Welcome Back to NoVa

I’m still reeling from all the changes going on in my life right now. Today’s post is gonna be very short - just a quick update really.

It’s been a few week since my last post and in that time a lot of things have changed in my life. I’ve started a new job and relocated to my childhood home of NoVa - Northern Virginia to the non-DMV resident.

Sick of the acronyms yet?

The DMV - as in DC, Maryland, and Virginia - is a lot different from norther New Jersey. Our accents are a lot softer, our roads are a lot wider, and New Jersey lefts aren’t really a thing (I’m not explaining that one).

In many ways I feel like little has changed since I was last in the area. In many other ways, I feel completely out of the loop. DC (only tourists call it Washington) runs everything here and most people have some connection to the city.

Things are much more laid back here, but people are also a lot less likely to tell you exactly what they think. Secrets are the biggest industry in the nation’s capitol - not that I have any. I’m also not really looking forward to the hot and muggy summer months.

 It overall things are fine.

I admit, I miss my friends in New Jersey and my apartment. My new place is nice and a bit bigger than the last, but it’s missing some of the charm of living in a house over a century old. I miss being within spitting distance from a train station. The quiet nights take some getting used to. I miss the mountains and the hiking trails where I saw my first bear.

But I like my new home. I’m hoping to start doing some volunteer work soon - maybe work with animals and plants. There are a lot of nice walking trails and I’m a lot closer to some of my favorite places in the world (the Shenandoah anyone).

I’m back in the DMV. I’m back in NoVa. I hope to not be living out of boxes by the end of the month.

It’s the start of a new adventure in a familiar area, but things have changed - I’ve changed - so it’s not really going home.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please, like, share and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Stress in Motion

Moving sucks. It’s painful, emotional, expensive, and an all around pain in the butt. My current place is a mess and I’m grumpy about it. I have so many things to do and I’m freaking out on how to do them all.

I wish I had a teleported or time machine to get me through all of this. I can’t wait for it to be April or May when all of this is over. I’m tired of being emotional and stressed.

I’ve heard that moving is one of the biggest stresses that a person can go through. I believe it. It’s up there with getting married, funerals, and having kids. I’ve only ever moved so I can’t speak on the other major stresses in life. I can tell you all that I hate it.

How have I been dealing with this newly stressful situation?

By taking it one day at a time.

That’s all I really can do. I’ve made a list of everything that needs to be done. I’ve spent time with friends and called my family. I’ve started throwing away and donating things that I no longer want or need.

I honestly sometimes wonder why I have the things I do, but that’s not a question I can answer now. I just need to put everything carefully into boxes and figure out how to get my couch out of my apartment (we got it in somehow so we can get it out).

Stress sucks. My muscles tense up and I have a hard time falling a sleep. I pace and can only think of every worst case scenario that could possibly happen - instead of the good things. My mind won’t freaking shut up.

It’ll pass...eventually. Everything will get done...eventually.

This is how these things go.

This is me screaming...

But if anyone ever tells you that it’s easy to pick up and leave a place laugh. I get annoyed when someone says that if there are no jobs near you to move near the jobs. It’s never that simple and it’s  very expensive (especially if the job isn’t helping you out).

Seriously, can someone get to inventing a teleported?

Thats all I have for tonight. I don’t know if I’ll have a new blog post up for you guys until I’ve made it to my new home. So until next time everyone!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to the End of a Chapter

I knew it was coming.

I just thought I'd have a little bit more time, but that's not how life goes. Life doesn't give you a clean break when things changing. I can't teleport myself from one place to the next with all my stuff ready to move with me.

After almost six months, I've found a wonderful job opportunity. I'm really excited and it's in a field that I'm very passionate about.

However, it will take me away from the life I've built in Northern New Jersey and taking me back to my home state of Virginia.

I have a lot of feelings about this transition. I'm excited for the job - relieved to finally have a job. I'm happy to be moving closer to the friends and family I left behind in Virginia. I feel ready for the next adventure I'm to go on.

