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New city, no friends

JoEllen RedlingshaferI drove up to Los Angeles land in my convertible (Toyota Corolla), a few suitcases in the trunk (a ton of crap and even more empty Doritos bags) with my hair perfectly straightened (hadn't been washed in days) wearing Seven Jeans and a trendy tank top (baggy sweats, an oversized T-shirt, no bra).

Whoa (holy sh*t), I thought, I am actually here! Time to conquer this bitch… but first, In N Out Burger must be annihilated.

As glamorous as Los Angeles is, I will be living the life of a slum until I make it big as Lane Bryant's next cover model. I'm sharing a one-bedroom apartment with a fabulous roommate, Tara. Unfortunately Tara doesn't get here for a couple of more weeks, so, in the meantime, I'm on my own.

This brings me to a problem. Friends.

So far, I've made a few good friends. My best friend in LA would have to be Ernesto, the lovely man I hired off Craigslist to move my refrigerator into my apartment. The moment I saw Ernesto, or E as I call him (inside joke), I knew we would be instant friends. We spent an exciting two hours together sweating our butts off trying to figure out how to get a big @$$ fridge through a small @$$ doorway. Miss him already!

Another friend is the guy who lives across the hall. He came over to introduce himself, and right away we hit it off. He was shirtless, jacked, covered in tats, reeked of hair gel and seems like an all-around class act. He asked me if I wanted to work out with him, so that should be good. Excited to get to know him better!

I'd say my last close friend I've made here is the homeless guy down the street. I pass him on my run everyday, and he always gives me words of encouragement, like, "Move it, fatty!" and "Damn girl, you got enough jiggle for the both of us!" At first I was offended, but then I realized that tough love is still love. So I appreciate his harsh words; he is just trying to motivate me to become a better person! Love him like a brother!

So as you can see, I've got a pretty solid group. But, as usual, men constantly surround me. I need some girl time to have pillow fights, paint nails, drink wine spritzers and try new versions of "cat eyes" with our eye liners.

How do you make girl friends? I mean in college it was so easy because everyone was in the same boat, but now it's more stressful than waiting to not be asked to Homecoming in high school. Where do I meet girls? How do I initiate the conversation? Do I ask for her number? How do we schedule a time to hang out? Like on a girl date? Drinks?

This is all starting to sound super lezzy…which is a whole other issue because if I start talking to a girl trying to make friends, will she think I'm hitting on her? Oh, God. Better not even try. Probably better that way.

So, for now, I will continue to bond with the guy from apartment 123, the homeless guy, and I may hire Ernesto to come back and help me move something, just for the company.

Any girls reading this who currently live in LA, call me. Or don't, you don't have to. You could also text. Or email me. I have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, too. Also considering putting an ad up on Craigslist, so you can check for that. Or whatever…

But yeah I'm straight, just FYI. But it's cool if you're not; no judgment here. I'm fun, I promise. Not needy at all. Ok. Call me.

- JoEllen Redlingshafer

JoEllen Redlingshafer, a 2013 University of Dayton graduate, recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a television writer. She's a production assistant for an upcoming FOX television show and, in her free time, works on spec and original television scripts. She blogs at A little slice of JoHeaven.

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I collect witty little sayings, which seem to have an impact on my life. I find them everywhere from packaging of herbal tea boxes to dynamic modern sages disguised as tattoo artists. Cluttering my workspace, they are taped all over my computer desk accessories for motivation and inspiration while I write. My latest favorite quip came from a fortune cookie of sorts, while eating at Jacksonville Beach, Fla., this summer during our fun-filled, family vacation extravaganza. I won ...
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