Still unsettled...

I have been trying to get more settled in my new surroundings here in Palm Springs. It’s been an adjustment, in so many ways, since uprooting again from home in Minneapolis, then to Los Angeles, and two months later again to the desert. For the most part, it’s been interesting and cool. But now that I’ve been here for a month, I am starting to feel the restlessness once again.

My new job as a studio manager, photographer, and assistant keeps me very busy. Maybe too busy, as I still have much unpacking to do at home. But maybe I have been a bit lazy about that, also. My new boss and coworkers are all pretty cool. There have been only a few of those awkward, stick-my-foot-in-my-mouth moments. Some days I work from 8 AM until 8 PM, but then I can usually sleep in the next day if there aren’t any shoots scheduled in the morning. My boss gives me a lot of room to work in my own way and puts a lot of trust in my abilities and work ethic. But, at the same time, I can get a bit overwhelmed with all the responsibility, and begin getting burned out even when there are a lot of exciting things going on around me. All in all, the new job is pretty cool. It’s just that I have been so busy working that I have little energy left over to use on the home and social fronts.

There are many hiking trails here, but I have only been out on two occasions. I have found some internet resources and picked up a book on the local trails, so I am hoping that I will eventually be able to get out there. I guess I have been a bit reluctant also because I am so out of shape. But I am tired of making so many excuses. I really just need to get out there!

Today's pic is the view facing my backyard. I stepped out onto the street to avoid the obstruction of the lovely pink cinder-block walls encircling the camp. What you are looking at is Mt. San Jacinto, the second highest peak in California at 10,834 feet above sea level (my apartment is at about 350 feet above sea level). I took the tram up to the top and spent the day hiking around a couple weeks ago. It was quite impressive, to say the least.