Where did I come from and why am I here?

    I moved to Los Angeles from Portland on January 9, 1998, when my contract position with a website was up. My best friend and boyfriend moved here while I was in Portland. So, now we are together and we're getting married in August. Cute, huh?

    I was less than thrilled to make the decision to move here. But, it's cheaper than phone bills. I kept trying to tell myself that I'm young and I should be excited about moving to the big city. Which would be great if I had some sort of adolescent dream of living in the "City of Angels"...

... but I don't. Regardless, though, I'm trying to make the most of it. If along the way I meet some interesting people, have some interesting adventures and generally broaden my horizons then it should be worth it.

What am I doing?

    Currently, I'm searching for a job. The sky's the limit, or so it would seem. Unfortunately, that's a lot of stuff to sift through. So, to keep my sanity while I fill out applications, submit cover letters, rewrite my resume and to just get back to what was once my passion -- writing -- I am creating this journal.

What's the point?

    I'm not sure if it's really a journal because I have the sense that people might actually read this. This is not a diary. I try not to censor myself but it's difficult and unrealistic. So, I guess these can be considered small letters to you. The bigger attempt will really be to try and capture something about this... L.A.

    As I started writing this I have become more aware of other journals out there. If you are a regular reader of journals then I thought I might answer some questions you might already have.

    No, I don't make anything up. What would be the point? On the other hand, I am very choosy about what I reveal. At times this is more like a diary than a journal but I reserve that right. I tend to feel kind of guilty when I write my self-indulgent pieces, though.

    I do go and seek out special adventures to write about. My goal is to piece together what Los Angeles is. I am sure I am not alone in tackling a city like this in terms of concepts rather than realities. This stuff intrigues me and I hope it intrigues you as well.

    I update rather sporadically but you can expect six to twenty entries from me a month. I'm working on getting a notify list going so stay tuned.

    I don't know how long I plan to keep this up. Obviously, I don't get paid to go and hang out in Los Angeles so I get out when I can and I go to places that I can afford. I will keep the journal up as long as Los Angeles continues to inspire me or until I move -- whichever comes first. I've been pretty mobile all my life so you just never know when I will up and leave. What I am committed to doing is not going down the road of so many journals/journal writers who seem to become overwhelmed by their topic matter, themselves, and then give up writing tragic entries of self-loathing and audience-bucking. The journal will end when I run out of things to say about Los Angeles or some other subject grabs my undivided attention.

    I hope you enjoy this and I look forward to hearing from people. If you have an L.A. story to share send it and might even post it. My apologies to Steve Martin and crew for the title but, dammit, it seemed the most appropriate without going overboard.

What am I using?

    These pages were created using frames and Netscape Communicator 4.0 and so looks best with that. Netscape 3.0 and Opera look okay and in IE 3.0 it looks so-so. C'mon get a new browser -- they're free!