But I'm also sad. I've made some really good friends in New Jersey and they are just as sad as I am that I'm leaving. From my yoga teacher to the people I see every week at the farmer's market. From my two writing groups to my wonderful landlady and her three adorable beagles. I'm going to miss all of them.

I'm going to miss being able to roll out of bed on a Friday morning to catch the train into New York City. I'm going to miss going and seeing a show on a random night of the week because I can always catch the last train home (even if there are tons of drunk kids on it with me). I'm going to miss my favorite hiking spots and the view of the city from Rt 17 South in Ramsey.

I've found myself with a wonderful opportunity and I've decided to take it. I don't know what's exactly is about to happen next, but I've been in this position before.

The first time I moved for my first job, it wasn't a difficult transition. I was about an hour away from my friends and family. The second move from Maryland to New Jersey was a lot harder. I didn't know anyone in New Jersey except for a few coworkers. I cried the entire drive. I burst into tears as soon as the movers showed up at my apartment.

Thankfully, my roommate I lived with that first year in New Jersey was one of the most wonderful people I could have met.

I moved again after a year, but only ten minutes up the way. It wasn't the hardest move and I was excited to have my own place again. My landlady was so nice and the doggies so cute.

Part of me wishes that I could fast-forward through the next few months. Looking back on those first few moves, I remember the emotions that the change caused. There's so much work I have to do, but I can't do it all at once. I still have to take everything one day at a time.

I know that this will all turn out for the best. I just have to get through saying good bye and settling into my new home. I don't want to lose the relationships I've gained, but I know the reality of this type of move.

I'm happy to be going back to Virginia. I'm excited for this job.

I'm sad that this chapter of my life is coming to a close.

I wish I knew more about what the next chapter brings.

Hopefully it's not a cliffhanger.

Welcome to Risk Taking

Life is full of uncertainty. The unknown is scary. Not having a clear idea of what the future can be really stressful. That doesn't mean I won't try something really crazy and take a few risks.

When I think of the word risk, three things come to mind. The first is the game Risk, which is a much better alternative to Monopoly to kill time and you're more likely to keep your friendships. The second thing I think of is the econmic term "risk" which heavily focuses on making money in the stock market. The saying "greater the risk, the greater the return" is often thrown around, but there is also a higher chance of failure.

The third and final thing I think of are the risks we experience in life. Yes, this definition is very similar to the economic term. The difference is, I either don't always notice the everyday risks or the risk is me leaving what I consider my secure enviornment. I also feel it's very important to take these risks.

Sure these types of risks always have that chance of blowing up in my face (I try to learn from those mistakes), but I like to think the benefits of stepping out of the familiar is far more important than not doing it. These types of risks could be going to a resaurant or bar by myself, moving across country, or even getting into a side car of a motorcycle. All of these things can end in some kind of failure (lets not get into the last one). And that's fine. It's okay to fail every once and a while.

I like taking risks that are within reason (otherwise I wouldn't have moved to New Jersey from Maryland). Sometimes, though, I need someone to give me a bigger push to try new things. I don't think I would have ever ridden in the side car of a motorcycle without my cousin telling me it would be a blast. I probably wouldn't have stayed up until 4am partying without a little encoragment from a friend. I might never have brought tickets to Iceland if another one of my friends hadn't had a great solo trip of her own and told me it would be a great adventure.

Sure not all of my risks have turned out well. Some of them have amazing stories about why I should not have done this action or why another action will not be done again. These stories will not be repeated here.

I want to experience as much as I can from this life. I can't be afraid to try something new. Because then I might live at all.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week!

Welcome To Boxes Everywhere

Happy Mother's Day everyone. Did you hug your mom or mother figure today? If you aren't nearby did you remember to call? I got to spend a few days with my mom and sister this year, which was nice.

Originally they were coming to help me unpack and organize a bit. Instead we watched moves and went to Sleepy Hollow. It was nice to relax and enjoy each other's company.

I did feel a little bad though that my new place was very messy with boxes and bags everywhere. I honestly didn't know where half of my things were and it's very frustrating. I've been trying to go through at least one box a day.

