& I got ready for the future to arrive.
So. Big things are afoot.
01. I'm moving to Atlanta in July. A-the-boyfriend is going to business school at Emory and as he goes, so goes my nation. The sucky part is how wrenchingly awful it's going to be to leave annakovsky, roommate extraordinaire, and my beloved Boston and did I mention annakovsky? Who will mix desserts for me? And always have the same favorite song and opinion on everything? Who will talk for hours with me about the importance of feminism on tv? Who will let me force her into watching Battlestar and Gilmore Girls and make me learn terrible things about Disney stars in return? Who will beta my emails for meanness, and make fun of all the same things, and compare notes in the eternally open girl detective case on our hot landlord's potential gayness? Who will make fun of me when I do, um, most things, and let me call her Flannakovsky? Who will understand the importance of balcony weather, and that we have the most awesome household of all time? It is going to be eternal sad times. :( :( :(
And I don't think it's a very well-kept secret how much I love Boston. I love that the city feels so much like mine now, how I can get everywhere and know the restaurants and the T and the squares and neighborhoods. And oh god, all my delightful lamer poetry readings (though it looks like Emory at least has some). I'm also not sure how I'm going to function without throughadoor to talk me through every minute problem in my life and/or cooking adventures at my desk every day? Horribleness
On the other hand, I'm also, much to my surprise, really excited. After hating living in Florida for so many years, I never thought I'd be anywhere in the South again, let alone happy about it, but: We're going to be living in the Virginia Highlands, in a really cool, walkable neighborhood full of bars and sushi and cupcakes. There are trees everywhere, and it's going to be warm, almost all the time, and let me tell you what, my relief over not having to go through another New England winter is palpable and tear-inducing. And I really liked it when I was there in December; it definitely doesn't feel Floridian. Plus it's going to be so much cheaper to live there, everything from rent to beer to airfares. And I've been in Boston five years(!!) now; it's been feeling like time for something new, and everything's clicking together just right for this.
My biggest concern is about making friends and a life for myself so I have an identity beyond Girlfriend. But the plan is to devote myself to meeting a crapload of people the second I hit the ground, so hopefully that'll work out. Other things: I'm not thrilled about having a car again, but like I said, the neighborhood is really walkable and bikeable, so that should be good. The thought of quitting my job in this economy makes me feel sick, but I've already gotten some leads in Atlanta, and A's family is really well-connected there, and have offered to help.
The apartment is so nice. I've only seen pictures, but I want to be in it now. And I'll be paying about half the rent I'm paying now. We'll be near A's adorable, hilarious nephews, for maximum babysitting opportunities. I'm really psyched about not having to basically live out of a bag anymore, tramping between our apartments in the cold. Plus even if it's not fantastic, it's only going to be for two years, and then we move on to awesomer pastures. And it's an adventure.
PLUS, I've just discovered that Atlanta used to be named MARTHASVILLE. It's a sign!
I'm excited, guys. I've got that Jed Bartlett feeling on: What's next?
02. I'm going to Central America! For a month! In June! Partly to travel and partly to do some pro bono work for a company that's expanding in the region. Also to improve my crappy Spanish, and get something on my resume that'll be helpful in the future, since I really want to transition into international poverty and development work (read: microfinance) at some point.
Any travel recommendations or tips? I think we're going to be hitting Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, but it's not set in stone yet. (I keep going back and forth on whether I should feel guilty for taking this time between jobs but oh man, I've been chained to a desk for five years straight through, and the idea of just being free for a couple of weeks = A+++ where the A is for Amazing.)
So between disassembling my life here (so much to pack! so much to sell!), getting things set up in Atlanta (so much to buy! prescriptions to transfer! library cards to get!), and planning this trip (vaccinations! malaria pills! packing lists!), there is SO MUCH CRAP to do in the next few months six weeks oh god. I'm going to make Remember the Milk explode.
Lame, I know, but I'd appreciate for the time being if you didn't mention this in comments outside this filter, since I'm trying to keep it from getting back to my parents until I'm ready. I can't possibly explain how awful it's going to be when they find out I'll be Living In Sin. Like, devastating, relationship-destroying awful. So, um, wish me luck with that.
