On The Move, Still Writing

As of November 30th, I was no longer a resident of 1821 South Main Street.

My lease ended and I will be taking a hiatus from Los Angeles for a much-needed break starting January 1, 2009. I will be unemployed for the sake of serious rest, writing, and travel. Those three things don't sound like they actually go together, but they do. I am not traveling to see any particular sights, only people, and though I will be going through a gauntlet of various airports, it will be a welcome change from the gauntlet that is LA rush hour by bicycle.

All this traveling doesn't mean that I am going to disappear from the LA blogosphere; in fact, I will be using this break to catch up on various posts that have been collecting dust in the "Drafts" section of my Blogger account. Though I usually try to stay away from the internet and technology when I travel, January will be an exception. I am traveling to spend time with friends and to spend time on writing both online and offline, and I'll be toting my laptop with me for this purpose.

I began this blog in January to document my experience living in this odd little zone in Los Angeles and to give exposure to a side of South and Downtown LA beyond the stereotypes of violence and urban decay. This is an area that is changing, both through gentrification and grass-roots community revitalization, and it needs to be acknowledged. There is still much more writing to be done, more research, more than I have been able to do while balancing a full-time job, a social life, and other community commitments.

I feel in love with Los Angeles from this tiny studio apartment; in the last year, I became car-free, joined an arts collective, connected with community, and grew as a person and as a wrier. By no means am I shutting down or archiving South of Downtown-- I am merely disclosing that I am now living elsewhere. I hope to write about SoDo as a true resident again once the wanderlust is satisfied.