Going through at least one box a day is a little more manageable than staring at the very large stack of boxes. Sure I have no idea where anything is, so it's always a mystery when I pull the tape off of the box. It's almost like opening Christmas presents.

Getting rid of the boxes is equally difficult, if only because you have to take them to a separate location because the garbage men won't take them. It adds a slightly higher level of frustration. I can't wait to have a nice clean apartment completely box free.

If I were to add any other advice while unpacking it would be to take breaks every now and again. Moving takes a lot of energy and taking a minute to sit down and relax helps balance out the strain of looking for that one item that you need right this instant.

Until next week...

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Now where did I put my scissors?

Welcome to moving...again.

Yes, I change the place where I crash every night, again. This is my fourth move in roughly five years. I do think this move went a lot better than the last one. Then again I only moved ten minutes from my last apartment, instead of two states over.

Moving takes a lot out of a person. Even more so when you're doing it on all by yourself. Thankfully my last roommate is understanding and is letting me take my time getting everything out and my new landlady is really nice.

The thing about moving is you never know how much stuff you have until you have to pack it all up. The. You have to find it all again while your unpacking. Some items might not survive a move. My DVD player seems to not want to turn on anymore. This is unfortunant because I didn't realize that I had left a DVD in it.

When it comes to furniture, you might have to get creative. The first couple of places I looked at, I had to say no to right away because my stuff wouldn't have fit. Hiring movers is a good idea if you have the money and don't have a friend who moves big items for a living.

If you are interested, you can read about my first adventures in moving Here and Here. Now that I've moved again to my own place here are a few tips:

1) Hire movers only if you have to - moving is expensive. If you don't have to hire someone to help you, the better. However if you do have to hire movers...

2) Get recommendations for Movers - there are a lot of Internet horror stories out there. I find that the most reliable way to get good movers (or at least people who won't scan you) is to ask people who they have used and liked. I found out about these movers from a coworker.

3) Start packing as soon as possible - the first time it took forever to get all my stuff into boxes. This time I started packing about two weeks in advance and half of my stuff was already packed up in storage.

4) Be flexible - things will go wrong, something unexpected will happen. The best thing to do is to factor it in early and roll with he punches.

5) Take sometime to relax - moving is stressful and no matter how much I wish everything was already unpacked in its rightful place, it's not. I don't want to get burnt out and won't want to either. Taking sometime to sit down and take a break lets me regroup and think about my next step.

After a long weekend of moving, I'm super tired and now need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for work tomorrow. I'm going to curl up on my couch and sleep for a nice long 8 hours. That's right! I've got my couch back! How I missed my baby! Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Now I'm going to sleep...zzzzz.

Welcome to the Hecktic Month April

It's almost April 15th. If you live in the good old U. S. of A. then it's almost time to file your tax returns. Isn't that wonderful? No? Well too bad it still has to get done, whether we want them to or not.

April always seems to be a busy month. Before I graduated (college or high school there's not much difference for this), April meant that it's was the homestretch. Exams were just around the corner, which was then followed by the freedom of summer. I miss those days sometimes. Sometimes the state exams even started in April.

Last year at this time, I was getting ready to move to New Jersey. This year I'm getting ready to move to a new place, thankfully only ten minutes away. I seem to never catch a break in April.

This year I think the seasons decided to play a massive April Fool's Day joke on us in North America (at least on the east coast).  Here in New Jersey, we were supposed to get snow last weekend. It was still miserably cold, but there were only a few flurries. My home state of VA, though got a light dusting and apartently they got a small storm by my mom in MI. Thanks April, it wasn't like we hadn't already had a weird winter or anything.

I'm one of those people who likes stability. April is rarely a stable month. I think it's because it spring. It's a time for new life and a fresh start. The flowers are starting to bloom, a lot of animals are having babies, and it's finally warm enough to go outside without five layers of clothing on.

I've heard that April used to be the start of the new year (this was back a long time ago Europe). It makes sense since winter has left and life seems to return to the world. Maybe with all of the changes this season I'll make a seasonal resolution (in addition to any New Year's resolutions I may or may not have made). This season I resolve to bring positive change into my life and grow to except that some things are just out of my control.

