Bit O' Catch-Up - Break-Ups, Thanksgiving in NYC, and Moving

This time, I'm absolutely not pulling your leg when I say that it's been a really crazy busy month.  So, I'm going to attempt to succinctly tell you all about my Thanksgiving in New York as well as other significant life events.

Ready? Go!

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do...Except When It's Harder Not To...
In a way, I wasn't really expecting it since I thought my situation with the boyfriend was improving.  But, it was kind of a long time coming.  I honestly don't know (except that I do, and it's not anything I would post about here) why it took so long for me to follow through on this.  At the end of the day, I'm so much better for it.


Thanksgiving in NYC
Being that I couldn't spend Thanksgiving with the now-ex and because I was kind of anticipating some distance between us, I was happy to have already planned to see my best friend in New York for Thanksgiving.

We had a low key evening of cooking, but celebrated by going to see The Muppets movie.

Fall in New York is Better with Good Company

Had some Turkey at Whole Foods earlier that day,
but had a really healthy veggie dinner later...
of course with some pecan pie...

We could only be with each other for a short less-than-48 hours, so I had to leave the next morning.  But she introduced me to this delicious place called Doughnut Plant, which is one hell of a step up from Dunkin' Donuts.

They have flavors like...TRES LECHES!!!!
which...is f*&^ing amazing...
(picture from Leti)

I definitely took some to go with their home-made chai

Moving On and Moving Forward
It was tough and honestly really scary to know that I had to uproot my life once again.  It's like I keep getting myself into the same situation, hoping for a better end result.  It's the definition of crazy.

But when I had my lowest of lowest days at the end of November, December started to really show me that things can get better.

I had so much trouble finding a new place to live, and I was conflicted about staying in Brighton, which is where I had basically been since I've been in Boston.  Part of me knew that I needed a clean break and moving to a new part of town seemed like the best way to do it.

Eventually, I did find a place and couldn't believe my luck when I realized I had cool landladies and roommate.  I had never been so excited to pick up a key.

opening up to new beginnings

But never had I been so sad to leave behind all that I did.

some of the last of my things

Particularly, I am still feeling devastated to have left Mencken.  It was clear that we had to do what we did - Yoni is much more bonded to me and Mencken to him.  But Mencken was my baby boy.  I found him on Craigslist.  I know that cats adjust a lot quicker than humans do to new situations.  But can you really blame me for wishing to have them both with me or at least with each other?  I am so happy to have Yoni, though.

So, now I'm at my new place, and I have been since December 17th.  I'm lucky to know some amazing people who helped me transport my ridiculous amount of possessions to Jamaica Plain.  Anyone who helps you move is definitely owed some serious favors.  I literally owe those people my life and then some.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Knowing I'm Where I'm Meant To Be At This Time

On Friday, April 1st, I woke up and thought, "Darn, I didn't think of a clever enough April Fool's joke."

I love April Fool's.  I think that many people take it way too far, either taking a joke too far or taking a joke too personally.  But, in it's perfectly childish way, it's a great reminder of your own humanity, humility, and humbleness.

At some point during the day, I came up with the perfect April Fool's Facebook post:

After some consideration, [the boyfriend] and I will be moving to Portland, OR. Yoni and Mencken need new homes :*(

Friday at 1:39pm via Android

Now, as with every joke, there is some truth in it.  The boyfriend and I have talked about what cities we would be willing to move to.  Portland, ME, while a beautiful coastal town is far too north (which means much colder then Boston) for me.  Portland, OR, while not California, is at least on the West Coast.

So, a couple of people definitely fell for it, while others were absolutely certain that it was a prank.  Obviously, the timing of the statement was all wrong, though not completely unfathomable.  The boyfriend had just started school, and there's no possible way that we would ever consider abandoning our two crazy kitties.

But, this doesn't mean that moving elsewhere hasn't been a real honest-to-goodness consideration.  Being that my unemployment situation has been less than pleasant, there have been many times when I've had to really consider whether it was worth it to stay in Boston.

I figure, however, that this is part of my growing up experience - the lowest of lows, the most depressing cry-my-eyes-out moments, the most desperate of situations, all of it and then some.

I made a pact with myself when I was a mere teenager - I will never regret my actions and my choices.

Each action, each choice has a consequence and a lesson.  While I might not be happy with the consequences, the lessons are what I have to take with me.

And as the first blossoms are peaking out of the ground, I'm reminded that the lows have a bottom, and better times are ahead.

Pretty Purple

And then I'm reminded that I'm where I'm meant to be at this time in my life.  Nothing has yet called me to relocate, and I'm not planning to budge too much. 

But when the time comes for me to leave and try out a new stomping ground, then it will be what I'm meant to be doing at that point.

City Sights - September 1st Eve

For some reason September 1st fills me with a mix of sad feelings and happy memories.  Though it's still hot and humid in Boston, September's arrival means that summer is over. 

In Boston, it also means that the students have come back, and thousands of leases have ended and are just beginning.

On the final night in August, a couple of friends, the boyfriend, and I took a walk around Allston and Brighton, neighborhoods fraught with students and leases.  I just wanted to share with you some of the amazing piles of trash that we came across.

Another man's trash...

...is another man's Double Rainbow All the way!

It was fascinating to walk around the neighborhood.  Usually, I try to avoid the craziness of the U-Haul trucks, smelly sidewalks, and hyped up undergrads.  But doing this with friends makes the experience a whole lot better.

Words of advice for anyone:  Bring hand wipes or hand sanitizers or both.  I made the mistake of touching a Guitar Hero drum set that was just disgustingly sticky.  Gross!

There are a lot of things I miss about being a student, or just in general about years past.  But I'm interested to see what this September will bring.  With that, I leave you with this awesome tripped out video of an amazing song.