Big life news!
After many years of calling Minneapolis home, my wonderful wife Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw and I are moving to Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. I don’t know if there is a Los Angeles in Ohio or Cambodia or any other place, but we’re not moving there, we’re moving to Los Angeles, California.
Below is an FAQ. These are questions I’ve frequently been asking myself about the move. If you think you might enjoy reading my (frankly pretty informative) inner dialogue, then please continue reading!
Q: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
A: There are many reasons. When Sara and I first got married we agreed we wanted to try living different places. We did a pretty good job of that by living in TWO DIFFERENT PLACES in South Minneapolis, but it’s time for a real change.
Sara is interested in exploring new job opportunities.
After a lot of visits and investigation, I’m convinced Los Angeles, California is the best place to pursue the kind of comedy performance and comedy writing that makes me happy.
Also, I really do want to break-up with snow.
Q: BUT ISN’T MINNEAPOLIS AWESOME?
A: Yes, yes, it is. Saint Paul is not bad, either. When I was a little kid my parents had a pack of playing cards with a picture of the IDS, the big blue skyscraper in the middle of Downtown Minneapolis. At the time we lived in Brainerd–also known as “The Paris of Northern Minnesota.”
I was fascinated by that big blue, sci-fi looking building. I wanted to go to the big city and be a part of things. Years later, I worked in the IDS building at Kinko’s. I’ve done a show on the 50th floor. I’ve been on dates, laughed with friends, had a homeless guy say he would like to shoot me but couldn’t afford a gun–all in that building.
When I see the IDS all of this flashes through my mind. To me, it’s Minneapolis. It’s been a part of me since my earliest memories and it always will be.
But it’s time to check out some other skyscrapers.
Q: THAT’S ALL NICE AND ROMANTIC–WAY TO USE YOUR LIBERAL ARTS DEGREE–BUT WHEN ARE YOU ACTUALLY MOVING?
A: We’ll be making the transition–going back and forth a little bit–over the next several weeks with the goal to be all settled in Los Angeles, California by the end of March.
Q: WILL YOU EVER BE BACK IN MINNEAPOLIS?
A: Yes, thanks for that nice segue. I’ll be back in July to perform at CONvergence. Check the LIVE SHOWS section of this very website for details on this and other shows across the country.
Q: DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT LOS ANGELES?
A: Yes. I’ve been there several times and I’m lucky enough to know a lot of cool people. I look forward to hanging out and doing fun weird creative things with friends, fellow performers, writers, and all of their small, adorable dogs. Plus, I’ve watched every season of 24 so I know it only takes 5 to 15 minutes to drive anywhere in the metro area.
Q: WILL YOU BECOME A TOTALLY PRO-WEST COAST GUY OR WILL YOU BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO LIVES IN LOS ANGELES BUT CONSTANTLY TALKS ABOUT HOW GREAT THE MIDWEST IS?
A: All I can say for sure is that I will make fun of both places equally.
Q: WHEN WILL YOU DO YOUR FIRST JUICE CLEANSE?
A: When it snows in Los Angeles.
I think that’s it! Thanks for reading and thanks for your support during this weird transitional time.
Sincerely,
Joseph “I’m really done with snow” Scrimshaw
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Hooray for change! I’m excited to see what happens next!!
I love all of this, but you do know that you will be forced to juice cleanse with the first three months of living in Los Angeles due to the high volume of fruit and vegetables that we produce. This is not about health but about dealing with overstock. In order to vote you have to sign an affidavit stating that you have consumed twenty to seventy pounds of organic and locally grown material. It is just easier to do it in a juiced state than to keep all those melons and heads of kale around.
***THE MORE YOU KNOW***
Saw this coming, but it feels too soon. Good luck to you out there. I am very excited to see you at CONvergence and beyond.
Sounds perfect to me! Wouldn’t change a thing. Wish I had the opportunity to go also.
I’d like to think that it’s not so much like Minnesota is losing a comedian, it’s more like Minnesota is laying comedy eggs in California’s brain while it is helpless and unsuspecting.
LA could definitely use some clever, funny people. Best of luck, and don’t let Iowa hit you in the ass on the way out!