Now, I just need to survive my birthday, moving, and my three month review at work. It should be a piece of cake.

Or at least manageable.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Let me know if you guys have any seasonal resolutions too!

Welcome to Roommates

My first roommate was my sibling, We shared a room until I was 12, which is when my pestering finally resulted in getting my own room. The next time I had a roommate was in college. My first college roommate and I got a long fine, but we weren't close. My second college roommate somehow didn't kill me over the next three years.

For two years I lived on my own in Maryland. Then everything changed when I discovered that I was moving to New Jersey. Now I could have probably found a place really far away from my work, but choices were limited and having a roommate would hopefully garentee an instant friend.

How did I find my roommate if I didn't know anyone where I was moving? Craigslist.

No seriously, I found them on Craigslist. You might be asking me if I am crazy. Or if I was worried about who this person might be. Well a lot of people did ask me those questions.

What I did was meet with my future roommate first. That way we could get to know each other and make sure we would be compatible. I actually interviewed with a few potential roommates. I had a list of questions and I made sure to bring someone with me (my mom and aunt) who could also share their oppinion.

I am positive that I found the right roommate. We get along well and we go out every so often. Yesterday was my roommate's birthday. We went to the city with a large group for karaoke. We sang our voices raw.

I won't lie that there wasn't an adjustment period. Going from living on my own to sharing a living space was weird. For the first month I felt like I was a visitor invading my new roommate's home.

There are a few things I do to make sure that there is harmony in my home:

1) Communication - leaving passive aggressive notes is not something I ever recommend. Talking to my roommate solves more problems than creates them.

2) Be Understanding - sometimes someone leaves dirty dishes in the sink. As long as they are cleaned by the end of the day, there's no reason for either of us to loose our cool. If it starts to be a problem see harmony note number 1.

3) Be Flexible - sometimes we both need the bathroom at the same time. It's perfectly cool to adjust a schedule as long as everyone makes it to work on time. Again communication is key.

4) Keep the common area clean - I admit at I am a messy person. My roommate is not a messy person. To maintain harmony, I make sure that the common areas stay clear of my things and to contain the mess to my room.

5) Do stuff together - movie nights, ordering take out, and yes Karaoke are all great ways that we hang out. Its not all the time. I invite my roommate places and they invite me places. Sometimes we can go and sometimes we can't.

The down side of this list is that this is only stuff I can do. I have yet to have a really bad experience with a roommate, but I know people who have. This list probably won't work if the roommate isn't able to meet you half way. And yes, becoming the roommate of someone you just met (heck even a close friend) can be a gamble. I have been very lucky and I hope everyone else looking for post-graduation roommates is lucky too.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome To A Year Of Change

If 2014 was my year of travel, then 2015 was my year of change. There were a lot of changes for me in 2015. Most of these changes were good, or at least I like to think of them as good. Some of the changes weren't what I had wanted, but I learned to make the best of them and some turned out to be very good for me. Other changes I haven't seen the outcome of yet.

I think the biggest change in 2015 for me was moving to New Jersey. In doing so, I left most of my friends and family behind, but I also gained a great roommate and found a really cool place to live. I still miss Maryland and Virginia, though.

I will admit, I am not fond of change. Unless I plan it all out and have plenty of time to accept it, change tends to drag me kicking and screaming into my next stage in life. If change didn't force me into new situations, I bet I'd find myself doing the same thing day in and day out.

A friend of mine told me that change is good. I don't disagree necessarily, but I don't think change is good or bad. It just is. How someone responds to change is what makes the outcome positive and negative. It's always a learning opportunity. It nearly always requires imagination and a whole lot of courage.

Change is a lot of things. It's new. It's exciting. It can be scary. It can be everything a person could ever want. It can be difficult. It is never boring. Change brings new experiences and challenges. I can't learn without change.

Now that it's 2016, I hope things are ready to settle down. Maybe I'll finally have time to finish rewriting that novel (lots of baby steps are required for that one). I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I'm ready.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week...

