I hope everyone is having a good week. I was finally able to go outside for a run today and there was sun, even though it was only like 18 degrees high. Driving in the snow is a drag, Massachusetts is in a state of emergency due to there being nowhere to put the snow and not a single day in sight that will be warm enough to melt any of it. Hah! What a world I live in out here. My family back home is dumbfounded by what I'm describing. Only family members who have lived in Flagstaff, AZ know what dealing with snow is like. I'm tired of the cold, I can't wait until spring. But anyway... updates! I have applied to more jobs in various different cities and I have a tentative list of moving places that might expand or decrease as the weeks go by; so here's a quick summation.

I'm likely going to be moving in June, and I will likely be spending a month in Los Angeles with my parents before I move to whatever my destination city ends up being. This will be calming down time for me, reflecting on where I am in life, praying and meditating, working on my relationship with God, working on some serious composing, doing some good reading, and spending time with old friends. It will be a month of down time that I desperately need.

Rapid City, South Dakota
So here's the deal with South Dakota: I have a job if I want it, that a friend is hooking me up with. I am/was very excited about the possibility of moving out there, however a few journals ago I asked people about it and there seemed to be an overwhelming response from people saying it was a bad idea. Well... seems like Rapid City has been in the news a lot lately for racism. Recently THIS STORY broke out that some Native children were assaulted at a hockey game, and from what I am coming to understand, the racial tensions in Rapid City are inescapable, which is not good news for a person who looks like me. I've dealt with racism before, particularly in small town Arizona, but people are insisting the plains are worse than anything I've experienced, which is saying quite a lot to be honest! I do have to look out for my own safety but I'm not going to lie, I'm honestly still very interested in South Dakota because it's such a different place than any place I have lived in, rich in Native culture, open spaces, and really sacred locations. I don't know, maybe I AM being naive and I am overlooking the bad as I daydream about the good.

Seattle, Washington
I applied for a job out here. I have always loved the Northwest. I love how green it is. I have many friends there and one of my uncles just moved there too. There is a lot of rain, but at least I will not have to dig my car out of 3 feet of snow! Seattle is also very rich with Native culture, and the area is home to a lot of the biggest pow wows in the country. The famous Muckleshoot Powwow is only like 40 minutes drive away from Seattle! I can fly direct to SoCal from Sea-Tac airport and direct to Mesa, AZ from Bellingham airport north of Seattle.

San Diego, California
This one would be nice because driving to Arizona would be easy to do. San Diego is a beautiful city. My only issue is that the job in question here doesn't pay remarkably well, just well enough to get me by and such but not where I think I'd feel I have a financial cushion. Still, the location and weather is unbeatable.

Phoenix, Arizona
That's right! I just found a job opening yesterday that I'm applying for in Phoenix. Phoenix is still my first choice city wise. I'd be smack dab in the middle of the desert but with all the opportunities a musician has in a big city. I'd be a very close drive to the reservation to visit family and friends and I could go as often as I wanted. Needless to say, I am most excited about this one.

Tucson, Arizona
Tucson was on the list before, but might also get bumped out much like Rapid City. I sort of had one of those "sure" jobs where if I wanted it I got it, but thanks to our wonderful governor Ducey, the job in question might not be available thanks to his direct action. It's still a possibility but I'll have to see what happens.


Life right now feels so unstable. Staying in Boston meant (assuming there wasn't a catastrophic economic collapse) that I would never struggle to find work as a musician. It's inescapable that Boston, for it's size, has an abundance of work for musicians and I have managed to make a living in one of the most expensive cities in the country. But I've given up that stability in an attempt to move back west. My quality of life however is too dependent on family and my childhood friends who are all back in the southwest, and they're too much a part of my heart to be this separated from them. I have three and a half months left. The countdown is on.