outdoors
The past few weeks I’ve been longing for quite. With warm summer weather and holidays celebrated with outdoor BBQ’s, I feel like I’ve been the unwilling audience to recent neighborhood events. Sound echoes against all the nearby buildings and most often it’s difficult to escape the sounds of my street. Never before have I wanted a yard, but now I’m longing for a private outside space of any kind.
Yet again, Los Angeles and it’s strange places comes to my rescue in the form of a giant park. It is big enough to still have secluded areas, but close enough that I don’t have to drive over half an hour to get there. It’s amazing what a small walk on a quiet trail can do to improve my mood. I’ve lived in Los Angeles, my whole life, but I feel much more myself in more natural areas, away from the frenetic environment of the city. As usual, I need to remind myself to get away a little.
More so, I’m really looking forward to an upcoming trip to New England for a friend’s wedding. Can’t wait to explore more rural areas and traverse new places.
getaways
This past weekend, though very similar to many others, has changed me, even if just a little. We shot the majority of my short film (which still doesn’t have a title by the way, or I’d tell you) over one day and night. There is still some left to do, some specialty things, but with basically no crew, we covered a lot of ground. Having shot things with more equipment and people in the past, it was freeing to work with only the bare necessities.
The whole thing was exhilarating. For the past month, or even two, I’ve been in a slump. My motivation seemed misplaced, despite my best intentions. Part of this was because I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to make this short. Until the day we started filming, I thought things would fall through. This uncertainty bled into every other thing I did. Yet when we arrived home from the last night of filming, in the early hours of Monday morning, I felt driven. I still do. I’m not quite sure where my path is heading, but I’m charging ahead.
So here is to following through, even when it gets hard in ways that don’t entirely make sense. Here is to blind ambition. Here is to following dreams you’re terrified of following. And most importantly, here is to trusting others’ faith in you and to friends who get on board your wild projects. More so, I could not have done this without Shawn’s constant support and excitement. Not to mention the fact that he shot the whole film for me. So here’s to finding the perfect partner too.
bike week
This week is bike week here in Los Angeles, which means there are a few cool events going on sponsored by Metro. I know a lot of people feel like this city is not very bike friendly (and I don’t entirely disagree) so projects like this make me super happy. They are a great way to spread the bike love.
It’s no secret that Shawn and I met on a bike ride, so social rides will always have a special place in my heart. Look at how fun this tweed right from a few years back was (you can tell it was long ago since Shawn is sporting a beard). Everyone dressed up and having a grand time riding around the city together. I truly believe that the best way to experience any city is by bicycle.
Pasadena also has some great events planned, like a bike ride around the Rose Bowl with the mayor and a bike in movie showing Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. So if you’ve been looking for an excuse to get back on your bike, now is your chance. Hope to see you on the streets.
little getaways
I’m often bemoaning the fact that I want to live somewhere with trees and greenery, somewhere more natural than this city. The truth is though, we’re lucky to have lots of places to explore that just aren’t that far away. We went hiking this weekend and explored a magical trail, much like the woodsy adventures I dream of. So it isn’t exactly in our back yard, but hey, we don’t even have a back yard so I’ll take what I can get. I suppose excursions like this could make me appreciate Los Angeles enough to stay (for awhile anyway).
gloom and light
May Day signals a change in life’s seasons. Looking back on what I wrote last year, I was full of so much hope, and yet expected so little. Things surely have changed in this past year in many ways I never could have imagined. I cannot say that all has been for the better, though much has been.
Spring should be heralded with flowers but today is filled with gloom. Yet, I still have hope in my heart. The world keeps moving on and changing as it always will.
