Los Angeles Layoff

Adobe doesn't reimburse for room service charges.

And since I couldn't get food and stay put in the gigantic bed, in my enormous room with the humongous pearly white mosaic-tiled bathroom equipped with the spacious double head gym shower and  family-sized soaking tub, I had to either starve or get out of bed.

I'm not big into ordering room service, (except at the Montage Laguna Beach where I never pass up a late-night heirloom tomato, rocket, and fresh mozzarella salad). But sometimes, when I'm all alone in a strange part of LA, the thought of sitting alone in a Gordon Ramsay Signature Restaurant, or venturing out amongst the tattoo parlors and seedy strip clubs to find a bite (of food mind you), is more than I can bear.

So I ate a cliff bar, discovered in a dark corner of my computer bag, and turned on Law & Order SVU before committing to an action plan.

After landing at LAX, I queued up for a taxi,  got in the green ford that pulled up, and told the driver I was headed to the London West Hollywood Hotel.

"You must be a doctor." He seemed pretty confident about his diagnosis. I thought about saying yes. It's kind of flattering to be mistaken for a doctor.

"No, why?"

"There's a big hospital down the street from the London. We get a lot of folks in here for medical conferences."

He was excited to find out I worked for a Adobe and traveled frequently. Travel talk has a way of geting people to open up.

"My mom took us to Somalia in the 90s to visit our grandmother. Have you seen the movie Black Hawk Down? That happened while we were there."

I had seen the movie, but it had been at least ten years. I remember violence, epic music, and helicopters crashing. This was just about when the second Iraq war was beginning. Nathan, one of my roommates, watched Blackhawk Down a couple times a week, I guess as a way to vicariously participate with his military buddies.  He couldn't wait to get called up, so until he did, he spent his time playing first person shooter games and watching war movies.

My driver recounted a harrowing journey as a refugee making his way across the boarder into Kenya. "My mom told us to hide our U.S. Passports so no one would try to steel them or kill us."

For dinner, I ended up at a taco shop down the street. Grilled Ahi tacos and Mexican coke for about $12.

The London is designed with sensory pleasures in mind. If a surface is not highly buffed or shiny, it is most likely covered in luxurious pliable velvet.

The velvet can be found in all the guest-room hallways. Immediately upon seeing it, I wondered whose job it was to comb the velvet back into tidy swirls after guests (like me) ran their fingers in it for the entire length of the hallway.

Back in my room, I returned to Law & Order SVU.

The next morning I saw Kelsey Grammer, of Cheers and Frasier fame,  in the lobby promoting his new show on FX. He wore a suit coat, jeans, and white tennis shoes.

His nonchalant style influenced me. For my work day I wore New Balance with a black J Crew suit coat I picked up in New York a few weeks back.

The highlight of the Adobe conference was the hotel's pumpkin-flavored macaroons served after the meetings.

When I returned to the office, I was promptly laid-off.

The Field Marketing Department, it seems, is merging with offices in San Jose, Chicago, and New York. I was the last-in, first-out employee; and as such, am currently on the hunt for a company that will reimburse room service charges.