Hello, Los Angeles!

8 September: Four years ago today we moved into our Hollywood apartment. I came as an anthropologist ready to look deep into the soul of "Hollywood" in all its glamour and glitz. I was prepared to keep an "objective distance" and to not look beyond the two years set aside for fieldwork. Because I never viewed LA as a new "home" that I was settling into, there have been lots of times when I have been at a loss for what I am doing here now that research is behind me. Anthropologists after all are supposed to leave the field and use distance to help with writing up. Due to multiple circumstances, I didn't do this.

I recently decided that I need to move to Los Angeles. There are lots of things I haven't done because I wasn't planning to be here for the long-term. In recent months I have started investing in living here. They are small steps, but it is helpful in changing my outlook on Tinseltown. O and I are making an effort to do some of the things we have been putting off, and I have made moves towards creating a place I want to live. One of my first steps was to work on the outdoor area (more manageable than the inside!) I re-potted plants, both mine and my neighbor's. We inherited a new table and chairs, so making room for them was a task that I am pleased about.
Even though our outdoor space is small, it is an area I like. My succulents continue to do well in this environment, and I am hoping that with a change of perspective I will start to flourish here as well. There are lots of things to like about living in Southern California. Being outside year-round is one of them, and I am trying to make sure that this is something I take advantage of everyday.