on getting back into my element, and what was Jim Carrey’s daughter doing there?

I’m trying to get back into my element. Have I really been back in Los Angeles for three weeks? Feels longer, actually. In a sense it feels like I never left. And yet it also feels like an entirely new adventure this time around, partly because I’ve parked myself in a different part of town and partly because my own situation has evolved so drastically since I left. So returning my “element” requires some examination of what exactly my element is (or should be) at this point in the journey.

When I ventured to New York City a month and a half ago, I’ll admit I distinctly felt out of my element. Sitting down to interview Katy Perry in person, who has the number one pop song in the country, didn’t make me half as nervous as attending PodCamp NYC the next day. Famous interview? I do those on a regular basis at this point. But PodCamp was the first public appearance I’d made since Macworld Expo. I wasn’t exactly a shut-in when I was back in Florida, but there wasn’t even so much as a single podcaster meetup to attend, not a single industry-related event of any kind. NYC was a wake-up call for me, both in the sense that it told me I needed to get back out here as soon as possible and in the realization that I was going to have to re-integrate myself into this kind of lifestyle once I did.

Just going out for a walk after dark and actually encountering other people is something I’d stopped being used to, let alone walking a few hundred yards out the front door and finding myself smack in the middle of a highly commercialized area. But I’m getting there. The OC Podcasters meeting the other day was a good start, a return to what I used to call normal. The meetup unexpectedly led to the launch of an ambitious behind the scenes project too. And this evening, after I finished guesting on the iPhone Alley podcast, I realized I had the rest of the evening free and decided to head out.

I took a look at tonight’s schedule for the nearest music club, didn’t recognize any of the names, and headed there anyway. As I walked in a singer named Kari Kimmel had just taken the stage. Fantastic voice with a penchant for pop songs. Alright, there’s an interview to line up if she’s interested. Next on the stage was the Jane Carrey Band, whose singer had such a familiar face that finally I googled her name on my iPhone just to figure out what I was missing, and yeah, duh, she’s Jim Carrey’s daughter. Shoulda spotted that one. But nevermind that, bottom line is she can sing, and she’s got a whole range of styles. Alright, line that one up as well.

Two for two for the evening, hopefully, in terms of interviews. And certainly two for two in terms of discovering and taking in good music. Might have stuck around longer, but despite it only being about sixty degrees outside, the club itself must have been at least eighty-five. Silly me, I had totally forgotten that air conditioning is still largely a new concept on the west coast and so I’d fairly well dressed up before heading out. Time to head home before I sweated through my shirt completely. And a mental note to go back to wearing a T-shirt and shorts any time I’m heading to a Hollywood music venue, just like I used to. I learned that one the last time around but I’d forgotten. I guess some things don’t change.