A Year Ago Today

As of today I have officially lived in New Jersey (NYC area) for an entire year. In some ways it feels as though the past year has flown by and in other ways it feels as though it has been eons since I was a Minnesotan. Looking back on my time in Minnesota is like trying to remember a hazy dream. I remember how it felt to be there but Minnesota itself is no longer clear. I mainly attribute this phenomenon to being a much different person now that I was then. I mean, at heart I am still the same person, but really I am much different as well. It’s difficult to explain. A lot has changed in my life not only in the past year, but in the past three years. In the past year alone I’ve been unemployed, had two different jobs, and have whittled myself down to a size I haven’t been since 15. I’ve become comfortable using public transportation, am not fazed by rats or pigeons, swim in the ocean, and (on occasion) enjoy conversing with strangers. Moving away has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I confronted something I was (honestly, still am, a little bit) truly frightened of and have come out the other end a bit stronger and wiser. I always wondered what it would feel like to move away from home. Now I know.

So this is a reflection/celebration of the past year of my life. It has been challenging, stressful, beautiful, exciting, and unforgettable.

On August 25^th, 2010, in my first blog entry on this site I wrote:

“Moving is a daunting feat. We, Kyle, and I, packed our entire lives into a 15ft Budget rental truck and hauled all the way to Jersey City with little idea of what was awaiting us once we arrived. Kyle drove the entire way of course while I regaled him with my stunning sense of humor and charm. Our Chihuahua, Jumbo, also accompanied us on the extravaganza. He was not thrilled and is just now beginning to fall into normalcy.

. . . Upon first viewing, it seemed impossibly small and was disappointingly dirty. There . . . Kyle hauled most of it up by himself while I guarded the truck. In the interest of full discloser, at this point, I was ready to hop on a plane (or even drive the truck) back to Minneapolis.”

A year later and I think we are all still struggling to define normalcy for ourselves individually and as a unit. Jumbo may be the most adjusted one of the three. His main thrill in life is to smell things, and in the streets of our hood, he is never without a whiff of something. I guess a dog’s nose is like a human’s smart phone. He also finds great pleasure in chasing pigeons. I don’t often allow him to indulge in such frivolity but, from time to time, we do give a pigeon a run for its money. It’s actually somewhat satisfying. Anyway, I’d be lying if I said that I never think about returning to Minnesota. Some weeks here are better than others and sometimes throwing in the towel seems like an appealing option. The apartment no longer feels small but it does feel a bit far out (a problem that we are hoping to rectify this winter!) All in all I’d say it’s been an enlightening/successful first year here.

First year in the east coast-photo montage:

Central Park Spring 2011

Fort Tilden Beach Summer 2011

My Birthday

Birthday 2011

My office in Newark-where I no longer work

Post Christmas Snowpocalypse 2010

New Years Eve 2011

Christmas Day 2010

Christmas 2010

November 2010

Winter 2010

Fall 2010

Flat Iron building

Coney Island-September 2010

First views of the city-August 2010

It is difficult to write about a journey while one is still on it. It remains to be seen how my time here will pan out. My hopes for the coming year include finding some semblance of stability and figuring out some sort of career/life role. It has been an amazing year.

First Pancake

The most difficult aspect of beginning anything new is, simply, beginning it. I have wanted to start a new blog for some time now. My hope for this blog is that it will serve as a space for the synthesis of my life experiences and as a testing ground for ideas. Writing is a difficult exercise. When reading a new piece of literature I always am attracted to the content, the ideas, more than the craft. However, without honing the craft of writing, ideas contained in literature would not have potency. This potency is what makes literature such an important part of culture. I plan on using this forum as a space to hone my own craft. I also plan on using it, as many before me have done, as a space to explore myself. I have (foolishly) considered myself a “writer” without seriously practicing the art of writing. Through the creation of this blog I hope to gain a clear snap shot of myself as a writer.

