handle one slob, which was Patrick. But dealing with two slobs was worse.
Patrick and Patricia (The Pats)
Everyone in the final group roommate pic
At the end, I couldn't take it anymore and I exploded and went hysterical towards the Pats. They ended up moving out along side Rambo. Rambo couldn't afford living in LA while he was living half the time in Las Vegas and the other half of the time in Los Angeles so he decided to officially move back to Las Vegas to live with his family. Dustin and Robert went to live with the Pats in another 2 bedroom apartment nearby while I became to be homeless living out of my car.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Transition in My Life Part 2
After I asserted my independence from this guy I met thru the internet, I was able to live my life the way I wanted to. I started to have friends, acquire the things I actually wanted rather just get leftovers from people, and started to do stuff that I didn't get to do when I was younger. During my childhood, my mom raised me being overbearing and having many restrictions. I lived a sheltered life.
Things I have done for the first time when I was in my 20's that should've been done when I was a kid:
I continued to work the same jobs but I concentrated on saving money which I was really proud of myself. I saved enough to buy myself a car even though technically my ex husband had my other car. One of my girlfriends successfully helped me get my car away from him. At once point, I had 3 cars under my name:
Things I have done for the first time when I was in my 20's that should've been done when I was a kid:
- Planned my own birthday party
- Got my own birthday cake with my name on it and specialized it with my favorite cartoon
- Sleepover with a group of girlfriends
- Finished collecting majority of my Sweet Valley High book collection
- Went to Chuck E. Cheese (after thought - 2010 in KS)
I continued to work the same jobs but I concentrated on saving money which I was really proud of myself. I saved enough to buy myself a car even though technically my ex husband had my other car. One of my girlfriends successfully helped me get my car away from him. At once point, I had 3 cars under my name:
- 2004 Honda Accord silver
- 1988 Mercedes bergundy
- 2002 Honda Civic blue
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Transiton In My Life
There was a first transition in my life when I moved from Danbury, CT to Los Angeles, CA when I was 17 years old. It took me awhile to get used to it but California is home to me as much as I miss Danbury. I was beginning to be a "California Girl". Now after living there for 10 years, I decided to move to Kansas City, MO where most of my family is. Granted I do have family in Los Angeles, CA, but it wasn't the same. I tried to get close to them but they were dismissive and didn't welcome me when I started living there. I guess there was a snowball effect of feeling unwanted and moving out too quickly from my Aunt Manivanh's house to my Uncle Soukanh's house and then to my soon-to-be ex-husband's apartment. I also went from an insecure, unsure teenager to becoming a more confident, insightful person. I became more sociable, more comfortable within my own skin and learn to make more new friends with ease in my own element. I liked that I had the courage to stand up on my own and did things for myself. It took me awhile to learn all those things about myself.
When I was in high school in CT, I didn't have much of a social life. I was an outcast, living in a strict household. From living by myself with my mom in a 1 bedroom apartment to being evicted, living in a womens' & children shelter for 1 month then sent straight to a foster home for 2 & half years. All of them had rules and I had to follow them.
By the time I went to CA, I was kinda rebellious. But not in a way that you think. I didn't automatically join a bad crowd or anything. I just happen to meet a guy online, not knowing what his real intentions were. Me being a naive, innocent 18 year old, was being gullible and nice to this man I barely knew who was 13 years older than me. But he gave me an opportunity and his home to me when I felt unwanted where I was living at. Maybe in under certain circumstances, he was my savior and enemy at the same time. He helped me out at my time in need but he got me into a living where I didn't know what I was getting myself into until it was too late. Sooner or later, I was making bank and supporting myself and my new boyfriend. I was getting so used to the type of income and going shopping whenever I feel like that I just couldn't say no the type of job that I was doing. In the field, I was getting to be a top earner where I was working at and it made me feel better about myself. Nonetheless, I felt trapped in a situation and stayed there a couple years too late. I stayed in the relationship, got married so the guy can get his green card and I moved out again 4 years later and back to Uncle's house.
When I was in high school in CT, I didn't have much of a social life. I was an outcast, living in a strict household. From living by myself with my mom in a 1 bedroom apartment to being evicted, living in a womens' & children shelter for 1 month then sent straight to a foster home for 2 & half years. All of them had rules and I had to follow them.
By the time I went to CA, I was kinda rebellious. But not in a way that you think. I didn't automatically join a bad crowd or anything. I just happen to meet a guy online, not knowing what his real intentions were. Me being a naive, innocent 18 year old, was being gullible and nice to this man I barely knew who was 13 years older than me. But he gave me an opportunity and his home to me when I felt unwanted where I was living at. Maybe in under certain circumstances, he was my savior and enemy at the same time. He helped me out at my time in need but he got me into a living where I didn't know what I was getting myself into until it was too late. Sooner or later, I was making bank and supporting myself and my new boyfriend. I was getting so used to the type of income and going shopping whenever I feel like that I just couldn't say no the type of job that I was doing. In the field, I was getting to be a top earner where I was working at and it made me feel better about myself. Nonetheless, I felt trapped in a situation and stayed there a couple years too late. I stayed in the relationship, got married so the guy can get his green card and I moved out again 4 years later and back to Uncle's house.
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