As most of you know, the beginning of January was a complete
whirlwind for me. There was a lot of packing, cleaning, selling off surplus
furniture, taking unwanted stuff to Goodwill, and seeing friends for a final fare-thee-well,
all the things that make moving both so difficult and so stressful. It’s not
easy to keep one’s sense of humor through it all, but I try to stay upbeat.
All too soon, our time in Dallas was up. We took off early on
the morning of January 8 to drive across the country. Despite the fact that I
had only the dog for company (the husband and I drove in separate cars), I
really enjoyed the trip. With the notable exception of the portion of Texas
between Amarillo and the New Mexico state line, the scenery was beautiful. I
especially enjoyed the mountains outside of Albuquerque, which we hit at sunset
that night, and the ones outside of Flagstaff, which we saw the sun rise with
the following morning.
My first taste of LA-area freeway traffic was nerve-wracking
but I took a friend’s advice to “just drive like a crazy person” and I did
fine. Finding the apartment we’d snagged sight-unseen from Dallas was easy.
Luckily, the place turned out to be great but, as I’d told my husband, it could
have had an active meth lab in the living room and I probably still would’ve
signed the lease at that point.
In the wake of all the stress, I felt exhausted until this
past weekend. I’ve been keeping my pledge to ease into Santa Monica. I haven’t
done a whole lot that’s exciting and I’m okay with that. I’ve been exploring
the immediate area slowly, getting to know my new town bit by bit. There’s
plenty of time to branch out into the surrounding area. Mostly I’ve been doing
a lot of walking, sitting out in the sun, and reading. I’ve been doing a little
writing as well. I try to get out of the house for at least a few hours every
single day.
On the job front, I’m being really careful to only apply for
things that truly sound interesting to me. I’ve put out two resumes so far.
Today I heard back that I’ve made it through the first phase of the application
process at one of those, a job with the city. I’m feeling pretty stoked about
that. And as for friends, it’s honestly not something I’m all that concerned about right now (for once in my life; it’s kind of a relief).
That's my life these days. I'm footloose and fancy-free, so to speak, figuring things out and feeling pretty good about it in the process (I was kind of nutty the first week we were here but I've calmed down). No deep thoughts for me. If you're stopping by to read, why don't you tell me how the first month of the year went for you?
4 comments:
Well done getting through all that and keep on resting and relaxing. (And writing, but that's just because I'm selfish and like your writing.)
My January was a lot more of the same. I had vacation from work. I worked. I wrote. I did all the various chores that are unavoidable. I want to feel like things will change in a big way soon, but honestly, I don't really feel that. So the wheels keep on turning for me. It's not unpleasant.
As long as you're happy, who needs change? So did you *technically* finish your novel in Feb then?
My january was rather uneventful. After the celebration of New Years, I just settled into my new job, getting used to my new schedule. I got to have health insurance again, so on the 1st day I was eligible I went and got a flu shot :) Later that day (and I'm still feeling the effects of it) I got coincidental severe allergy attack. I feel like my nose is exploding. I lost my sense of smell again as a result :( I also went to the Container Store and spent the $75 gift card that I got at my housewarming because now I know I'll be able to stay in my apartment. I finished out the month with a massage - I had not had a massage in 2 years - and a concert. Not too bad :)
That actually sounds like a really nice month, except for the exploding nose part. I hope you're feeling better! Did you get anything good at the Container Store?
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