So I got a job offer from LA County Library to be the CLM of a branch in South Central LA. I always had this California dream and especially living in LA or San Diego, maybe bumming on Venice Beach and driving into the hood, the source of renewed material for my crime fiction. They really wanted me, but alas, when considering all the factors, I regretfully decided against it. I know many would jump at working for a library system that’s gotten some praise recently, and living in sunny California, which was much of the pitch and the attraction given the issues I’ve had with getting sick here. But then, I got sick in sunny Peru and Thailand too, and there’s no guarantee that a temperate climate would equal no illness. And, more importantly, despite my lifelong love/hate relationship with it, my heart is still in Queens, the basis of my work and my ambitions is still here, and NYC is still the greatest city on earth. Sure, I might consider what might have been, but there might still be opportunities coming, and anyway, I could always go on a vacation in Cali. But the point is, I’ve reaffirmed my commitment to Queens, and continuing to build my life’s work here!