I do not want to be overly didactic or serious in tone. The ideas and topics I plan on further exploring include, but are not limited to: literature, fashion, politics, photography, my daily explorations, food, funny things my dog does, essay writing, culture, movies, music and whatever else. I am not writing with any intention of having a readership or following. However, my grand vision for this blog does include it becoming a place where my family and friends can check in on my life. Some elements will be biographical. That said, I suppose it’s time to delve in:

In the past month my life has completely changed. I packed up and shipped out, moving halfway across the country to Jersey City, New Jersey. I am a native Minnesotan, born and raised in Minneapolis. Until four weeks ago I had spent my entire life living in the Twin Cities. Moving is a daunting feat. We, my gentleman friend, Kyle, and I, packed our entire lives into a 15ft Budget rental truck and hauled all the way to Jersey City with little idea of what was awaiting us once we arrived. Kyle drove the entire way of course while I regaled him with my stunning sense of humor and charm. Our Chihuahua, Jumbo, also accompanied us on the extravaganza. He was not thrilled and is just now beginning to fall into normalcy.

We arrived in Jersey City after spending a day and a half cooped up in the truck (we over-nighted at a Comfort Inn). Navigating the Truck through the narrow streets of New Jersey was harrowing and the Jersey Drivers seem to err on the side of insane but we made it. We picked up our keys from a rental office in Hoboken, made our way to Jersey City Heights and into our new apartment. Upon first viewing, it seemed impossibly small and was disappointingly dirty. There was also an episode with the refrigerator which is still too fresh a trauma for me to even discuss (another post for another day?). However, because of the refrigerator episode we were not able to begin moving our stuff up until mid afternoon. Kyle hauled most of it up by himself while I guarded the truck. In the interest of full discloser, at this point, I was ready to hop on a plane (or even drive the truck) back to Minneapolis.

While moving our things up we were informed that “commercial vehicles” were not allowed to be parked on the street between 9pm and 6am. Thus, leaving our moving truck on the street would result in it procuring us a hefty ticket. We made it to the drop of location only to find that it was closed, the parking lot entrance chained shut and with no drop box. We saw another Budget truck parked in a lot across the street and decided our best option was to leave the truck there and return in the morning. Kyle verified that this was okay with some guy in a fork lift. We took a cab home, ate some junk food and passed out.

The next day Kyle arose early, in an unfamiliar city, to attempt to navigate the public transit system back to the Budget drop off. I was as close to being paralyzed as I ever hope to be. Around 11 I was awoken by my phone but I didn’t answer. The caller, however, left a message. It was Paula from the storage center informing me that the place we had left the truck was threatening to have it towed. She also reprimanded us for not leaving the keys in the truck (because that makes sense) and informed me that this was “not her problem” (however, it really seemed like it was her problem). I frantically called Kyle, who was a few blocks away (he had a difficult time navigating the transit system), and warned him about Paula and her non-problem. In the end everything worked out fine. Paula told Kyle never to do anything like that again (as if) and that was the end of the truck saga.

In the past few weeks we have unpacked, gotten furniture and established an internet connection. I cleaned the apartment and after finding a place for all of our things, the apartment feels remarkably larger than it did that first day. We have a living area, a bedroom, a study, a “one-butt” kitchen and bathroom with a wobbly toilet. We have a new platform bed, a new couch, and two new wardrobes. Most of our art is hung up on the walls and everything is feeling very homey. Although I miss Minneapolis-Saint Paul, mainly my friends and family, I am beginning to feel like a life here will be a nice change of pace. New York City is a wondrous place filled with all sorts of promise and intrigue. Jersey City is strange and full of character, it reminds me so much of my beloved east Saint Paul neighborhood-Dayton’s Bluff. Kyle began a job today busing tables at a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan and tomorrow I have an interview for a restaurant management position in the East Village (!!!). Tomorrow we are also attending a reception for new students at Drew University (photos to come?). All in all things are going pretty well.

Thus ends my “first pancake”.