Achieved. Feels great to get over that hump and get on with my life. To everyone out there still looking for employment during this downturn in our economy, I wish you the very best in your search.

I find myself wondering, as I often do, what other people in similar positions must think or feel like. I’ve lived here for over a month now, and the process of “settling in” has been much easier than you might expect. In fact, I haven’t once felt like I’ve needed to adjust to anything at all really. Strange to say, perhaps, but it’s the truth all the same. However I have noticed a certain trend in my behavior. I’ve been gaming pretty hardcore. Now this in and of itself isn’t that strange. I am a gamer at the end of the day, and it’s not uncommon for me to get really into a game. What is slightly strange is moving from one game to another maintaining the same level of intensity the entire time, like driving 100 mph down the highway blasting Rage Against the Machine followed up by Tchaikovsky at the same volume.

It might be nothing. It might just be me getting in touch with my inner gamer geek. But because of the circumstances, I can’t help but think maybe there’s something else there. Maybe this is my own personal way of feeling comfortable. After all, nothing quite feels like home as playing video games. And if that’s the case well, I can only say it has worked wonderfully. I have never once felt uncomfortable here, out of place, or homesick. This place has felt like home ever since I arrived.

So maybe everyone has their own way of imprinting their homes. Maybe everyone has their own methods for “settling in” and getting comfortable. I wonder what other people do. If I was a dog, I suppose I’d pee on a couch leg or something.

Of course, part of the reason I’ve been playing so many games might have something to do with being unemployed and out of money to do much else. I’m definitely working on that, and if we consider it part of properly settling in then I guess technically I haven’t fully settled. But I better do it soon. As much as I love Seattle, I can’t really embrace the idea of wandering it homeless.

I’ve arrived in Washington in one piece. I’m not sure how I did it, but here I am whole. Actually I’ve been here for about 48 hours, but I’ve been too tired/occupied to write much. The trip was.. a trip. Never experienced anything quite like it, and I don’t know that I ever want to again. Lots of driving. Average of about 13 or 14 hours a day for three days, all done by yours truly. My sister came along with, but I only asked her to drive for one or two hours one day.

There is lots to write about, most of which I have no intention of touching with a ten foot pole right now. But I did feel it appropriate to at least write that I had arrived, and I suppose it fits to make some comment about how it feels. Obviously after driving for so long and so far a distance, one becomes a bit tired, but other than that things might not be so obvious. When I entered the Seattle area, I started feeling just a bit excited, which I imagine is probably pretty normal given the circumstances. And ever since arriving there’s just been a sort of strange amalgamation of feelings composed of confusion, respite, sadness, and reverie.

The respite comes from finally reaching the destination that’s been on the calendar for such a long time. That and the feeling that comes with reaching a personal goal. It’s like a weight finally lifted off your shoulders, though I still feel a bit weary from carrying it for so long. Much of the respite also comes from the environment here, which is also responsible for the reverie. It’s one of the things I love about Washington. The forests of evergreens and the big bodies of water that just visually speak of silence and tranquility. I get a certain sense of everything being alright for no other reason than that the environment here exists as it does. Silly, I suppose.

The confusion is also probably something of a natural feeling for someone changing their circumstances to such a degree. It’s not even that I’m confused about anything in particular, but rather that there is a dull, fuzzy feeling of confusion surrounding everything. Like parts of my body are still trying to figure out where they are or something. Sort of hard to describe.

The sadness comes from saying goodbye to a world I had so very well become accustomed to, I think. I love being here, but I can’t help but recognize the lack of familiar comforts and what have you. That and job searching is never an uplifting experience.

All told, I’m happy to be here. There are so many things to look forward to on the horizon now, whereas before there never seemed to be much beyond just finishing school. If Seattle is a beach, I can’t wait to dig my toes into the sand. And oh so many things to write about now, too…

It’s finally time to say goodbye. Born and raised here, and lived here all my life. Well, San Antonio and Austin, to be exact. Been to Dallas many times, and Houston when occasion required it of me. Obviously I’m choosing to move elsewhere because I think I’ll like elsewhere more, but there are still many redeeming qualities to Texas, San Antonio, and Austin. Dallas and Houston, well… not so much.

