Moving In A Rural Way
Friday, February 15th, 2008My life changed last year.
Like many I had gotten into more debt that I could deal with. The unthhinkable occurred. The once ”unsinkable” California real estate marked sunk.
I had gotten into a real pickle. I owed more than my house was worth. As credit interest kept piling up I was slowly getting crushed under a mountain of debt.
Business was, um, sucking, I blew through my scant savings, prudent reserve and equity. A big life change and life transision was about to begin.
None of my options were looking too pretty.
I was basically f&*ked.
As a rescuer of animals I had a fur family. Two dogs, two cats. All with “issues”. My boy dog LUKE, was so freaked out when I rescued him, he wouldn’t come out of my room for the first year and a half I had him.
As many who’ve visited, or even tried to walk in front of the house, will tell you - Luke barks. BIG. I couldn’t see me in an apartment, no matter how sound proof it was.
By the time December rolled around, the house was at auction and I had a feeling I was going to be living in an SUV. I was broke.
My friend Jill knew someone who had a cozy cabin. Cozy, in real estate jargon means thimble sized in the real world.
One room.
400 square feet.
Luke and Latka unwind after the move.
I gulped real hard. Here I was, a guy with 2 dogs and 2 cats, I lived in a three room house with a complete office for EyeLight, The Bumper Foundation and the Harold B. Rhodes Music Foundation - 3 computers, 2 printers, a plotter, scanners. Then there was the cubic tons of books. Spiritual book, Mayan refrence books for 2012 EYE OF THE SHAMAN, dog books for BUMPER and LUKE SEARCH AND RESDUCE DOG HERO
Then there was the garage. It was so packed full of EYELIGHT stuff it was impossible to walk in. A video camera package, lights and sound, grip gear, stands, for.
Did I say anything about the furniture or art yet?
I think by now the picture is rather well illuminated: 10 tons of stuff and a zip-loc bag sized cabin.
Billy plots his escape.
It was quite a yard sale.
When I moved to Pasadena in 2000, it was stil relatively quiet. When I left it was booming. Builders building buildings where ever they can. A posh new shopping mall. Multi-storey buildings springing up all over town. If you can’t build out, gonna have to build up…just like the traffic.
I loved living in Pasadena except during Rose Bowl Parade season rolled around the calendar. When campers and suvs from all over the midwest, or Texas jamed the streets, hogged all the parking, and created unteneable waits at most retaurants….not that I was eating out at the time, but sheesh just the same… it gets crowded.
After the Rains.
is a legendary lighting designer and one of the early pioneers of the concert touring industry. He served as lighting designer for some of the biggest