It’s so weird. When the crazy across the hall slams her door, I think to myself “THANK GOD I’LL BE RID OF YOU IN A FEW DAYS.” But when I hug someone and they have that inevitable sad look on his or her face, I feel sad. It’s a bittersweet ending. I started offically living in Columbus during the summer of 1995, when the building I was living in offered a can’t refuse deal on its summer rent costs. I was already tired of moving back to Cleveland for the summers; my life was in Columbus by then.
The last thirteen years have been filled with joy, tears, depression, love, miracles, friendships, hatred, rivalry, lessons learned, mistakes. Friends have come and gone. Jobs have come and gone. I’ve been married and divorced. I had a child (aka the best little boy in the world). I finally got my license. I wrote a novel and landed an agent. People have touched my life in ways that have been invaluable. I take with me my lifetime experience to a brand new city to start a brand new life, and I am totally ready.
I never saw this coming, but I wouldn’t change it.
What will I miss about Columbus, Ohio?
· Being able to hop in my car and be at Target in six minutes.
· Fairly mild rushhour traffic.
· Dave & Jimmy on The WNCI Morning Zoo.
· Morone’s, El Vaquero, Bob Evans (although I am trading up to IHOP, so I’m not too broken up about that), and China Dynasty.
· Fifteen-minute commutes to work.
· A reasonable cost of living.
· People.
As you all know, I love the first season of The O.C. One the Thanksgiving episode, Ryan went back to Chino and Marissa went with him. She’d said something the lines of “I know you left Chino behind, but it didn’t occur to me that you left people behind.”
Naturally, I knew I’d miss Aidan (I’ll be counting down the days when I can see him again, which won’t be long at all!) and my good friends, and being a 2.5 hour drive from family (and Andy). However, when I was leaving ZB, it didn’t occur to me that leaving some of those people would really be hard. Lots of people have touched my life, and it always surprises me when they show me that I’ve touched theirs as well.
What WON’T I miss about Columbus, Ohio?
· Buckeye mania. I mean, I am an Ohio State alumna, but I just don’t get the craziness that overtake people when those boys get out on the football field and win… OR lose.
· The ridiculous freeway entry-exit systems. What sense does it make to make an exit be the same lane as an entrance to the next street? And to make that lane about five feet long, so that if a semi is next to you, you are pretty much forced off the freeway you just got on? UGH.
· The lack of decent public transportation.
· Being away from Adam all the time.
· The crazy people who live in this building. I’ll be GLAD to be rid of them!
What am I looking forward to in Chicago, Illinois?
· No longer being away from Adam. ♥
· Summer!
· Never being bored or lonely.
· Good food!
· Walking and getting a lot more excercise.
· Starting over with a clean slate, career-wise.
· Writing again.
· IHOP!
· The new friends I’ll get to hang out with.
· The old friends I’ll get to reunite with and spend more time with.
Definitely not an all-inclusive list.
What am I nervous about regarding Chicago, Illinois?
· The cost of living, especially as I won’t have a job right away and we’re heading into a recession.
· Learning how to get around. I have a pretty decent sense of direction, but this place is very new to me. It’s going to take some getting used to the narrow streets, the crazy drivers, the buses and trains, the perpetual rushhour, and the lack of parking.
· Feeling homesick from time to time.
It’s here, you guys. My TV, coffee table, futon, and the desk that was in my bedroom are off to new homes. Everything except the fridge is cleaned out (I’ll do that tomorrow). I have a few bins reserved for last-minute stuff, and I’m going to pick up one more box of Space Bags for the remaining blankets, pillows, etc. that I have sitting around. My place is filled with boxes (although not nearly as many as I thought there would be–nothing near 100 like a certain swankivy I know–not even half that, I don’t think!), and there are just a few dishes that need to be washed and packed away. Will break down the computer tomorrow after Aidan has gone. I still have a lot to do, but I think I’ll have some help once Adam gets here. The kitchen needs to be mopped, the island scrubbed down, the entire place vaccuumed, and LOTSA TRASH THROWN OUT! But it’ll all get done, I’m not too worried. 🙂
Bed time. Good night.