The great thing about moving to Austin is the people I’ve met so far. I’ve done more creative editing work here in three months than I ever did in the four years I was in Los Angeles. Plus, a lot of my new friends are creative types who actually care about making quality films and not just dreary workaday LA film people who are just going to another job. This mixture of passion and talent excites me here, and I hope I can parlay this into some sort of actual work. Since arriving in February I’ve been able to work on cutting down a short film and help a woman cut a show reel for a documentary she’s working on. She’s trying to secure some finishing funding, so there might be some extended work there. While I still haven’t found a steady job yet, I’ve had some great opportunities I’ve been a part of that I hope are training me for some good things.

My daughter continues to grow astoundingly quickly, and my wife is getting more beautiful with each new day of pregnancy. There are only about 80 days to do until we can hold her. Wow. We’ve been able to paint the nursery walls and will hopefully be able to actually start filling it with stuff soon. I can’t wait to meet my little girl. It’s funny how I’m beginning to transition from this desire to spend money on myself or my wife to an overwhelming urge to save every penny so I can spend it on her.

Work on my book has slowed to a halt, partly because of the job search. But mostly because of excuses I tell myself. Like this one: I just can’t seem to be creative when I know I need to be looking for bill-paying work. But the story will not leave my brain alone, which is a great sign for its longevity and the probability of actually bringing it to completion.

It’s been a good month, and my wife and I are happier than almost any time we were in Los Angeles. I know we are closer, and I am all the better and more content for it.