Happy New Year to everyone. In our culture we like to celebrate New Years as a turning point. It’s popular to look forward after New Years to certain changes we expect to experience, or to set New Years resolutions. Personally, I’ve never been fond of the resolutions idea. I traditionally take a more hard-lined approach that says if you want to set and reach a goal, don’t wait for an excuse to do it. I also normally witness people fail at meeting their resolutions. So why do we do it? Because we all want to change some aspect of our lives, I guess. Normally for me a new year means little more than a change in digits when I date my work. However this time around I actually do have reason to believe this year will be significantly different than the last.

Though the changes I am making to my life have nothing to do with New Years, the timing of it all seems to coincide with the spirit of the holiday rather well. 2010 seems to me to be an auspicious number, and I couldn’t pick a better year to mark a change of lifestyle. I hope everyone else is looking forward to this year as much as I am, and I further hope that this next decade is great for all of us. Cheers!

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.

The Fleet Foxes come straight out of the center of the Earth: Seattle, Washington. The Foxes are most commonly classified as indie folk, lo-fi. They have a sound that is at once fresh and reminiscent of some great folk classics. Either way, their style is ultimately their own, influenced predominantly by the lead singer, Robin Pecknold. The songs seem unapologetically forthwith in their expression of identity, which has always been a quality that draws me in personally. I’m eager to see what they do in the future, but for right now they have some wonderful tracks to keep us company.

I’ve been an avid reader of the gaming blog Kotaku for many years now, and admittedly, the site is partly responsible for my inspiration to move to Seattle.  Now, you might wonder how a gaming blog could influence where I wanted to live.  In answer, I present to you two classic Kotaku posts from 2006:

Link Alive and Well in Seattle, Washington

Seattle is Top Video Game City, Bitches

If I ever meet the real life Link, I’ll consider my life completely fulfilled.  Maybe.

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My favorite part of Peacebone!  (Excerpt from the video)

“You must not blame me if I do talk to the clouds.”   -Thoreau

Living in San Antonio doesn’t feel much like Seattle.  And for good reason.  However lately it’s been uncharacteristically cloudy and rainy here and it’s actually made me feel a little like I was actually in Seattle.  When I wake up and it’s dark and wet outside I like to think that that’s what I’ll be experiencing when I live and work in Seattle a year from now.  In a way, all this “bad weather” is actually sort of comforting.  It is very much a reminder that there’s a day after tomorrow, and all that jazz.  If this weather somehow miraculously kept up until the end of the year, I’d have to call it a smooth transition.  It isn’t exactly cold here, but that’s okay, I can settle for one of two Washington weather characteristics.

The sun is overrated.  I realize it’s necessary for life on Earth and whatnot, and I appreciate that, but unlike every other manifestation of nature out there, it isn’t appreciable to the eye.  On the contrary, we can’t even look at it directly.  This is where clouds come in.  When it’s cloudy out, it allows us to look at the sky without squinting and to take in all that majesty.  Clouds are even responsible for the only aesthetic aspect of the sun, its rays.  Sun rays streaming in between clouds can be a beautiful sight, but without the clouds there we wouldn’t even be able to distinguish the rays.

Clouds are also responsible for rain, thunder, and lightning, three of the most amazing expressions of nature.  So bring on the cloudy days.  A piece of home come to visit.

Whoever dubbed Paris as “La Ville-Lumière” has never been to modern day Las Vegas.  Descending upon Las Vegas at night is an experience unrivaled.  Regrettably I don’t have a photograph of it, but perhaps I can paint a picture with words for anyone who hasn’t seen it.  If you have ever flown before, chances are you’re familiar with what it looks like to be above a range of clouds.  As far as the eye can see there is nothing but that plane of frothy whiteness.  Looking down on Vegas from above creates something of a similar sensation with light.  Everything is pitch black with the exception of a seemingly endless field of light.  It made me feel as if I was descending upon some alien planet from space.  Some kind of super advanced technological civilization, whose globe is covered over with brilliant fabrications beyond our comprehension.  Despite the power of this image, after touching down it soon becomes apparent that reality is far more down to earth.

Vegas is actually very ‘down to earth’ in more ways than one.  It is a place whose function is entirely driven by base human desires.  The truly ultimate congregation of all mankind’s vices.  The seven deadly sins just about comprise the list of competitive advantages the city possesses as a business.  A true feast of Bacchus, on the grandest scale you can imagine, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The grandness of Vegas is comprised of two contributing factors.  The first is the very extravagant architecture and decorations.  This might have actually been my favorite part.  A giant golden lion, three times the size of my house.  A pyramid, an Eiffel Tower, a State of Liberty.  They may all be imitations of the real thing, but where else can you see giant replicas all together in one place?  The second component of Vegas’ grand scale is quite simply the fervor with which the city as a whole attempts to shove itself down your throat.  It is the most uncompromising expression of identity that I have ever encountered.

The grandness of Vegas is actually sort of ironic because the city is so very shallow at its core.  It’s as if you climbed Mt. Everest just to find that it is really a giant inflatable toy.  Another way to describe it is to say at some point you realize that you’ve been duped.  The grandness is, in large part, a mere illusion in the middle of the vast Nevada desert.

The shallowness of Vegas is not something the city or its visitors shy away from.  In no other place on earth can a man so readily assume the role of an ass.  The man who truly embraces Vegas typically looks something like this: cigar smoking, drunk, and donning a fedora for God knows what reason.  The prototype woman is wearing a dress that expertly straddles the highest possible point on the thigh without being obscene, and which loudly displays the silicone implants on her chest that signal her membership in the Vegas member’s club.  If Vegas existed in this form a thousand years ago, those who would be thrown in the looney bin would be the only ones not parading about as fools.

If I sound critical of Vegas, it’s probably because I don’t much fit in.  Different strokes for different folks, and all that.  However, to give an appropriate review of the city, I will say that it succeeds admirably at what it sets out to do.  I mentioned that it’s uncompromising.  This is true in its presentation and its delivery.  This city simply doesn’t beat around the bush.  It is the premier spot for getting drunk in public, paying for legal prostitution, wasting away your money in slots, and being an all-around jackass.  If you’re especially fond of any one of those things, I’m confident that you could have a great time in Vegas.

As for what I did while I was there, I lost some money gambling, and finding that generally boring, spent probably the majority of my time touring the city and hotels on foot, eating a lot of food, and drinking a lot of mojitos.  I saw a live performance by some rockabilly band named Devil Doll while at a bar called Diablo’s Cantina (fitting?) and they were actually pretty good.  That, the cityscape, and perhaps the food were probably the highlights of my visit.  Oh, and my sister won $1500 randomly by drunkenly sitting down at the $5 slots and winning on her first spin.  She gave me a cut, so that I can actually call this trip profitable.

I didn’t see any shows, which is sort of regrettable, but I was not in a position to make that decision, and besides there wasn’t much good showing anyway.  Who wants to see Howie Mandell live, seriously?

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.