countdown
Have I mentioned that I love Chicago? My apartment? My roommates? The cats that come with one particular roommate? The relative ease in which I settled into this city? My neighborhood? The 22 bus? The red line? The other friends I have met and reconnected with since the move? The theater scene? The music events and venues... So much of it is great.
Chicago is great.
The snow is not AS great, but it was, obviously, not unexpected and I've dealt with it remarkably well except for that one tense and debilitating week in December. Still, it's march, and I woke up to a new batch of the white fluffy stuff, and I'd be happy if it was done now.
My job leaves me eternally broke. Sometimes I make less a month than my bills total. That is depressing. BUT I see layoffs and shutdowns all around me, and I'm thankful for a job that seems relatively stable for the time being. It's not * quite * what I was hoping for when I moved here, but with the economy the way it is right now, any job is a good one.
But the good more than outweighs the bad and I'm still discovering new things and people and places daily.
With that said, it seems counterintuitive to announce that in July I will be returning to California.
I never said I would move here indefinitely. I thought it might turn out that way, but I left it open. I committed to a year. I have enjoyed the first 3/4 of it, and I could easily see myself making it work here. But 20+ years in California makes me feel almost like I'm in a different country here. And as much as I can handle warming my car up, scraping ice, and learning exactly how many layers of long underwear can fit under one pair of jeans, it is not something I want to Get Used To.
Simply put, before I left California, I fell in love. With Long Beach, with Annie. With a state I thought I was at odds with. These past months have solidified that for me.
So at the end of June I will packing my belongings back into my trusty chevy cavalier and traversing the bland highways of the flyover states and desert to return to Long Beach. To 728 Cherry. To Annie, who has been more than patient and supportive.
And in the remaining months, I plan to take in as much of the city as I can possibly stand.
Chicago is great.
The snow is not AS great, but it was, obviously, not unexpected and I've dealt with it remarkably well except for that one tense and debilitating week in December. Still, it's march, and I woke up to a new batch of the white fluffy stuff, and I'd be happy if it was done now.
My job leaves me eternally broke. Sometimes I make less a month than my bills total. That is depressing. BUT I see layoffs and shutdowns all around me, and I'm thankful for a job that seems relatively stable for the time being. It's not * quite * what I was hoping for when I moved here, but with the economy the way it is right now, any job is a good one.
But the good more than outweighs the bad and I'm still discovering new things and people and places daily.
With that said, it seems counterintuitive to announce that in July I will be returning to California.
I never said I would move here indefinitely. I thought it might turn out that way, but I left it open. I committed to a year. I have enjoyed the first 3/4 of it, and I could easily see myself making it work here. But 20+ years in California makes me feel almost like I'm in a different country here. And as much as I can handle warming my car up, scraping ice, and learning exactly how many layers of long underwear can fit under one pair of jeans, it is not something I want to Get Used To.
Simply put, before I left California, I fell in love. With Long Beach, with Annie. With a state I thought I was at odds with. These past months have solidified that for me.
So at the end of June I will packing my belongings back into my trusty chevy cavalier and traversing the bland highways of the flyover states and desert to return to Long Beach. To 728 Cherry. To Annie, who has been more than patient and supportive.
And in the remaining months, I plan to take in as much of the city as I can possibly stand.