On the Road

I finally got out of DC this morning, and I'm sorry to say that by the end I was so rushed and eager to get on the road (a full day and a half later than originally planned) that I barely remember the drive out of town. I was on autopilot, and my last memory of the city . . . I think it was cloudy? Yeah, it was definitely cloudy. And I think one of the lanes of 66 was closed.


It was a short day of driving, only a little over 6 hours, but it felt great. I love being in the car on a long drive. I love the various forms of audio entertainment, skipping between my ipod on shuffle, an audiobook, the little road trip miracle of landing on some classic rock radio station out of Allentown just as Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" begins. It's one of those little quirks of fate that not being known for my endurance in any other area (not work and certainly not exercise) I've found that I'm really good at enduring hours and hours in the car. There's something about watching those miles roll up on the odometer that makes me feel like pushing myself, seeing how far I can go before the next hotel, the next break to stretch my legs and back. I think Sugar likes it too. At least, she doesn't complain and seems pretty content. See over there on the right? Photographic evidence that Sugar is alive and well after day one of cross-country trip number three.

A special thanks to the road gods for free, efficient, wireless at a crummy Motel 6 somewhere in the middle of Ohio. It makes me wonder why the big fancy hotels I used to stay in for work charged $12.95 a day for internet that only occasionally worked

Who takes an entire week to move out of a one bedroom apartment?

Me! My movers finally came this morning and picked up my furniture and the other stuff I'm willing to live without for the foreseeable future. But am I ready to leave? Of course not! I have stacks and piles and mounds of things that need to be sorted. One small pile of things that will actually fit in my car, one small pile of things that I can ship to myself, one large pile of things that need to be donated to Goodwill (I've already taken a full car-load there this week) and a GINORMOUS pile of things that need to be toted, oh so laboriously, down to the dumpsters in the basement. Not to mention the trips I still have to make to get my oil changed, turn in my cable modem, close my bank account . . . I haven't moved in three whole years, and somehow managed to forget how much work it is to move, even when you don't have to carry the heavy stuff. Those 30 gallon bags of clothes for Goodwill are heavy enough. My entire body aches and I'm gobbling ibuprophen like candy. The one good thing is that for the first time in months I feel absolutely no guilt for not taking advantage of my building's gym while I have the chance.

Optimistically, I'll start driving sometime tomorrow. Realistically, I'll start driving on Saturday. Either way, this is my last night of regular internet for awhile. Wish me good weather and pet-friendly motels.

Movin' on out part 2

While I was packing for the big move this weekend, I came across a handful of photos from the last time I had nothing to do. After colllege, I took a year to figure out what to do next. (I should really change the description of this blog, the more I think about it, the more I realize time off track has always been part of the rhythm of my life.) I lived with my dad and some of his friends hired me to work as their receptionist. It didn't take much of that to realize that law school sounded a lot better than answering phones and filing. Before heading back to school, I convinced two of my best friends in the world (who had never met each other) to spend 6 weeks travelling with me in Italy and Greece. This was before the euro, back when the dollar was strong and travelling in Southern Europe really could be done for not much money. In one of the pictures that fell out of a musty book one of those friends gave me, I'm lying in the sunny grass in a public park in Siena laughing at something, anything, nothing. I hope I'm not asking too much of this next year to wish for just a few more moments like that, with sun, friends, laughter, and nowhere to be.

Merry Christmas! No, really. I'm merry. I promise.

I'm spending Christmas day alone. It's the first time I've ever been completely alone on Christmas. Once when I was in college I had to catch a 6 am flight to Cuba on December 25, but even then my mom and stepdad drove me to the airport the night before and we had a depressing dinner at a HoJo and I was at least with my mom for a few blurry minutes on Christmas morning at the gate. I tried to avoid telling people about my holiday non-plans, because when I did I got the immediate look of pity and, perhaps, from really good friends, an invitation to intrude on their holiday. And both made me want to cry because I love Christmas. I love wrapping Christmas presents, and listening to Johnny Mathis, and making fudge, and watching marathons of my favorite holiday movies and, most of all, spending time with my extended family. Well, I'm just checking in to let you know that as of 8:00 am on Christmas morning I feel . . . fine. Completely and totally fine. Really. I'm not trying to put on a good face. I actually feel fine! Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. I cried almost constantly on my last two days at work (more on that later) and on Saturday when I saw We are Marshall I was a sopping mess, but a pretty searching inventory of my inner life finds . . . well, frustration with myself for not having finished packing, excitement over the prospect of hitting the open road that leads to family, a powerful urge to watch an Alias marathon (instead of packing) while eating the entire pack of iced sugar cookies I had the foresight to buy yesterday, and not a single tear in sight. With a year looming where I'll be able to spend so many days with the people I love, one day alone, that looks a lot like the day I spent alone yesterday (which I quite enjoyed by the way), and that probably won't be all that different than the day I'll in all liklihood spend alone tomorrow, doesn't seem so bad. Huh. What a pleasant surprise. Is this what it feels like to have a healthy perspective not chemically induced by a little prescription pill? Feels good. And no room spinning side effects!

Best wishes for a very merry Christmas to all. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, have a fantastic day off.

Movin' on out, part 1

Sugar's all packed and ready to go (you can't see it, but she put her favorite mouse in there with her). Me, not so much.

I'm a little nervous about blogging about my real life, so I thought a cute picture of a cat might break the ice. And if Sugar in a beach tote isn't cute enough to do it, this whole blogging thing was a very bad idea.

Yesterday was my last day at work, and you see that expression on Sugar's face, sort of dazed and unfocused and staring into the middle distance at nothing? Ditto.