New State Blog

Empty Nest Syndrome

2009-07-01T15:46:00.001-07:00

Today all my meager worldly goods were sent off on a truck. It's sort of unnerving because in reality all that happens is they take everything and say "I guess we'll probably see you in two weeks, if you're lucky." It's somewhat more official than that, but if anything turns up missing or broken I'll have a tough road ahead getting any compensation for it.

Here's a quick rundown of how the day went:

Two guys show up at 9am with a truck that will barely fit in the driveway.

It took about two hour to load everything up. Two awkward hours of me standing there watching as they worked. Here's my customized dryer heading to it's new home in Topeka. When I was in the other room I heard on of them say "why the hell would anyone buy a dryer that looks like this?"

This will be my living situation for the next 2 days. It's even more boring than it looks.

The Aftermath

2009-06-27T13:56:00.001-07:00

Sorry, thousands of dead bugs

I just returned from my trip to Iowa and Kansas. I found a place to live and had a fun time with my friends. Here's some stats to asses the damage:

2505 miles
35 hours of driving
$256.03 in gas
7 Red Bulls
1 coyote eating roadkill
2 deer spotted
2 dead armadillos
1 dead skunk

The Road Warrior

2009-06-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Watch out for this on the highways

Books on CD? Check
Water bottle? Check
Clothes Packed? Check
Energy drinks for staying awake? Check
Panicking cat packed into a carrier? Check

I'm just about ready to drive to Iowa for the weekend, before heading to Topeka on Monday to start looking for a new apartment. I've lined up several showings, so hopefully I can get a place in only a few days.

14-hour road trips are pretty much never fun, but adding a cat into the mix can change the dynamic considerably. On the way to Mississippi from Iowa my cat was fine, hopefully this trip will be a repeat performance.

Of Course books on CD are a requirement for a trip like this. Unfortunately, libraries and Jackson, MS do not go well together. I found the one library with the largest selection of books on CD, but it's still a pretty sad lot. However, if you want L. Ron Hubbard or Danielle Steel, they've got you covered several times over.

The Joy of Packing

2009-06-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Moving seems to be the time for assessing your life. It can give an opportunity to rediscover old letters and sentimental objects, take stock of where you've been and remember when times were better or worse.

For me, moving is also a time to realize all my possessions are complete garbage. I'm guessing the total value of everything in my apartment is $317. I'll spare you the complexities of that calculation.

At $2.17, this is my single most valuable item

Goodbye, Mississippi

2009-06-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Moving out of state is always a mixed bag. Every place has it's pluses and minuses.

As I leave Mississippi, there are some things I'll definitely miss, including the warm weather, friendly people and ability to find any food fried.

But there's one thing about MS that I hope to never have to deal with again. That's right, cockroaches.

Because of its cold climate, Iowa didn't have cockroaches, and I've never been able to get used to their disgusting antics.

I live in an older neighborhood in Jackson, and they are everywhere here. A quick stroll at night will give one many opportunities to see them scurrying under the streetlights. Sometimes after a late night at the office, I'll practically have to tap dance around them as I walk to my car.

I've had some great experiences in Mississippi, but I say good riddance to bad rubbish when it comes to the Magnolia State's disgusting insects.