Letter from the Editor.

I'm sitting on a futon couch listening to the whirring of helicopters which can only mean one thing: I made it to LA!

And boy was it a journey to get here. I rented a U-Haul and packed it up the day after Thanksgiving. It was like if boxing day succeeded Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. My parents and I drove through the Willamette Valley, up and over the Siskiyous, through the Sacramento Valley, into the Hampton Inn and Suites, across the San Joaquin Valley, and traversed over the coastal range in the Angeles National Forest. And I got a bad cold that knocked the voice right out of me in the middle of the trip.

I live in La Brea now. If you are up-to-date on the tar pit situation here, then you will find it interesting that I am less than a mile from the actual pit. If I play my cards right, I might get some inside scoops on what old bones they're pulling out of that thing so I can tell all of you first.

The thing I've seen the most of since my arrival is my own apartment. I spent a couple of days moving in, with the help of my parents. We've been cleaning the place, unpacking, and assembling sit/stand desks with passion and zest.

I made my parents take a break and forced them to go to Manhattan Beach. It's a lot different than the isle of Manhattan but the homes are probably just as expensive.

I got to put my feet in the water and when I was back up on the pier, I spotted a sea lion. Jackpot!

I spotted a sea lion and the next day, while I was working, my mom spotted Niecy Nash filming The Rookie. I am surrounded by the stars here but I will not see any of them because by the time work is over, it's too dark out!

Is it warm here? Thanks for asking. No, it's not. But somehow my mind still thinks it's warm because I assume California isn't ever cold, so I've been leaving the windows open. 40 and 50 degree weather is cold enough that you shouldn't leave all your windows open. That's a lesson I'm learning. Another lesson I'm learning: turning left during red lights. The driving is different down here but everyone turns left right after the light turns red. So I guess I'll be doing that too.

In crow news, I am nearing the big 500 follower mark. Twitter being up in flames has only increased the amount of people wanting to follow a very cool and very anti-crow Twitter account.

Sometimes I wonder why I do the things I do.

Last thing (I swear!): You know how I have a cold? Well my front two teeth kind of feel numb. Why? Everything I've found on the internet implies something catastrophic has happened and I'm hoping that's not the case, so I'm telling you instead of a doctor.

Good day!


Rachel