Austin is great because it is a hotbed of free thought, if such a thing truly exists. It’s a college city, through and through. And not just any college, but the University of Texas at Austin, which is truly unique among public universities. Not so much in its various attributes but moreso in the degree with which it exhibits all of the characteristics of big university life. Everything is bigger in Texas, they say. Austin is a city where you simply cannot be surprised by anything strange or unusual occurring. The city is infinitely forgiving for any quirks you have, and actually encourages being weird. The main reasons I couldn’t live there are the traffic, which is hell on Earth, and the immaturity of the populace. Free thought is great. Immature free thought is great, to a point, but it gets old. I prefer intelligent, productive free thought, Seattle style.

San Antonio, in a way, is just as unique as Austin. Just not so blatantly and loudly. One of my favorite rappers, Slug, says of his state Minnesota, “Minnesota is dope, if only simply for not what we have, but what we don’t.” That’s kind of how I feel about San Antonio. It’s a huge city, population-wise, yet it never quite feels like a big city. A lot of people like to complain that the job opportunities here aren’t that great, since we don’t have a lot of big corporations. This is true, to an extent, but it also allows the culture to express itself in society without being so saturated with big business. San Antonio, while it lacks all the big corporations that inhabit the other major cities in Texas, also lacks the negative aspects of all those cities. San Antonio lacks much of the suffocating pollution you find in other big cities. The citizens here aren’t pretentious, exceptionally stupid or immature, or especially mainstream. It’s like people from Austin and Dallas made a compromise and moved to San Antonio, replacing mainstream corporate culture and mindless self indulgence with down to Earth local family-centric culture. San Antonio citizens are nice without being loud and obnoxious. They’re friendly without being social leeches. They’re mostly quiet, but possessive of the ability to have a good time all the same. Moreso than any other big city here, San Antonio is permeated by Mexican culture, and that’s oftentimes a refreshing change from super-charged capitalistic consumerism. Not that I don’t enjoy super-charged capitalistic consumerism, but once in awhile it’s nice to be reminded there is another way.

Texas as a whole is pretty unique because it has such a wide variety of cultures and ways of life contained within its borders. The four major cities are all very different from one another, including the average type of person you’d find at each. And in general, Texans are friendly, polite people. If I wasn’t moving to Washington, I could think of very few places where I’d rather live than Texas.

I leave tomorrow morning, although I won’t technically be out of Texas until Friday. Adios Tejas, hasta luego.

Approximately 38 hours until I start this long drive. Tick tock tick tock. Is it soon enough for me to say I live in Washington?

Getting close to the move date now. I quit my job at the end of December so that I’d have ample time to prepare for the move. The idea was such that I’d use this time to pack that which I’m taking and do something with everything that I’m not. The ‘do something’ part was really never deciphered in greater detail than that, and as a result I’ve just been making a lot of spur-of-the-moment decisions on what to do with my stuff. I decided some time ago that I would move using just my car, meaning no trailer, no U-Haul, and little to no mailing of packages. As a result I’m not planning on taking much with me when I go. Just whatever can fit in my car.

I alluded to this possibility in an earlier post, where I broke down the prioritization of belongings. And as for what I’m packing into those boxes you see in the picture, it more or less mirrors the priorities I described in that post. To summarize what I wrote there, I’m packing mostly my electronics, including gaming and computer stuff, and clothes. Aside from a few other odds, ends, and necessities, that pretty much comprises the entirety of what I’m taking with me. It feels a little bit weird to set aside my collection of books yet pack boxes filled with nothing but spare computer cabling, but there’s good reason for my decision in this regard.

Much of what I’m not taking, if not the majority of it, is getting trashed or given away. I oftentimes wonder how other people feel about throwing things away. And not just anything, but the things you throw away that one time had value. The things that are hard to throw away. I tend to think I’m pretty good about letting things go, but even I have to pause for a moment before trashing things that hold very potent memories. Another obstacle appears when you throw away things that work, are not that old, or are in good condition. Many of the things I am throwing away or giving away are things I could probably sell for some meager sum of money if I so chose. Many of them I paid good money for to acquire. It felt strange to throw out my collection of music cds and dvd movies, for instance. At the end of the day though, the hardest things to trash are by far the ones that hold memories. Nevertheless I feel a certain responsibility inside of me to get rid of most of these items, as if I’m trying to avoid bogging myself down with the muck of nostalgia. Make no mistake, cleaning out the room you grew up in is an exercise in rigorous self discipline.