But anyway anyway. Away we go.
01. I'm moving to Atlanta in July. A-the-boyfriend is going to business school at Emory and as he goes, so goes my nation. The sucky part is how wrenchingly awful it's going to be to leave annakovsky, roommate extraordinaire, and my beloved Boston and did I mention annakovsky? Who will mix desserts for me? And always have the same favorite song and opinion on everything? Who will talk for hours with me about the importance of feminism on tv? Who will let me force her into watching Battlestar and Gilmore Girls and make me learn terrible things about Disney stars in return? Who will beta my emails for meanness, and make fun of all the same things, and compare notes in the eternally open girl detective case on our hot landlord's potential gayness? Who will make fun of me when I do, um, most things, and let me call her Flannakovsky? Who will understand the importance of balcony weather, and that we have the most awesome household of all time? It is going to be eternal sad times. :( :( :(
And I don't think it's a very well-kept secret how much I love Boston. I love that the city feels so much like mine now, how I can get everywhere and know the restaurants and the T and the squares and neighborhoods. And oh god, all my delightful lamer poetry readings (though it looks like Emory at least has some). I'm also not sure how I'm going to function without throughadoor to talk me through every minute problem in my life and/or cooking adventures at my desk every day? Horribleness
On the other hand, I'm also, much to my surprise, really excited. After hating living in Florida for so many years, I never thought I'd be anywhere in the South again, let alone happy about it, but: We're going to be living in the Virginia Highlands, in a really cool, walkable neighborhood full of bars and sushi and cupcakes. There are trees everywhere, and it's going to be warm, almost all the time, and let me tell you what, my relief over not having to go through another New England winter is palpable and tear-inducing. And I really liked it when I was there in December; it definitely doesn't feel Floridian. Plus it's going to be so much cheaper to live there, everything from rent to beer to airfares. And I've been in Boston five years(!!) now; it's been feeling like time for something new, and everything's clicking together just right for this.
My biggest concern is about making friends and a life for myself so I have an identity beyond Girlfriend. But the plan is to devote myself to meeting a crapload of people the second I hit the ground, so hopefully that'll work out. Other things: I'm not thrilled about having a car again, but like I said, the neighborhood is really walkable and bikeable, so that should be good. The thought of quitting my job in this economy makes me feel sick, but I've already gotten some leads in Atlanta, and A's family is really well-connected there, and have offered to help.
The apartment is so nice. I've only seen pictures, but I want to be in it now. And I'll be paying about half the rent I'm paying now. We'll be near A's adorable, hilarious nephews, for maximum babysitting opportunities. I'm really psyched about not having to basically live out of a bag anymore, tramping between our apartments in the cold. Plus even if it's not fantastic, it's only going to be for two years, and then we move on to awesomer pastures. And it's an adventure.
PLUS, I've just discovered that Atlanta used to be named MARTHASVILLE. It's a sign!
I'm excited, guys. I've got that Jed Bartlett feeling on: What's next?
02. I'm going to Central America! For a month! In June! Partly to travel and partly to do some pro bono work for a company that's expanding in the region. Also to improve my crappy Spanish, and get something on my resume that'll be helpful in the future, since I really want to transition into international poverty and development work (read: microfinance) at some point.
Any travel recommendations or tips? I think we're going to be hitting Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, but it's not set in stone yet. (I keep going back and forth on whether I should feel guilty for taking this time between jobs but oh man, I've been chained to a desk for five years straight through, and the idea of just being free for a couple of weeks = A+++ where the A is for Amazing.)
So between disassembling my life here (so much to pack! so much to sell!), getting things set up in Atlanta (so much to buy! prescriptions to transfer! library cards to get!), and planning this trip (vaccinations! malaria pills! packing lists!), there is SO MUCH CRAP to do in the next few months six weeks oh god. I'm going to make Remember the Milk explode.
Lame, I know, but I'd appreciate for the time being if you didn't mention this in comments outside this filter, since I'm trying to keep it from getting back to my parents until I'm ready. I can't possibly explain how awful it's going to be when they find out I'll be Living In Sin. Like, devastating, relationship-destroying awful. So, um, wish me luck with that.
But anyway anyway. Away we go.