There’s change afoot in my world. I am saying goodbye to the Common
and the Esplanade, the Green Mountains and Big Apple, and saying hello
to the Space Needle and the Pike Market, the Olympics and
Vancouver. That’s right: I’m officially moving to Seattle.
It’s all happened rather quickly. I’ve been thinking for the past few
months about what I want to do next in my life. A certain angst has
been creeping over me: my work has been going well, but I want new
challenges; Boston is fun and is where most of my friends are, but
after fourteen years it feels too comfortable; Knox and I are
getting along great but all the cross-country trips are exhausting
(and really add up). I fear getting too complacent and stale sitting
still in one place for so long, and I am ready to find out what
happens next.
And so, after the bike accident, I decided it was time to take the
plunge. With any luck it would dovetail into the end of the release
cycle at my current company and minimize disruption—as indeed it
has. I have gotten a cool software engineering job in the Seattle area
and I am moving—next month! Life will feel even more hectic as we
start saying goodbye to everyone and arranging everything for the
move. This, while still dealing with the insurance claim for the
bicycle and wrapping up and transitioning work projects.
Perhaps the hardest part of this whole process has been giving notice
at work. The best analogy I have is that it feels like dumping
someone. You know what I’m talking about: it’s the right thing to do,
but you still have doubts as to whether there could be a way to make
things work, about whether it isn’t better to leave well enough alone
rather than plunge into uncertainty and change. It’s draining, but you
have be confident in your decision and not look back. And yet… when
you actually say it, when the deed is finally done, that’s when it
hits you: you’ve cut the safety net, you’re officially in transition
mode. It’s thrilling and terrifying and liberating all in one.
We are making the actual move itself into a much-needed vacation. We
will get out west by means of a cross-country road trip, that most
American of epics. We plan to head south and hit DC and Georgia, and
then cut across through Texas and Arizona, and up from San
Francisco. That’s the plan, anyway; we don’t want to be rushed, so we
may not get to all those destinations. The important thing is that it
will be several weeks of living in the moment with very few
obligations or timetables weighing on us—though you know we will
be blogging from the road.
Once we get there, it’s all about getting settled in as Knox and I officially
move in together (!). We have to find a house and make it
fabulous, get our bearings and enjoy a bit of time off before I start
my new job. We hope to go skiing and snow-shoeing and even bike touring…
The adventure continues!
