It's a new dawn / It's a new day / It's a new life / And I'm feeeeeelin'... good?

A new day, indeed.

A new YEAR actually.  My last post was over a year ago.  My reasons for such a long hiatus from this blog are complicated.  Renewal was in order.  Suffice it to say, I'M BACK!  To those of you who have supported me in this endeavor from the beginning, thank you.  I hope you'll continue to stop by.

What's been going on since last I wrote?  Well...

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February 7, 2010

FADE IN:

JULIE, a tall, 30-ish brunette, strides through LAX.  Freshly arrived in Los Angeles from New York City, she appears both excited and wary. We watch for a few seconds as she struggles to pull her heavy suitcases off the conveyor belt.

FADE OUT

That's right, puffins! I moved to Los Angeles.  This former subway rider is now the proud owner of a Kia Rio; this former roommate of the fabulous Christine Marie Brown is now living by herself in a studio apartment; this actress and occasional-writer is now... what?

Now what?

That's the question I've been asking myself since moving here 6 months ago.  Having been curious about  LA for several years, I finally made the move.  New York City, the place I once loved with my whole heart and couldn't imagine leaving, started feeling like a wet wool blanket.  An expensive, smelly, wet wool blanket.  Feeling hemmed in, irritated, unable to afford an apartment in any of my favorite neighborhoods (even WITH a roomie), frustrated with schlepping groceries blocks and blocks in the rain and snow, angry at fellow subway passengers who seemed to grow increasingly boorish, I left.  I left dear friends and favorite bookstores, Central Park and stunning architecture for sunshine and cars, other dear friends and hiking, and mostly, adventure.

Boy, am I getting an adventure.  Like all such stories, mine is filled with highs and lows.  Triumphs, obstacles, mysteries and questions. It's all included.

And, oh, those questions...

Who am I in this new, odd place?  Did I move out here to continue my acting career?  If not, what on earth, WHO on earth am I?  Is this home?  How many donut shops can one city have? (Seriously, you can't swing a dead cat in this town without hitting another one).

All of these questions will be explored.  But, fear not!  Lest you think future posts will be nothing but soul searching and sentimentality, I can promise there will also be humour, British spelling, opinions on matters great and small, wonder, a dash of cynicism (but only a dash, as there are enough cynics in the world and they're generally not much fun to be around for extended periods of time), pop culture, politics and exclamations of terror and delight.  I'd like to think that's what I provided before I hit PAUSE.

So, WordSmith At Play is PLAYING again.  Onward!