Welcome To Family On The Go

Guess what everyone! I've hit my two year anniversary since starting this blog. What does that have to do with this post and why was it that I didn't update last week? Well, it has to do with all the changes I've recently been going through.

Between the end of March and the beginning of May, every single person in my immediate family moved. I'm not kidding. We all went from being in one central geographic location, to stretched all along the north east. I was the last to officially move (see any blog post in March, April or May to hear my whining thoughts on that). It's been tough being far away from my original support system and its even harder trying to build a new one.

With my current job, I have a grand total of 15 personal days (not including sick leave). This is a luxgery for someone's first job right out of college (personally I thank the fact that I work for a French company for this much time). However, I was used to the college schedule of having a month off between first and second semester and then three months off in the summer for vacation. It's true that I used a lot of that "free time" to work jobs and internships, but I was always able to travel if I wanted to. Now I have to squish all of that time into 15 days.

It makes you look at your priorities a little more closely.

Do I take that adventure in Hawaii or visit my mom in Michigan? Should I go visit my cousins in North Carolina or my family in California? When was the last time I saw my family in Arizona? Should I really take that long weekend in October or save up for the holidays?

For my summer vacation time this year, I decided to visit one of my favorite childhood places with my mom's family. This required a two hour plane ride and then a nine hour car ride. It was worth it. Though it was strange to have TV for the first time, we still didn't have Internet.

It was calm and it was relaxing, but because I spent so much time in Northern Michigan, I wasn't able to see all of the people I wanted to in the Detroit area. I also felt a bit rushed at times to get everything done.

Today I'm heading out to visit my family in Pennsylvania. I'm a lot closer (geographically) to them now, so it's not as big of a trip. I'm excited to catch up in person as Facebook only tells you so much.

It seems like I'm doing a lot more traveling since moving to New Jersey and all of it to see family. This isn't a bad thing. I love visiting my family. I have their backs (even when I don't agree with them) and hopefully most of them have mine (when we're not driving each other crazy).

It's a tough balance and I'm still not sure how to do it aall. It requires a hard look at what you value doing, who you value seeing, timing and how much everything will cost (hey I'm still just starting out and have to budget everything).

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. If ever you guys have questions or have a topic you'd like me to write about, let me know.

Welcome To Moving Part 2

The boxes, oh the boxes...

Before I begin, I'd like to give a shout out to my mom. Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are having fun with the rest of the aunts. I am happy you're my mom. Have a beer for me.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog post...

 
This week was a challenge in unpacking. I honestly wish I could just wave my hands, say some magic spell like in Harry Potter, and have everything put exactly where it needs to be. I'm not a wizard in the Harry Potter world, so I can't do that.

No, this week I spent unpacking all of my stuff and finding places for it to go. My roommate has been very kind and understanding. In fact I just managed to get the last big box out of the apartment a few hours ago. I feel accomplished (even if my bed still has a million and a half things piled on it that I need to put somewhere before I sleep tonight.

At least I've found everything...or at least I think I have. There were a few boxes that had been misplaced (mostly pillows), but I did end up finding them eventually. I have also brought some new containers that fit nicely under my bed.

My biggest advice when it comes to unpacking is set a goal of at least one box per day...and maybe take a few items out of the car.

It's certainly a process and if you can find help, take it. My wonderful cousin and his wife came down on Friday to help me move somethings and just hang out. It was nice seeing a familiar face. I think the hardest part of all of this was that I did it by myself.

It's a hard thing to do and if you don't have someone there with you it can feel like the world is ending. At least if I have to move again by myself I know what to expect, but I highly recommend having a friend or family member help.

I need to go finish cleaning off my bed. Hopefully I get some sleep soon.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me. Now, back to unpacking.

Welcome To Moving Part 1

Otherwise Titled: Adventures In What Not To Do

So yesterday I wasn't exactly in the best place to try and write out a blog post. The day before I was in an even worse place. I moved on Saturday from the Baltimore suburbs to Northern New Jersey, right on the border to New York State. To say the experience was traumatic would be putting it mildly. I've been nothing but a reck since Saturday morning.

