California rest in peace

I moved out west in 2003. I had been living with my parents in my home town of Rochester, NY since graduating from art school in 2001. I had spent a year doing nothing but work-a-day job I acquired through friends and family. I had planned on moving to California in the spring of 2002 but circumstances prevented me from doing so.

In July of 2002 I got a job working at a design studio in Rochester; one of the largest in Western New York State in fact. It was a good gig though I learned quickly that your first few jobs after college people will treat you like yopu have no skills at all. Quite a shock to me since I was told by my college that the mere mention of 'rizdee' would usher me into the best jobs in the country. After graduating and being hit by 9-11 a few months later the economy in the smaller parts of the country was just not a great environment for those in the design industries.

Eventually, the company ran out of steady work and laid me off in March of 2003. I took this as an opportunity to make a change. I pestered my friend, Quellish, until he agreed to move out west with me. After a few months of quickly selling many tiems including my car, I flew out of Rochester and into LAX on May 21st 2003. It was like stepping into a whole new world.

The future seemed bright and I was happy. I figured this feeling wouldn't last. I knew it was just a matter of time until I replaced it with the jaded sensibilities of most of my new-found LA friends.

3 years, 8 jobs, 2 roomates, 2 apartments, hundreds of hours of lost sleep, and thousands of beers later I have realized I am now at that point. I'm not sure when it happened exactly but sometime recently LA has lost all it's Hollywood luster and has strictly become the place I live and work. I no longer feel giddy for living out here and have settled into a middling state of complacency about my surroundings.

I am stil very excited about the work I do. Don't get me wrong. It's pretty easy for me to come into work everyday and do my job. I help make cartoons for little kids at the #1 animation network. Not too shabby. It's a lack on excitement for where I live and what I do that is the problem. Maybe more time outside my comfort zone would help but it becomes easier and easier to remain within that sphere than to go without. I hate sitting in my apartment but at the same time I am lacking in new ways to get out of it.

Over the weekend Quellish talked about the possibility of moving to NYC in the winter if he's got no reason to stay here. I can't say I don't understand how he feels. I guess I would leave if I had anywhere else to go. Some days I think I should have taken that gaming job offer in Prague all those years ago. Even though it paid nothing and I would be halfway around the world. Some days I think I should just shut up.

Either way, the gold paint has finally chipped away from Los Angeles. The bright sun has bleached and cracked the fascade. Now I just walk normal streets and go to work and home again; still bitching about the cost of gas.