So... it is fabulous and wonderful and lovely to see my parents again! I look forward to seeing my sister soon too... I look forward to seeing all my friends! And... Basically I feel pretty open and uncluttered right now. I have no idea where I will be working and what I will be doing... where I will be living, etc. etc. but I am feeling very ok with that right now. Cause I do believe that it is all going to be ok. And thinking about it all at this point would probably not help that much... cause what I have to do is to just follow what is in front of me (don't worry I won't be a lazy bum doing nothing but going broke!).
So, coming home from this big trip so far... it is just the next step, the next transition, another BIG CHANGE. I do love life.
What have I learned about LA that I did not know before I left? Well, for one, I really appreciate the energy and innovativeness of the place. I think it has to do with the creative industries here. Anyhow, it seems to be a cultural element here that people are used to thinking big. So if I start to say that I am making a CD and creating a record company to do so, I don't get the sense that I am attempting the impossible: why bother? On the contrary, in L.A. everyone seems to have big ideas or dreams... In much of Europe (and please do forgive these generalizations, I know there are many exceptions!) I encountered what I felt to be a sense of being unable to change things. The way things are is simply the way things are. Maybe it has something to do with all the old buildings and long history... :) In Australia I did not encounter much resistance to any ideas. But there was also not that much enthusiasm... people were mostly interested in being relaxed, it seemed.
Like I said, please forgive these gross generalizations... BUT, I have another observation... L.A. is NOT a very relaxed place. Maybe it is relaxed in the sense of being open-minded... I can once again wear whatever I want and feel comfortable in it... But it seems that people are always on the run... busy, stressed out, running late, etc. What a lot of energy one needs just to get by here!
Ok, ok... but what exactly have I been doing with myself the last couple of weeks? Well... I am finishing up the graphics/layout on my CD project. I am starting a record company. I am looking for a job. I have been dealing with a car (which I am most grateful for!)... I need to look for an apartment (after I get a job). I have been reconnecting with family and friends (some of whom are here for far too short a time!)... I have been trying NOT to overcommit myself. :)
Life is good. It seems to be moving fast. I am trying to be relaxed. Oh, yes, and in a couple weeks I am off to the Watson Fellows Conference. That should be good too!
To come on this website: more lyrics, sound samples, CD information, and performance information.
I have been keeping really very busy. Life is good. I am looking forward to the conference in a big way. I am also looking forward to returning from the conference and taking the next step forward.
Also, I have a JOB. I am now working at Caltech Admissions, for the next 9 months or so. yay!
Life is always on the move, sometimes seemingly slower and other times seeming faster... and sometimes both slower and faster at once, in this weird way. :)
So life goes on, ever eventful. I have a show coming up on Friday and I am loving my new job at Caltech. The Jiwa Records web site is coming along... I have gotten some positive responses to my CD, which is a great relief to me... As an artist I go through a lot with respect to confidence and sometimes the lack thereof.