(but not Via Chicago...via direct flight, non-stop JFK to LAX!)
Tomorrow is Day 115, and also the day I leave for L.A. for three weeks. It is only appropriate that I take a moment to reflect, especially as I have been somewhat neglectful on updating this site (have been busy!)
When I bought the plane ticket two months ago, I was feeling terribly homesick and two months seemed really far away. Now I'm amazed that it is already here.
Four and a half months...when I think back to August and September, even now I feel particularly stressed out just thinking about that time period. I had so much cleaning and packing to do in August that I still have bad dreams about cleaning and packing. And then on the day I arrived (see previous post), I saw the barren furniture in my room and it suddenly dawned on me that I just did something really drastic and I nearly broke down in tears. << cue in Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime>>
Needless to say, my room has become more "my room" and though I still miss the old comforter I used for 14+ years, I definitely feel a lot better about it now. (It started to feel better after my junk populated the room.)
NYC...the weather, the crowded spaces, the dirt...I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to. But it's definitely a lesson in learning to adapt and adjust. The weather changes here feel so "sudden" to me, even though it's normal to a lot of people. I feel like I barely got to enjoy the true meaning of autumn before it was all over. 90 degree weather changed quickly to 60 which changed quickly to 30. WTW? That alone makes the perception of time and life seem faster.
One thing I had looked forward to was using public transportation. But I learned quickly that there are pros and cons. One con being shopping and buying basic things. Oddly enough on my to do list back in L.A. is to go shopping. Toiletries at Target, supplies at IKEA, and clothes/misc at Marshall's! Yes they have those here too, and yes sales tax is actually higher in L.A. (was surprised when I found out) but it's just going to be so much easier for me to get in my car and drive from Point A to Point B to Point C. And throw all my stuff in the trunk. (Not to mention spacious aisles, oh glorious space).
In L.A. I was tired of it taking me 45-60 minutes to get anywhere worthwhile. And then I learned it also takes me 45-60 minutes to get anywhere in NYC because I live so far uptown. No difference there except wondering which is the lesser evil - being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic or being stuck bum to bum on the subway?
On another note, I often wonder what I would be doing right now, at this very moment, had I not moved. And I picture myself sitting on my $500 ergonomic office chair in front of my widescreen monitor, occasionally casting glances at the United States map I have tacked on the cork board.
And then I'm glad I did.
