At New Journey's End... Or Is It Just Beginning...

It's been one whole month. How is that possible? It seems like just a week ago I was preparing for another life adventure. Slowly, people approached me, wanting to know the details of my "to-be-announced" changes and destination. Next thing I knew, I was there and trying to adjust to a new life in a new environment. And now, I have a day off and enough energy to fill you readers in on my life as it all changed.

Most people have known for years I haven't been very happy in Ohio. I never hid that fact. And after my adventurous 2009 it was a challenge to return to the mundane world in which I lived. I needed something new in a place where I could broaden my horizons. And an offer was tossed in my direction... so (not wanting to be a hypocrite and tell people to live life to its fullest yet myself stay in a safe nowhere land) I decided to jump... and worry about the water in the pool afterward.

After an insane few weeks of packing, cleaning, deciding what to do and what to bring, etc. I boarded Amtrak in Cleveland in the wee hours of April 16th. At 7:15 AM on April 18th (after an interesting journey with amusing fellow passengers) I found myself alone at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, California waiting for a ride from the man would soon become one of my roommates. It was surreal stepping out into the summer-like weather, seeing Bird of Paradise blooming beneath palms and the buildings stretching out before me. From there it was a long car ride to my first shower in days at my new residence in San Diego, California. While it's temporary, the city may or may not be... depending on so many factors.

For the past two weeks I've been learning my new whereabouts. The adjustment to southern California was far easier than I had expected. Aside from a few moments of missing so many people I left back home, it's been a pleasant experience. Of course, there are the occasional glitches and annoyances as is customary in any place in the world. But it's a learning experience. No huge leap is a cake walk. And no adventure comes without some rough moments.

I've talked to wonderful people, made a couple friends through work and exploration, and seen beautiful places worthy of a few photographs. And best of all, I stood outside Villa Montezuma (one of the places I wrote about in Queer Hauntings) and for the first time had a chance to see with my own eyes the very place I had researched so many months ago. There are more haunted spots to see, explore, and learn about yet my time isn't all free. But eventually, I will be posting more here as I find the spooks and gay haunts of my temporary (?) Pacific Coast home.

That being said, I am alive and (reasonably) well. Lonely at times, impoverished always, but well. And all the while doing my best to keep in high spirits... perhaps even literally.