It's so hard to follow your dreams when there are so many bullshit obstacles in the way.
So many meaningless things.
But the more and more I bad rap LA, or anything in general ..
the more I realize that I am reflecting my bad attitude into whatever may be around me.
NY VS LA
"LA is notoriously inhospitable to people with bad attitudes, but they keep moving here and moaning about how everyone is an asshole and the traffic sucks. Mostly LA is a mirror: if you have a good attitude, people are super cool and incredibly accommodating; if you've got some false sense of entitlement, people aren't going to clue you into what's happening and they'll cheer at your misery for the ten seconds it distracts them from enjoying themselves. If you only hang out at the Mondrion, Marmont and Whiskey Bar, there's a good chance you'll think everyone's plastic. Guess what? Hang out at the tuna cannery and it just might smell like tuna.
Here's some advice to would be transplants: be gracious–you haven't earned a place at the table yet. Every year the population of Delaware moves to Los Angeles, and most of them are non-hackers who can't deal with the bliss of great weather, oceans you can actually swim in or the numerous industries located here that actually support creativity with financial reward. The majority of them moves back home by year's end, with their tail between their legs and and gullet full of gripes. The truth of the matter is that most people aren't going to be the next big thing, and knowing that in advance just might prepare them for the rest of their lives. The competition is fierce, so versatility is essential. You are not your job, so if you moved here solely for a career, and haven't invested in your social life, you are doomed to fail once the career gets shaky. If you're smart, you'll learn that sunshine and healthy living will make you happy and help you live longer. Being a bitter, old dickhead will not only end your life sooner by way of stress, it make other people want to kill you, too.
People don't get cancer here, they bring it with them.
There's also a financial consideration. You wouldn't move to Manhattan if you couldn't afford it, so don't complain about having to drive the relative distance of New Jersey if you rented a place miles away from your social scene. Either be happy enough with where you can afford to live or relocate to an area that more suits your income. If you don't want a long commute, either get a job near where you live, move closer to your job, or be sure you're getting paid enough that it compensates for your lost time. Or get the fuck out.
And about transportation: Yes, the 23-year-old LA subway isn't as developed as the 100-year-old NYC subway or the 150-year-old London tube, but the LA metro bus system goes everywhere, runs more efficiently than most of the NY Metro buses (just try and figure out the bus schedule in Queens), and is just as entertaining but way safer.
Boo hoo hoo! The bars here close at 2 AM! True, but parties run all night long if you know where to find them. Of course, if you're a whiny, complainy jerk nobody's going to tell you about them, though. I always laugh when people say they don't know their neighbors here, because those people haven't bothered to walk next door and say, "Hi," or greet new residents in their apartment building with a six pack or bottle of wine. Fortune favors the bold.
The many times I'd take the train from Boston to NYC as a kid, nobody went out of their way to tell me where the cool kids hung out or what was happening and yet I never bitched about it. I did my research and went where I wanted to go and didn't complain that New Yorkers didn't know how to bake beans or whatever. I think certain personality types can fun anywhere, and other people just suck. Me? I like to have fun. And I love LA."
-Matt Kennedy
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