December 18, 2007 | Filed under: The California Adventure

Well, that’s it.  The boxes are packed, the car is loaded down with stuff, and I dragged the mop behind me as I walked out the door and locked my apartment for the last time.

The California Adventure is over. In front of me are 3000 miles of interstate highway and a couple of weather systems to dodge. And an entirely new adventure on the East Coast. I can only hope it’s as good as this one was.

December 12, 2007 | Filed under: Good Things Come to Those Who Are Impatient Whiners, Is She Still Talking?

Most of my friends are married and making them babies
To most of them I already died
And whatever it is about you I’ve always hated
Is something about myself I just couldn’t hide

It’s certainly true that most of my friends are married and having babies, as highlighted in an exchange last night at our Junior League committee’s holiday party.

Me, on the verge of announcing my move back to DC: I have news.

Committee chair: You’re pregnant?

Me: …*blinking* … Um, no. Noooo, definitely not pregnant.

But I’m pretty sure no one thinks I’ve already died. If anything, I’m returning from the dead with my upcoming re-appearance on the East Coast. I think it goes without saying that this birthday is slightly less traumatic than last year, and THANK GOD for that. I don’t know if I can handle that sort of thing more than once a decade or so. Though, now that I think about it, 26 was a pretty terrible birthday, too, for entirely different reasons. This does not bode well for next year. Crap.

I don’t really have anything witty or insightful or even bitter and angry to say here, (You: You know you could just stop typing, right? Me: Oh, but what fun would that be?) but what a difference a year makes! My house is in shambles, I’ve been putting in 60-hour work weeks, my Christmas cards haven’t written themselves yet, and I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work this morning so I could grab something for both breakfast and lunch. And yet, I’m content. I feel that I’m moving in the right direction, rather than kicking and screaming and flailing at the Universe. Of course, until I actually arrive in DC and show up at the office and unpack and get settled in, I won’t be able to say with certainty that I’m where I need to be, but I suspect I’m close.

I’m getting together with a longtime friend of mine tonight — yes, she’s now married and has a baby — and that’s really all it will take to make me happy. Well, that and some cake. Would that all of my needs are so easily met in this, my last year as a twenty-something. Maybe this will be the year I learn to be patient and trust that it’ll all work out.

Yeah, I doubt it, too.

December 7, 2007 | Filed under: Because They Pay Me, Is She Still Talking?

Things I Have Done Recently Instead of Packing

• Laundry. Laundry, laundry, laundry, laundry, laundry. All in anticipation of packing these items away, but the actual packing part hasn’t happened.
• Worked.
• Gone to San Francisco for Sunday brunch and hanging out with some of my bestest friends in all of the West Coast.
• Left SF early so I could get home and work.
• Spent hours shopping online for a very special Christmas gift. Intended recipient: me. If you’re really nice, I might share it with you.
• Gotten up early to work.
• Made oatmeal raisin cookie dough.
• Skipped lunch and errands and failed to return seven phone calls because I’m working.
• Committed to several dinner engagements, dying a little bit inside over the knowledge that they will only prevent me from packing, but at least I know I won’t be at work.

Things I Have Not Done Recently, Despite the Fact that No Packing Is Taking Place

• Laundry. By which I mean, having laundered anything I could actually wear to work this week.
• Sent Christmas cards. Excuse me, holiday greetings.
• Gone to the gym. Or for a run. Or pretty much anything that would burn more calories than sitting on my ass all day.
• Written beautiful blog posts for my adoring public.
• Dishes. All week. Yes, I am now out of spoons and may start “recycling” them.
• Committed to memory the bowl game schedules and match-ups.
• Spent hours shopping (online or otherwise) for very special Christmas gifts for others. There might be some Happy December 28th! presents this year.
• Baked the oatmeal raisin cookie dough into cookies.
• Slept.

December 5, 2007 | Filed under: DC! DC! DC!, Good Things Come to Those Who Are Impatient Whiners

I just read Holly’s post and experienced some major flashbacks to the last time I flew to DC, when I wasn’t packed yet and the SuperShuttle guy showed up early and called me every five minutes to see if I was ready yet. Dude, if my phone would stop ringing every three seconds, I might actually manage to put something in my damn suitcase.

When I was ready, still within the 15 minute window of my pick-up time, but not by much, I turned off all the lights, grabbed my purse, laptop bag, and the handle of my suitcase and booked it to the front door.

Have I mentioned it was 3:30 in the morning? And therefore pitch dark in the house? It was.

I ran smack into the dining room wall, just inches from where the dining room opens into the living room, somehow hitting my head before (or perhaps simultaneously) ramming my knee into the same. I was going full force at this point and, I kid you not, I saw stars. Tears instantly sprang to my eyes, but I made myself pull it together and focus on what was important right now: the need to get out the door, pronto. The possibility that I’d just given myself a concussion was just going to have to wait.

I dashed out the front door in time to see the SuperShuttle pulling away as I locked the door behind me. For the second time in two minutes, I was nearly overcome by tears. As I pondered what to do, my phone rang. It was the shuttle driver, informing me that he was leaving to pick up the next customer and then he’d come back. Hmm, yes, nice of you to call after you’ve already left. Thanks for that.

Once my suitcase and I were safely on our way to the airport, under the cloak of darkness and the chatter of the other passengers, I gave in to the tears. The hellish morning, the nearly being left behind, the fact that my head and knee were still throbbing were all just a little too much for my stressed-out, three-hours-of-sleep self. I cursed everyone and everything but mostly I cursed the fact that I had to get on a plane and fly across the country to be in DC. I hate this, I hate this, I hate this. I’ve had these hellish mornings before. They almost always involve getting on a plane to DC. Godfuckingdamnit. None of this would happen if I just fucking lived there. No packing, no SuperShuttle, no frantic dash to the airport, no logistical contortions to cram as many people into my one-week calendar as possible, I could just get up in the morning and ALREADY BE THERE.

And this is why I relish the knowledge that on January 1, I’m going to get up in the morning and already be there, with no return flight planned.