For the record, the following is being written while: 1> Nicole is out of town, so it's just me and my dog at home (and my boredom, which I think is taking tangible form); and 2> I haven't eaten anything for several hours, because I'm fasting prior to a physical that I have scheduled in the morning. They're taking blood, so I'm not allowed to eat. With the exception of a trip to urgent care to have an ear lavage, I have not seen a doctor - seriously - in at least 15 years. So that should be interesting.
Anyway, I want to think that eventually everything in New Jersey will even out, and I'll feel "at home" here, but it's not happening. Not yet.
I shouldn't complain too much, I suppose - when Aaron moved to Belgium, for instance. THAT's a move. Holy cow. New currency, crazy time zones, frites stands ... well, OK, he's got me on the frites stands. It's probably better off we don't have those here. But still, I can't imagine what that must be like. And to top it off, the poor guy doesn't get Sox games and didn't get to see the Celtics win the NBA Championship.
It's just frustrating knowing that, even though my friends are my friends and (with any luck) always will be, "giving them up" for any length of time never gets easier. I look at my "Friend Wheel" on Facebook and I'm overwhelmed at the quality of people on there, and it's neat to see how many different "circles" of friends I could claim to be a part of. But the thing I notice most of all is that, with one obvious major exception, none of them are in New Jersey.
I used to complain on my old Diaryland blog all those years ago about never feeling alone (given that I was always surrounded by my buddies), but of feeling lonely (in the sense that I was looking for that "special someone"). Now it's pretty much the exact opposite. I feel more and more alone out here.
And I know I haven't tried as hard as I have in the past to meet new people and get involved, but I always lived in the city, where there were events and activities. Not in the 'burbs. I always could find some little who-knows-what that I had in common to spark even the briefest of conversations in a coffee shop (of which there are two, usually filled with teenagers).
There's no such thing as a good "local band" here. The popular bars "downtown" seem to both be wanna-be Irish pubs (though I've never been to either, so that's perhaps unfair). There's one music shop, but the selection is limited at best (and the "sale" price is in the $14 range).
I feel like I'm surrounded by parents and their kids, assholes on bluetooth earpieces, and horrible/horribly aggressive drivers. I used to be surrounded by people my age who also loved the Red Sox, both in Boston (obviously) and in Portland. The things one takes for granted ...
It's funny, in a way. I was so sad to leave Boston, and I couldn't imagine Portland taking it's place, but I gave it a try and loved every second of it. Then I was sad to leave Portland, but I figured New Jersey would be another adventure, so why not try that out too. I'm sure my opinion will have changed by the time the next phase comes around, but for now, I can't imagine being sad to leave here. I know it's a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain, but I'm really struggling with it these days. More than I expected I would.
Anyway, I want to think that eventually everything in New Jersey will even out, and I'll feel "at home" here, but it's not happening. Not yet.
I shouldn't complain too much, I suppose - when Aaron moved to Belgium, for instance. THAT's a move. Holy cow. New currency, crazy time zones, frites stands ... well, OK, he's got me on the frites stands. It's probably better off we don't have those here. But still, I can't imagine what that must be like. And to top it off, the poor guy doesn't get Sox games and didn't get to see the Celtics win the NBA Championship.
It's just frustrating knowing that, even though my friends are my friends and (with any luck) always will be, "giving them up" for any length of time never gets easier. I look at my "Friend Wheel" on Facebook and I'm overwhelmed at the quality of people on there, and it's neat to see how many different "circles" of friends I could claim to be a part of. But the thing I notice most of all is that, with one obvious major exception, none of them are in New Jersey.
I used to complain on my old Diaryland blog all those years ago about never feeling alone (given that I was always surrounded by my buddies), but of feeling lonely (in the sense that I was looking for that "special someone"). Now it's pretty much the exact opposite. I feel more and more alone out here.
And I know I haven't tried as hard as I have in the past to meet new people and get involved, but I always lived in the city, where there were events and activities. Not in the 'burbs. I always could find some little who-knows-what that I had in common to spark even the briefest of conversations in a coffee shop (of which there are two, usually filled with teenagers).
There's no such thing as a good "local band" here. The popular bars "downtown" seem to both be wanna-be Irish pubs (though I've never been to either, so that's perhaps unfair). There's one music shop, but the selection is limited at best (and the "sale" price is in the $14 range).
I feel like I'm surrounded by parents and their kids, assholes on bluetooth earpieces, and horrible/horribly aggressive drivers. I used to be surrounded by people my age who also loved the Red Sox, both in Boston (obviously) and in Portland. The things one takes for granted ...
It's funny, in a way. I was so sad to leave Boston, and I couldn't imagine Portland taking it's place, but I gave it a try and loved every second of it. Then I was sad to leave Portland, but I figured New Jersey would be another adventure, so why not try that out too. I'm sure my opinion will have changed by the time the next phase comes around, but for now, I can't imagine being sad to leave here. I know it's a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain, but I'm really struggling with it these days. More than I expected I would.
1 comment:
For a minute there I thought that Jim wrote a post about me. Oh well.
Some quick Google work yielded the following info:
A Monmouth University/Gannett polling institute announced in mid-October that a poll they conducted revealed that, “49% of New Jersey adults would like to move out of the state at some point, compared to 44% who would prefer to live out their lives here, and 7% are unsure. Moreover, 51% of those who want to leave the state say they are in fact very likely to make good on that wish. Another 36% say they are somewhat likely to eventually leave New Jersey and 10% are not too or not at all likely.”
-Old Man Grimes
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