So This Is The New Year...

Ok so. It's a new year. And I'm giving my blog a total re-haul.

What timing.

I have to preface this with a disclaimer: I'm totally partaking in idea thievery. And I credit it all to Brian Eastman [Eastman's blog: eastmansays.tumblr.com], who credits his blog's layout to his buddy Carlo, who may or may not pass credit to some other bright chap. And so it goes.

"Good artists copy, great artists steal." -Pablo Picasso

..And so it goes.

So here's the new premise: a picture at a time. I don't have time to write about all of the things I do every week. If you've ever read a post of mine you know I'm wordy. So let's save us both the grief.

I want these pictures to express where I'm at on any given day. I want them to illustrate a place and a state of mind.

And then I want these pictures to become a story.

I want to look back as the year turns to 2011.. and be able to pinpoint what has changed and why. And I kind of want you to be able to see it to, if you feel so inclined.

So let's give this bad boy a shot. Happy New Year.

Winter Time

It's winter time.

The last of the snow is melting, drowning in this endless rain, and I'm realizing that a little bit of winter is exactly what I need. I don't mind the cold when I'm not locked into it, when I'm not tied to a winter contract that has no clear deadline. It's nice to sit by a fireplace under layers of clothes, sipping on hot water to warm the finger tips. Taking advantage of everything bitter because it will soon be out of reach.

That is what I love about nomadic life. And that is what I have come to appreciate about mine.

We're at that "let's take a look back at 2009" time of year but this time I'm going a step further. I moved to Los Angeles at the start of 2009, but I'm no stranger to moving... and I've learned that moving a lot has its benefits. One of those benefits is that you're forced to take advantage of the moment - because you never know when you'll be packing up and leaving it all behind. It never really came naturally for me, so I'm glad it was a forced lesson of circumstance. I'm starting to enjoy even the things that are ugly, or uncomfortable.

And I guess if I were trying to create all sorts of resolutions for myself for this next year - having sort of mastered the whole "appreciate every PLACE you go" thing down, I think the next step is to get the whole "appreciate every circumstance you're in" thing down.

I think that translates to: being okay with being dirt poor, being okay on those mornings where there's nothing to do - or too much to do. Being okay with 'what' is - not just 'where' is. Because just as places are bound to change, circumstances are bound to change. And as we gain momentum in our lives and start to get all of those things we're working so hard for, we lose perspective on what it was like before we had any traction at all. And I'd like to think that if you can't find something magical about those darker drearier days, you're really missing out on what it means to live at all.

So that's my 2010 mental challenge. It's gonna be rad.

Well. This turned out to be a whole lot heavier than I expected. Hahah. That's cool, though. 'Tis the season and all that. :)

Stay warm. Happy New Year! Hope you got a lot out of the one that's passed!