The other day after work my “team” met at an English pub to wish me well after I leave. Nothing real special to mention there, aside from the fact that “The Lion and the Rose” is easily one of the coolest pub names ever. While there I got to answer some of the usual questions I get from people, the absolute most common of which is “so do you have a job lined up there (Seattle)?” After indicating for the one hundred and fiftieth time that no, I do not, a gentleman I work with remarked that “that’s really out there.”

I wonder now if people associate me with that type of person you might once upon a time have called a rambler. The types that travel often and who can’t seem to build a foundation anywhere they go. Living in hostels, bumming from friends, working in intermittent spurts at low wage jobs, etc. The truth is I’m nothing like that. For most intents and purposes, I enjoy staying in one place. I enjoy having a somewhat regular day to day life. I don’t get uncomfortable living in one place for an extended period of time either. All of these characteristics seem at odds with the type of person who normally just “ups and leaves” without “having a job lined up.”

What I don’t understand is why people have a hard time comprehending or accepting my decision to move without first attempting to stereotype me. To me, my moving to the place I want to live is the same basic concept as picking out the car you want to drive or the clothes you want to wear. Capitalism allows for us to consider these kinds of choices, so why not take full advantage? Where I live is every bit as much a part of me as the other decisions I make, or the things I buy. It becomes a part of my personality, and plays a large part in my overall happiness. So why not shop around? Why not do my research and decide on the best available option? I do the exact same thing when I make large purchases. Consider the pros and cons, perform an economic cost/benefit analysis, and move forward rationally. In the past when I use this approach for decision making, I usually end up happy with the results.

I would ideally like to see other people deciding where they want to live, and taking steps towards living there. Greater social harmony would result, if nothing else. As well, it would instill in many of us an appreciation for the land we live on, the people we live with, and the local government. This is an inevitable result, because you would have researched these things to begin with in arriving at your decision. This contrasts strongly with simply being somewhere because of other circumstances, as in those situations we tend to take our homes for granted.

With the passing of time comes greater methods of both traveling and communicating long distance, and partly as a result of this I feel that the age of being essentially stuck in the place where you grow up is coming to an end. I don’t personally think that my moving to Seattle is “out there.” On the contrary, I think its the most rational decision I could have made.

That’s right, T-minus approximately one month until departure. In less than a week here I will be finished with this school semester, marking what may or may not be the last time I ever attend a university. Following that, I will be fervently (or perhaps not so fervently) searching for a job. As well, I seem to have accumulated a series of dates with individuals whom I may not see anymore following the move. Dinners.

As the time draws near, I find myself wondering how people in similar situations say goodbye. Fortunately for me, most of my loved ones, friends, and acquaintances are already spread out around the United States so my moving to another place doesn’t change our relationship much. However, despite this, I still feel as if I have to say goodbye to a great many things. I can think of at least a handful of people that I’m going to see in the next month that I may not see again for a very long time, if at all. I wonder, should that change anything about how I interact with them, or what I say?

Likewise, how do we ultimately say goodbye to our homes? I grew up in San Antonio, and have lived in Texas all my life. I’m moving elsewhere because I think I’ll enjoy elsewhere more, but that doesn’t change the fact that I grew up here, and I’ll always have some Texas in my blood. How will that affect my perception of living elsewhere, I wonder?

The combination of events of moving, graduating from school, starting my career, etc. function to make this a pretty large transition in my life, whether or not I choose to accept it. And perhaps because of those same things, it also feels like the end of an era. An era in which I am choosing to leave a lot of things behind, both literally and figuratively. What will it be like, I wonder, to shed that old skin, and bare the new layer to the elements as I am? I can imagine myriad possibilities, both good and bad. I suppose only time will tell.