My first mistake was thinking I only needed two days to pack up my apartment. This was the first among many. By Friday night (or ungodly o'clock Saturday morning) I finally crashed on my sofa. I had only packed a few boxes and the movers were due in less than eight hours. I had spent the day running around like crazy trying to return the cable boxes, put in a change of address, drop things off at Goodwill and throw out as much as I could. It wasn't nearly enough.

What I should have done is take off a whole week.

So when the movers arrived Saturday morning, what was the first thing I did? Oh yeah, I burst into tears. 

My next mistake was thinking that it would only take a few hours to pack everything up, get it all into the truck, and finish up cleaning the apartment. I thought I'd hit the road around noon and have everything off the truck by nine. 

Oh boy was I wrong.

It took nearly five hours to get everything packed and onto the truck. The cleaning took so long I finally gave up and I hope I get even just a bit back from my deposit. I cried several more times and wanted to curl up in a tiny ball and refuse to leave. The movers did let me put in Ducktales until they had to pack up the TV and DVD player.

I ended up leaving close to four.

The movers decided it would be best to come on Sunday to drop everything off. It was one of the very few good decisions I made.

I took the long way to New Jersey. You know how it is. I wanted to avoid all the tolls off of 95 and it would cost less if I accidently took the wrong exit. That was where the good decisions ended. The first leg of the journey was simple enough. I had done that trips for years on my way to visit my granddad. I ended up getting lost, not once (oh no, I'm that kind of special), but twice. Thankfully the first time I ended up on a road that paralleled the route I was actually supposed to take. The second was a mixed up exit that took me about twenty minutes out of my way. Both were very pretty and very vexing. 

I managed to get to the apartment around nine. Thankfully my new roommate was here and she was able to let me in. This leads to my next epic mistake.

I way over packed my car. 

Like to the point where I still haven't gotten nearly enough out of it. I ended up passing out on the couch. I slept for well over eight hours (maybe around nine). 

This brings us to yesterday.

I woke up and went out to breakfast. It was pretty cool that I was actually able to walk to a coffee shop instead of be really confused as to where the hell I should forage for food. On the way back I was able to pet a very cute husky. That was where the good part of the day ended.

The movers were unfortunantly two hours late. They got stuck in traffic less than twenty miles from the apartment. Don't get me wrong, these guys were amazing. I would totally recommend this moving company to anyone. Five stars all the way. 

They basically filled my room with boxes. They filled it to the point that there was hardly any room to maneuver the rest of the furniture and I had to get a little creative. 

We then went to my storage unit (because let's be real, I moved from a single bedroom apartment that was mine to an apartment share, I needed more storage). We filled it up.

Here's where we get to another mistake. I didn't exactly know where anything was. I discovered today that one of my kitchen boxes that should have been in storage is actually here. I have no idea where the other box is that has the stuff I actually need today. I'm not going to have fun digging it out if it's in storage.

Finally I had to set up my bed. Thankfully a guy I met the last time was up here (a potential roommate that didn't work out) was willing to help. He first took me out to dinner (again smart despite the fact I wanted to get started right away). 

Now getting the bed together was a challenge to end all challenges. We can thank IKEA for its wonderful bed designs. It took four hours to put together and we kept messing up. It didn't seem like we could do anything right putting it together. It did eventually get done, but parts of it are a little shaky and I don't think it will make it to my next location (where ever that might be).

My adventures in New Jersey have only just begun, but already I long for Baltimore and DC. I want to go home. Back to my own apartment with all of my things in my crazy chaotic way instead of feeling like an invader into someone else's domain. I hope I adjust soon. 

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys love hearing from me. Right now this blog might be the only thing keeping me sane.

Welcome To Saying Goodbye

It's One Of The Hardest Things To Do

This is my last week living in Maryland (at least for now). If you haven't been keeping up with my blog (or this is your first time visiting or I haven't told you myself because cyber stalking is creepy), I will be moving to New Jersey on Saturday.

Over the past few weeks I have been in the process of downsizing and getting rid of stuff. I will be moving to a larger apartment with a roommate (and already has a lot of the same stuff I do). It's a tough process and I'm sure I'll go into detail about it later (depends on how busy I get).

