Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
As a young lad I would often redecorate my room. Sometimes this meant rearranging all the furniture, or creating new furniture of my own. Other times it meant tearing down whatever artwork and rock posters were hanging on the wall and replacing them with some of my new drawings or paintings. Without fail, I would always end up changing things around in order to gain new perspective from my surroundings. Even now I find myself altering my work spaces or virtual environments every so often to shake things up a little. I realize that a big part of my life is uncovering every last stone in order to make sure I haven’t missed anything, only to then shake them all up and begin again. Sometimes I do this myself, and sometimes life does it for me.
For my entire life I’ve lived in or around Philadelphia, but I’ve always wanted to try living in another city like Chicago or New York. I’ve felt a bit too comfortable in Philadelphia for longer than I’d like to admit, not necessarily complacent, but like I’ve stopped growing, and that’s something that terrifies me. I’m looking to challenge myself again, and there really couldn’t be a much better time.
The reasons for this are in part hard for me to talk about, and in other ways very exciting. Earlier this year my wife and I decided to get divorced. There are no easy ways to say it, and the only reason I see a point in mentioning it here is because I want to stem the tide of people asking me about such things. Everything is much better now for both of us, and we remain friends. Sometimes life contains some false starts.
Despite how much of a life change that is, I’ve come to realize many deeper things about myself. In an effort to shake up my surroundings again, I’ve moved to New York. I’m at my best when I can experiment and when I can let myself fail, so I’m seeing where life will take me in a completely new city. I’ll still be working in the same ways with Happy Cog, both the New York and Philadelphia offices, just from a bit farther north now.
I found a nice apartment in Brooklyn a couple weeks back, and have managed to move some of my things amidst a rash of recent passings in our family. Sleep well. For now, I’ve got the important stuff, cats, computer, and clothes, but soon I will be a settled person residing in New York (I dare not call myself a “New Yorker” yet). I have a good number of friends in Brooklyn, and I find a lot of comfort that it’s the home to one of my all time favorite bands. I think I’ll like it here.
I’m anxious to get back to work, writing, and my site (life hasn’t allowed for copious spare time lately). Sit tight, dear reader. New things are on the way.
Farewell for now, Philadelphia. You’ll always have a place in my heart. Don’t worry too much, I still have loads of friends and family there, so I’ll never be a stranger. I’ll need to make use of their couches whenever I pass through town anyway. Now then, it’s time to do some exploring.
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