Whenever people learn that I’m moving to Seattle, they always seem to have some experience with the area that brings up fond memories. A typical conversation goes something like this: I inform them I’m moving to Seattle, and their eyes kind of glance upwards and glaze over slightly as they reminisce and tell me about their wonderful experience there. This actually happens a lot more often than you would expect. It’s very rare that I get the response indicative of an ignorant sense of the place. In fact, only one comes to mind. The girl replied, “so you like coffee and grunge music” in a disinterested tone.

In only one instance have I ever heard anyone say anything negative about Seattle, either with or without the knowledge that I was moving there. Ironically, this one instance comes from my father, who in fact did know at the time that I was planning on moving there. His only comment about Seattle was that it has a notoriously high suicide rate. This is not at all an unusual comment coming from my father. This is the same man who, when I was about 16, tried to have a conversation with my cardiologist about famous people in history who have died at a young age from heart complications… while I was being looked at for a heart complication that I have.

So outside of my father, the general consensus is that I’m moving to a great place. Not that any of that really matters, but it makes me wonder. How many people would enjoy Seattle, if only they gave it a chance? Alternatively, how many people would choose to live there, if given free reign to decide? Now you might contend that we do all have free reign to decide where we want to live, but I seriously doubt the vast majority of the people I’ve met have actually considered moving there simply because they liked the place. The fact of the matter is that people don’t really think about how much they like their city, or some other city, in the context of where they live. People more often than not live where they do because they got a job there, or their family or friends live there. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it has to make you wonder all the same.

The usual followup to people telling me how much they like Seattle is for them to ask if they can visit me. I probably have more people that have said they want to visit me than I have friends. Now I don’t actually expect half of them will ever truly make it out there, but it’s kind of funny seeing as how I don’t live there yet. All in all people seem enamored with the concept. Is it the idea that the grass is always greener, or something else?

The actual move will occur in less than two months now. Being the rock-hard stoic that I am, I can barely feel the murmurings of that foreign feeling of excitement, but they are present. I wonder how other people feel, being in similar positions. I wonder if they feel anything at all. There exists the possibility that we as a society are becoming entirely detached from the earth we live on. One place is becoming the same as any other. I’m attempting to find that oasis in the desert, to preserve, in part, an ancient piece of our history as creatures on this planet.

I’ve known with certainty for awhile now that I was going to move to Seattle after I graduated.  I knew back in March even before I visited during my Spring Break.  And though I’ve done precious little to prepare, I seem to realize, at least to some extent, the complications involved in this move.  Let’s see if I can break part of it down for anyone who is unfamiliar with being in this position.

Moving halfway across the country (Texas to Washington) is most always going to be a big move, no matter who you are.  Big in a number of ways.  Logistically, it’s much harder to move things from Texas to Washington than it is to say, move from San Antonio to Austin, for obvious reasons.  This sort of a move requires special planning in regards to how to move as much stuff as possible in as economic a manner as possible.  Of course, if your employer is paying for your move, it’s a different story, but I’m not working under that context as of now.  For my part, I’ve decided to try and cut back as much as I can in regards to what I take with me.  A minimalistic lifestyle is a virtue, although that’s a discussion for another day.  Despite my minimalistic philosophy, I have a significant list of things that I really can’t move without (most of them electronic).  When you invest all your money over the years in technological enhancements to your home entertainment, it’s hard to let go.  I’m just hoping I can cut back enough on everything else that it won’t be a problem.  I’d really like to ultimately be able to move using only my hatchback and maybe an accompanying SUV.  So here’s more or less how I’m prioritizing things…

Clothes: only take those that I’m definitely going to wear.  Since I’m moving to a much colder climate, I may even cut back on a lot of the old t-shirts that I’m used to wearing here in Texas.

Books: only take those that are special favorites that I’m likely to reread.  This is a hard one.  I’m someone who reads for pleasure, and there are many books in my library that I have not yet read, but that I may pick up any old day of the week and begin.  However, due to the inconvenient, weighty nature of books, combined with their relative cheap value, I have to say leave the books behind.  After all, we’ll all be using Kindles in 5 years anyway.

DVDs: this category barely even applies to me but I’m going to put it here regardless.  Leave the movies behind, or rip them to a hard drive.  That 200 DVD collection?  Ebay.  It simply isn’t worth it, unless you’re just some kind of uber movie buff.  I would actually treat this kind of like books.  Keep the special ones, ditch the rest.  Yeah sure they’re somewhat compact, but these things add up.  Plus, to me, any good movie can always be ripped or otherwise acquired on your computer, where its much more conveniently stored on your hard drive.

