25 June 2008

Transitions

My last day at the Daily Progress was Friday, June 13. I have to admit, I miss it. I know that I have a lot to look forward to, but I do miss getting up and working almost every day. I did, however get up and pack every day for my last week in Charlottesville! There are aspects to working at a newspaper that I will miss dearly. There are also aspects I will not miss at all. 

My last week in C-ville was spent packing up an apartment full of stuff....yes, stuff. Everything from furniture to the smallest thumb tack. I think I took almost as many bags to the dumpster as I did boxes to NC! The move back went about as smoothly as it could. No accidents, no strained backs and no broken furniture. My parents drove up Saturday June 21 and helped me drive a truck back to High Point, NC. I had wonderful friends from Portico help load the truck Friday and wonderful HP friends help unload on Saturday. I honestly could not have moved without the help of so many friends.... thank you all. 

I have only been in NC for a few days now, haven't stopped running around like a crazy chicken with it's head cut off, and was having a hard time with some adjustments. I came back to a shower with no door (so I have to walk down the hallway to shower), my brother's room with 2 drawers cleared out for me and 2 recliners...yes, 2. They had ideas of replacing one with the other and ended up leaving both! The day I attempted to move it down the hallway myself and got it stuck in the doorway to my room was when it finally got moved. Before the chair sat in the hallway for half a day, I didn't even have enough space to open a suitcase to begin unpacking much less any place to put it. It was then that I realized how much stuff I actually had! Moving from an apartment to 1 room is insane - I do not recommend it. 

I'm also not used to the amount of traffic through a home with 4 people in it. When I first moved to C-ville, I thought it was weird living alone. Now its the opposite! This morning, I woke up, walked down the hall to shower and was caught by my dad (who had been up for hours) saying, "Good morning!!! The shop called and said your car is ready..." I'm not sure what I said back, if anything at all. Usually its over an hour after I get up before I actually say anything to anyone. All I remember is this slightly startled feeling of: huh! what? noise? I'm so confused...car? breaks? OK sure...

I've done everything from make multiple trips to the DMV, Post Office and bank to playing putt putt at midnight followed by a milkshake run. No, we (sadly) don't have Arch's or Ritas, however we do have Cookout...best milkshakes in town! Tomorrow holds a trip to Charlotte, the Apple store and applying for an International Drivers License. 

In all the mess and confusion of moving and knowing that I will stay such a short time; I am finding often that as I say hello, I sometimes have to say good-bye in the same sentence. I think there will be many adjustments and changes occurring in this very transitional month of my life. At the end of it all, my hope is that I will be able to say, "change? sure...whatever you say. I have no routine to change, so change is fine by me!"