After my move from Panorama City to Sherman Oaks yesterday, I've begun noticing differences in how I perceive my life, and already they are having profound effects!

Prior to this morning, I was living in Panorama City, which for those who don't know is a part of town full of cheap housing for hispanic service people.  Frankly, I was excited to live with non-English speakers and see how I fared...  I definitely saw and smelled and heard a lot of things I never otherwise would have.  At the same time, the only people I could really relate to were the kids that make up the kid amoeba, crashing from one end of the complex to the other on scooters and skateboards all day long.  As soon as they found out I had any affiliation with horror friends, they were boon companions.

Part of my challenge living there was that the way of life these people enjoy, and they honestly seem to enjoy it at times, incorporates the daily struggle for bread as a fact of life.  Spending money on anything so frivolous as making a film is inconceivable there, and the understanding that money can make more money is absent.

Last night, I slept in Sherman Oaks, near the new Arclight, Ventura Blvd, surrounded by people who pay as much as five times for their quarters as I do thanks to a happy quirk of architecture.  When I woke up this morning, my short-term goals seemed perfectly reasonable.  I bought myself a nice dinner out last night, and didn't sweat over the expense, where I might have the day before.  Where I am in my life seems suddenly more acceptable, and the work I'm doing seems simpler.

Bear in mind, I've never had a problem knuckling down.  Many of my friends tell me I'm far too disciplined.  My point is that suddenly, I feel like achieving my goals takes less discipline than I thought.  Letting go just became a whole lot easier.

Always, my work has deeply affected my home life.  Movies are almost all I talk about with my more casual friends.  Nightly, I work on something related to my career, be it a script, web updates, one of my games, or what-have-you.  For some bizarre reason, it never occurred to me that we bring our home into work as well.  I thought making do with a place to sleep and a place to type, and that it wouldn't impact my work...

I have no idea where I got that notion, but believe me, I know better now!  I suspect this March is going to be one of the best months of my life.

Today, I biked to work on Victory Boulevard!  What does that tell you?