Computers/Peripherals:  not everyone has a lot of computers and peripherals, but I do.  And I love my computer “junk.”  All the extra parts, gutted cases, dangling wires, and unused optical drives combine in my eyes to form a secret garden, aesthetically unmatched.  Leaving these things behind is actually harder for me than the books or movies or many other things.  I love that when I need a part or cable or adapter I can just dig through my collection and find what I’m looking for.  Because of that I’m not going to leave all of it behind, but at the same time I have to draw the line somewhere.  The really old stuff, the zip drives, the legacy ware, the floppies, old printers, old keyboards and mice, parallel cable technology, etc.  All of that, despite whatever nostalgic value it holds, has to be left behind.  Priority is to be given to those things most compact and readily movable, meaning cables and adapters.  Old monitors – not so much, even if they still work.

Decorations:  I call them decorations for lack of a better word, but I mean any poster, wall print, statue, figurine, or other form of artwork whose purpose is just to sit there and look pretty.  For most of us, our desks are adorned with these types of things, and most of them are small are very movable.  However, that doesn’t mean we should take them.  I’m planning on leaving the vast majority of this kind of thing behind.

Video Games:  Consoles, games, and peripherals included here.  Since gaming is arguably my biggest hobby, I have to save space for this stuff.  Games are small enough and valuable enough that I can justify taking them with me even if I don’t necessarily anticipate going back and playing them for sure.  The things I might leave behind here are just the big peripherals, like a super scope or a DDR pad.  That doesn’t mean I’m not packing the SNES though.  You better believe I’m keeping that yellow colored beauty ’til I die.  To be fair, I probably won’t take the consoles that are outdated by backwards compatible technology, i.e. the gamecube and psx.  And I really doubt I’ll be playing my N64 anytime soon… so I might leave that too.

TVs: Definitely bringing the LCD.  Might bring the old tube if there’s room, but it isn’t too high on the priority list.  This one is kind of a no-brainer.

Speakers: I have a couple old speakers that I got from my grandparents who got them in Japan in like 1970 or something.  They’re high quality, but rather large and heavy.  I kinda hate to leave them behind but I’m probably going to.

Furniture:  another tough one.  On the one hand, I want to take as much furniture as possible because it’s free.  However it’s obviously very cumbersome, and will most likely ultimately increase the cost and inconvenience of moving.  As a result I’m probably only going to take what I can fit in whatever car, cars, or trailer I choose to make the move with.  The fact of the matter is, desks can be made extremely cheaply (board from home depot on top of some milk crates anyone?), and other than that you only really need a bed and one good chair.  Depending on the packing situation, I may or may not bring a bed and chair.  The rest of the furniture, such as couches or dining room tables or anything like that, is much too large to consider moving conveniently.  As well, I don’t know where I’m going to be living as of yet, and if the place is going to be furnished at all.   My advice in this area would be, if you’ve already made a significant investment in nice furniture, you’re kind of forced to take it, but if you haven’t, just go without and find the furniture after you move.  After all, the experience of living somewhere new is more immersive if you aren’t surrounded by the same furnishings you’re used to living in.

Car:  I just got a new car not all that long ago so this one is an obvious ‘yes.’  If I still had my old car, it would be a ‘no.’  Really just simple economics here, cost vs. benefit.

Misc.:  General rule is, the smaller the better, but no matter how small, only take it if I really want or need it.  Moving is a great excuse to really weed out your life, so to speak, of all the junk that isn’t really important to you.  Yeah, it’s hard in some respects, but at the end of the day it’s better to learn to let go of these material things when you can.

The lesson here is that if you’re going to make a move for reasons other than your employer requesting it of you, do your best to make it a true experience.  Don’t just leave your life intact and change the backdrop.  Make changes!  Leaving your old things behind forces you to fill up your life with all kinds of new stuff.  And some of it may be just as ultimately worthless as the old stuff, but at least it’s different.  At least, that’s the philosophy I’m operating under.