Seriously?

Seriously? It's been over six months since I last blogged? This format doesn't seem to work for me at all!

But, the odometer has rolled another year in the new colony, so I feel obliged to make an effort. Actually, the three-year mark was a couple weeks ago, but I had better things to do, like watch Twin Peaks on Netflix... finally. And read a little. And get my bike ridable so I can lock it back up for another year and ignore it. Important stuff.

I don't know that I'll ever describe myself as a North Carolinian, except for maybe in an official and obligatory sense--driver's license, jury duty, taxes, insurance. Other transplants rarely describe themselves as Raleighites or North Carolinians, even though some have been here for decades. In fact, I hear a lot of people say they "just moved" here when further investigation reveals that they've been permanent residents for well over five years. ("Just" must have a different meaning here in North Carolina...) But there's a steady stream of actual "justs," too--people who literally moved a few months or weeks ago and are in the same position I was back in August 2008, looking for some new friends and a volleyball game.

Can you believe the economy has been in the shitter for that long?

A common icebreaker in Raleigh is "where are you from?" because there's an overwhelming likelihood that a person here is from somewhere besides here. Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey are obvious; Florida is understandable. But California? Based on my experience, there is a pipeline bringing folks here from the West Coast. I suppose it's a Silicon Valley/RTP thing, and honestly I never found California that alluring myself, so I shouldn't be surprised. But if North Carolina is drawing the masses from not just the East but the West, too, we are woefully unprepared for the shitstorm of humanity that needs housing, schools, roads... and actual urbanism. If all these people decide to live out on the edge of town, this place will be unattractive in no time. I guess that's the natural balance, though, right? Grow and grow until you're surrounded by shit, and then no one will want to move here anymore. I think we may run out of unshitty places soon.

As I've probably noted in the past--I don't know because I refuse to actually read my blog--things seem to be coming to realization/traction here. With my new planning certification and my not-as-new licensure, it's hard to deny I have SOME sort of qualifications. I have my hands in a number of groups and committees that expose me to people I need to be exposed to if I want to build a real life in this town. Teaching may be on the close horizon. Opportunity is latent. And having the freedom to choose what I do instead of slog through what is available is just coming within reach...

Now if I could just finish off these last few episodes of Twin Peaks and the final third of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, I'll be on my way...