Yesterday came and went without much fanfare. It wasn’t until I woke up this morning that I realized I had missed my LA Anniversary. Again.
Twenty-eight years ago, I arrived in Los Angeles, the so-called City of Angels.
I meant to celebrate. I really did. But I forgot.
To be fair, this is not my first time missing the date, and it probably will not be my last. Life has a way of moving forward whether you pause to mark it or not. And lately, it feels like life has been moving both fast and slow at the exact same time.
What stands out to me now is not just the number, twenty-eight years, but what that time actually represents. I have lived in and around Los Angeles far longer than I ever lived in my hometown of Dallas. That realization alone feels surreal.
There was a time when Texas was everything I knew.
Now it feels like a chapter from a completely different life.
Back in 1998, I made a very intentional choice. In Dallas, I had become somewhat of a big fish in a small pond. Comfortable. Maybe even a little too comfortable. So I did the opposite of what made sense and moved to California, fully aware I would become a very small fish in an absolutely massive pond.
I was then. And, in a lot of ways, I still am.
Los Angeles has a way of humbling you like that. It stretches you, tests you, and occasionally chews you up just to see if you will put yourself back together again.
Over the years, there have been more experiences than I can neatly categorize. So many random gigs, jobs, and projects that somehow kept the lights on and the stories going. More friendships, relationships, and situationships than I could ever count, much less fully remember. Some made perfect sense at the time. Others still don’t make sense to me after all these years.
And through it all, I’ve lived through the full spectrum of the good, the bad, and the ugh-ly. I try to focus on the former and forget the latter.
Building a life somewhere is not just the highlight reel. It’s the accumulation of all those moments, the chaotic, the beautiful, the confusing, and the mundane. Layered over time, they become something solid. Something real. One day you look up and realize you have roots.
So how did I spend my LA Anniversary?
Not with a party. Or even a toast. And definitely not with a reflective sunset moment.
I spent it recovering from my trip. Catching up with my best friend. Thinking about unpacking and then not doing it. And I slept. A lot.
Apparently, this is who I am now. Someone who celebrates twenty-eight years in Los Angeles a day late and a dollar short. And honestly, that feels oddly fitting.
Because the real celebration isn’t in marking the day. It’s in still being here. Still building. Still figuring it out. Still choosing this city, even on the days when it feels like it’s not choosing me back.
Twenty-eight years later, I am still that person who took a risk on building a bigger life. Even though I’m still a small fish in a very big pond, I think I’ve gotten wiser. And more realistic. Mostly.
And, if you are wondering, yes, I still poop out at parties.
Sometimes, I poop out before the party even gets started.
Thank you for being a friend!
Clint 🌈✌️
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thru 05-31-26
ICYMI = IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
SUNDAY = The Struggle Is Still Mighty Real
TUESDAY = Too Big For My Britches
WEDNESDAY = Portlandia + The Road Home
THURSDAY = The In-Between Place
FRIDAY = Clicking My Heals
SATURDAY = There's No Place Like Home
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
05-03 = Mary Lambert (1989- ) = American singer-songwriter 🌈
05-03 = May Sarton (1912-1995) = Belgian-American writer 🌈
05-03 = Raffi Freedman-Gurspan (1987- ) = American political activist 🌈
05-03 = Robert De Niro Sr. (1922-1993) = American artist 🌈
05-03 = Sandi Toksvig (1958- ) = Danish-British comedienne and presenter 🌈
05-03 = William Inge (1913-1973) = American playwright and novelist 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true.”
William Inge
☑️🅰️
I've been living in Thailand for 24 years - the longest I've ever been in the same house. I don't like living in cities (suburbs are okay). I've visited many places in the world. LA was always too big for me. I got stopped by the police twice for walking. I saw a man shot as he walked from his car. That made for the third time of being berated by the police for walking.
When I came to this house, it was more or less "out in the jungle" - few other buildings and no street lighting, lots of trees. Now the city has moved out to join me. There is a motorway overpass outside my tiny residential village, shops and bars and new residential villages. I have mentioned that the wild animals have gone. Fewer trees and almost no open spaces of fields. The road is well lit at night.
Wherever you lay your hat, mate. Nest relaxed, baby.