The hardest part however is saying goodbye to all the friends I've made.

Today was my last day singing in the church choir. They gave a great card, cake with cute pikachu pictures, and a place in their prayers. I'm also on my way to the first (and my last) softball game of the season. I hope to come back and visit as often as I can.

I've said goodbye to a lot of people in the past few weeks (not to mention the past few years). Thankfully I can keep in touch using social media (hello Facebook). It still won't be the same as seeing them in person. Hopefully some of them come and visit me and I'll have the opportunity to visit them.

My apartment is currently in messy shambles and boxes (lots and lots of boxes). I hope to have everything organized by next Saturday morning (unlikely). I probably won't know where anything is until I move for a third or forth time. Next update will be from New Jersey.

Wish me luck!

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week!

Welcome To Driving In The Rain At Night

Its a better metaphors for the future than I Thought

So I just got home (yeah I know, way after my bed time for a Sunday) and its raining. It's dark, hard to see the road and everyone seems to loose the ability to make good driving decisions. It can be a really stressful and I have to be able to react at a moments notice. Driving fast is also not an option as the chance of an accident greatly increases. This is not much like trying to plan for the future.

I have a very limited idea as to where I will be and what I will be doing six months, let alone a week, from now. Oh I can sort of visualize a few things that are coming up (moving to NJ is now set in stone), but I don't know if the universe is going to change directions, go into a tight curve and have me go over the edge of a cliff. 

I really hope not, but I don't put anything past the universe anymore. It loves to mplay so with me. All I can do is hope that I react in time to prevent disaster.

After many years of driving experience, driving at night in a torrential downpour doesn't faze me. However moving far away from the two cities I grew up around does. It's new and strange. I don't feel like I'm in control of my life.

I just have to take a deep breath, pay attention and trust my instincts (they're usually right). Wish me luck. I'll check in next week. It will be my last in post in Maryland.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome To Staying Welmed

I have been very overwhelmed this week and it doesn't look like this week is going to be any better. I have so many things I have to do that half the time I have no idea how they are going to get done. I've taken to keeping a list, but that list just keeps growing and growing. To quote Robin from Young Justice "why isn't anyone just whelmed?"

To deal with the fact that I'm going crazy trying to get everything done, I started a posting my webcomic. It's another hobby that I'm trying to keep up with. It's on Comic Fury (if you'd like a link, pleas let me know and I'll post it).

This is not distracting me from all of the things I still have to do. The big thing is hiring movers (because I can't move myself out without some form of help). I decided to ask people for references instead of putting my information online. I made a few calls and I set up appointments to have them make a few estimates. From my research I've heard its best to get around 3 estimates to compare and that the lowest might not be the best.

I'm also significantly downsizing and hoping to give away or just get rid of my stuff. I will be moving from a one bedroom apartment to a room in a shared apartment, so I won't need that much stuff. I'm getting a storage place so that if I do decide to find my own place, I won't have to buy everything all over again.

It's a process.

My best advice when trying to downsize. Make a list of what is most important to you and get rid of everything else. Unfortunantly I think everything is important so it's becoming a bit of a problem. Hopefully I figure this all out soon.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Now I just need to stay whelmed.

Welcome To Desicion Time

Did I make the right one?

Happy Easter everyone. I've always found this both a strange and happy holiday (though I still don't get the Easter Bunny delivering eggs...it just doesn't make sense). I had a crazy busy day after a five hour drive yesterday, but I'm home for now.

Last weekend I made a huge decision, where I will live starting in May for at least the next six months. It was both nerve racking and exciting. Part of me is relieved that I found a place. Another part of me is still trying to figure out if moving at all is the right one. 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I like my job and the new office is great. I'm just worried about what will happen next. I don't know if I'll enjoy being so far away from where I grew up and the only area I've ever really known. I'll be far from friends and most of my family (though I do have some cousins near my new place in New Jersey). It's different, very different.

I found a roommate up in in New Jersey as well. The apartment is really cool and right in the middle of a small village or town (I'm not exactly sure what it is.). There are a lot of cool places to explore and the train to New York City is in the middle of town.

