Posted 9:06 AM by Anonymous

Say Hi to Stephanie!

Hi. I'm new here, and a little unsure of what to write. "Write just like you normally do," Raymond said, and I thought, "Okay. What do I normally do?" The only answer I can think of is, I ramble. About Los Angeles. And my family. And my dreams of being a superhero. Um, yeah. So anyway...

I woke up this morning and decided to post. Not right away. I looked out the window and saw a sliver of grey sky between the buildings, with a hint of blue behind it. I wondered if it would be foggy up in the canyons, and if I should get out of bed and rush through the Sepulveda Pass to the valley to go hiking in my favorite weather. But I was going at 11 with a friend, who I haven't seen all week. I had just been dreaming that she was dating a guy I like, and I had to accept that, in the dream. I decided not to go hiking early, but to wait till 11 for our planned excursion. I was disturbed by the dream.

So I thought about going to the beach. I pictured myself seated on a bench on the cliff above the water in Santa Monica, reading The Fellowship of the Ring, which I have not read since I was 10, and snacking on a cranberry muffin from Barnes & Noble, shivering a little bit in the cool air. No -- I would be rushing then, watching the clock and not focusing on the book or the waves rolling onto the beach or the muffin or the air, but on the fact that I had just half an hour to get to the valley or I would be late. So I heated some butternut squash soup and booted up the computer and sat down to write something here.

I am 26. I feel older, younger, or both at once, depending on the circumstances. I feel the time slipping away when I could stand outside in the rain and stare up at the sky and laugh because the wind just felt so good whipping through me. I have been at my full-time job for two years -- by far a record for me -- and I am finally enjoying it. I wonder if I am getting complacent. I live in Los Angeles. I moved here on November 13, 2000. I recently looked at apartments and realized mine is larger and homier than anything else I could get within my price range in my neighborhood. I am lucky. I am learning to eat well. I still want to dye my hair bright blue, if only to see what it looks like. I cannot do this while I am at my current job. I write TV spec scripts in my spare time. I do well in contests, but have not won any yet. I get a kick out of walking to the corner store. I need more time alone than most people. This irritates most other people I know. I like to draw. I drink a lot of water, and hot water mixed with lime juice. I like limes better than lemons. I will never get through my reading list. I love the high I get from watching a good movie or listening to great music. I have a time management problem. I dream of spending four months a year in L.A., four in New Zealand and four in Massachusetts. Chicago is a good city, too. I miss the snow. Most of the year, I miss the rain. I love the variety in the L.A. landscape -- there are mountains and coastlines and canyons and lakes all within the city limits. Sometimes, you don't even know you're in a city. I don't like how you have to drive everywhere. The roads are great on Sunday morning, when you can get anywhere in 20 minutes. Saturday sucks because everyone is trying to get somewhere. On Sunday they all sleep. My favorite coffee house is on Sunset near Crescent Heights Boulevard. It is called "Coffee House" and has good food, too. I miss caffeine but feel much better without it. I smile a lot. I stare into space. I like to play chess. I'm pretty weird, but I'm happy to be here.