I tried, really hard, to be lively for a job possibility down in Westwood. I dressed the part (I thought) and I was ready.

And then I drove over something and got a flat tire. Spent an hour on the 405 southbound waiting for AAA to rescue me. Finally got to my lunch appointment, hot and sweaty, and lo and behold - the Westwood I knew from 20 years ago had vanished.

No longer was there a bohemian, student vibe. No hip stores, no small restaurants that offered cheap lunch specials. Oh no, my friends. Westwood has gone high tech and high style, at least for the women I saw. Heels, hose, tight skirts, pushup bras, clothes and haircuts that cost a bloody fortune. And there were those in flip flops and jeans, but those women were few and far between.

I am no longer Westwood material. I don't have the wardrobe (though I still have the legs) and I don't have the patience to drive the 405 mess. It screamed big city, and made me wonder how I ever spent a comfortable fourteen years between there and Santa Monica.

I am afraid I'm firmly suburban, preferring the short drive to work and the open, friendly spaces. The lack of traffic jams and parking garages. (Just the thought of a parking garage sends shivers down my spine.)

And to top it all off, I didn't even have a glass of wine at lunch. That's when I realized that maybe I really am too old to go back into corporate life.

Sigh.