This is a great opportunity and, from what I hear, change is good. But I still have a lot of questions.

Will I easily make new friends?

How often will I see my family and friends?

Will the traffic be as bad as DC?

Why can't I pump my own gas in Jersey?

Will I ever come back?

Maryland isn't all that different from Northern Virginia (heck, Baltimore sometimes resembles a DC suburb). I'm not that far from my friends I grew up with and I've made some great new ones. 

Will I ever come back to DC is probably the hardest question. I'll always come around for a visit, but I don't know if I can really come back. DC is always changing and for all I know, I'll return to a completely different city. I don't think there is a "going back" for me. I can only move forward. 

I'll check in next week.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome To Fun Facts

Because I am a wealth of useless information...

I enjoy history, but it can be dull and dry. That's why there are fun facts. They can take the form of amusing events, strange coincidences and even the most epic of fails to deserve Darwin Awards. Fun facts can be interesting and great conversation starters. 

For example the northern most palm tree on the East coast (and possibly in general, but I'd have to fact check that) is in Williamsburge VA. They apparently don't like snow. I hope it had a scarf for this past winter.

What does this have to do with have to do with my life (I.e. Why is this a blog post). Well, I'm about to pack up my whole life and move four hours north. One of my favorite ways to get to know an area is to learn the local quirks. 

A fun fact about New Jersey is that you can't pump your own gas. This is both frustrating and costly, but at least I don't have to leave my nice warm car in the winter anymore.

Things like how or when a building was built or the reason a town is laid out the way it is all help me to get to know a place. They can be fun, spooky, and maybe even a bit scandalous. It can be worth while when showing off the new neighborhood.

Hopefully by next week spring will have actually arrived and we can spend some time outside. Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), pleas like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Now go out and find some fun facts about your hometown and share them. Have a good week.

Welcome To Indecision

I have a lot of big decisions to make and I don't want to make any of them. If I could stop time for maybe two weeks for me to get my act together and actually think about what I have to do, I might feel better. Of course then I might spend all two weeks of that frozen time on my couch watching Netflix.

I'm moving. It's a fact I'm still having a hard time admitting to, but it's what is happening. I have to find a place to live, downsize (because apparently things are just that expensive where I'm going) and adjust to the new location. It could be worse. I could have lost my job. Thankfully I didn't and they are helping with the move.

Then there are the little day to day decisions I need to make. What will I have for lunch today? Should I get my hair cut this week. Does this bill really need to be paid this month? You know the stuff you know will get done, but you just have to remember to do it.

I'm burnt out. I have reached a point where if I have to make one more choice I'm going to crack.

Supposedly I'll be made stronger after going through all of this.

I'll just have to wait and see.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope ya'll like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome To Sudden Change

It's never when you expect it...

I have heard the saying that "change is good". I don't know how true it is, but I've always thought of change as something that was different. Not necessarily good, not necessarily bad, just different. And, though I hate admitting it, I also don't like really like change. It throws me off.

Don't get me wrong. I think change is fun every once and a while. Small changes allow for new experiences and  great memories (most of the time). It's when there are a lot of big changes that things start to make my eye twitch.

Over the past few weeks there have been some major changes at my office. Major changes as in my company is closing this office location and wants to move me to a several hours north into a new state completely. This is like running at full speed and then suddenly hitting a brick wall. It's a shock to your systems that forces you to suddenly stop and take a look at what's around you.

Technically I knew this was coming. It had been likely to happen for a while. Thankfully I'm not loosing my job. I'd be freaking out right now if I was, but it's still a very big change. And this is a lot different then when I first moved to start this job.

It's a big change. There are a lot of things I have to think about. How will I move all of my stuff? Where will I live? How / Will I have to find a new roommate? Will I fit in at this new office? I have a lot of questions that need to be answered and some of them won't be until I go up there.

I'm taking all of this one step at a time. Hopefully I'll have more answers when it does come time to pack up my stuff. Until then I'm going back to doing research on my future home. Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me as well. If you guys have questions let me know. Thank you for reading.