Fact #358: I live in Houston now

And I have pictures to prove it! :)

 My bathroom. There's so much cabinet/shelf space it's actually kind of intimidating. 

Also my bathroom. Some of you might be wondering why I have an alarm clock in my bathroom. Some of you might be impressed that I hauled it all the way across the country even though it doesn't technically belong to me. Some of you might be afraid you're going to get it for Christmas next year.

My bedroom. It's not actually that dark, but the window made the contrast too high. I have some awesome new plants, a newly assembled Ikea dresser, and a super swank view of the parking lot.

 My fish!!!! He doesn't have a name yet. Sadly, Baby Force is already taken.

 The hallway. I don't know why I took a picture of it, but there it is.

Our living room. The coffee table is also a chalkboard. The couches were a last minute purchase from Goodwill -- I rented a truck to pick up a couch from a guy on craigslist, but he was a total jerk and bailed at the last minute. So I swerved the truck into a Goodwill parking lot, ran in, and ran out with these. I was renting the truck by the hour!

 Our dining room/nook/area. These are an Ikea table and chairs I got from craigslist. I didn't have a dining room in my last apartment, and I didn't realize how much I missed having a table to sit at. As you can see, it's already getting put to great use. 

So that's a little tour of my new place! It's super huge, which is nice. And we're on the top floor, so we don't have to listen to annoying loud neighbors above us... instead, we get to be those people!

Just kidding. I'm very quiet and nice.


Til tomorrow!

Fact #356: I'm torn...

...between wanting a beer and not wanting to peel myself off my new bed to go get it from the fridge.

Ooh, what to do...?

I do want that beer. It's a St. Arnold's Weedwacker (St. Arnold's is one of the few microbreweries in Houston, and I haven't tried their stuff yet).

Then again, this bed is really soft. And I did carry it up two flights of stairs, so I feel like I've earned the right to lay on it for as long as I gosh darn want to.

But I wanted a beer all day.

But I still have a ton of unpacking to do.

But my bed (did I mention) is just so freaking comfy!! (And bouncy. There's a ceiling fan above me, and I'd say there's a 90% chance I won't be able to resist jumping on the bed and will end up decapitating myself or at least knocking myself unconscious.)

Okay. That settles it. Beer first. Then jumping on the bed. Then sleep/coma.


Til tomorrow!

Fact #347: One week!

That's it. That's all I've got left. In one week, I'm leaving Pittsburgh! Yiiiiiiiiiiikes!

I'm starting to realize that even though my house is mostly empty, even though I've given notice at work, even though I've been packing and planning and apartment hunting in Houston, and reading a billion books for school, and getting my car fixed for the trip, and starting to say my goodbyes... Even though I'm quite obviously moving away... I don't think that fact is going to really sink in until I'm somewhere in the middle of Tennessee.

It's gonna be a big surprise.


Til tomorrow!

Fact #342: Pittsburgh, now I'm mad at you

Pittsburgh, what did you do to me? How did this happen?

I didn't see it coming. Two years ago, I had no idea you even existed (just kidding, my geography's a little bit better than that). But I didn't know how awesome you were. I didn't know how cool and arts-supportive and friendly you were.

I didn't know how much I was gonna love you. I didn't know how much you were gonna change me.

You picked me up and shook me, Pittsburgh. Which normally I like. But to be honest, you shook me pretty hard sometimes. And then you spun me around in circles real fast, and when you set me down I was facing towards Houston.

So now I'm a little mad at you, Pittsburgh. For making me care about you while simultaneously lighting a fire under my butt that's taking me away from you.

I'm gonna miss you, Pittsburgh. You witnessed some of my biggest growing pains, but you were nice to me anyway. I think you're kind of wonderful.

So, like John Lithgow in Harry and the Hendersons, I have to yell at you and punch you in the face to cover the sorrow of parting.

A touching moment made creepy by John Lithgow's very presence. 

It's like magic.

Til tomorrow!

Fact #335: I'm totally doing this, and you can't stop me!

If you know me, you know that I have absolutely no rhythm and can't dance (well) to save my life. You know that anytime I try to play sports, I get hit in the face by balls (hehe, balls). You know that I'm terrified of flying. You know that I'm fairly uncoordinated, and may have actually witnessed me trip over absolutely nothing but my own feet.

But you also know that I have a freakish amount of upper body strength. And that I'm sort of flexible. And that I've secretly always wanted to be in the circus.

So I'm totally taking classes in Aerial Trapeze and Fabric when I get to Houston. Whaaaaa...??

Wheeeeee!!!!!!


Til tomorrow.

Fact #304: Oh goody!

I guess I won't have to pack any pint glasses to bring to Houston -- I can just restock my supply at the Ginger Man!

 

You think I'm kidding, but I'm not kidding. I am, in fact, completely serious. 

Actually, there's a 90% chance that pint glasses will be the only form of dishes that I'll own. You can eat breakfast cereal out of a pint glass, right? Right. (Admittedly, an omelet might be a little harder, but I'll make it work. You just gotta want that last bite.)

 

Til tomorrow!

Fact #301: I'll say this one time...

In less than two months I'm leaving to go to school in Houston. And I'm a little scared.

It's the first time I've moved anywhere totally, completely on my own. I spent a year in London during my undergrad, but that was really more of a long vacation. When I moved to Chicago I had a network of college friends. I moved to Pittsburgh with Freddie.

And now I'm moving to Texas by myself. I know friends-of-friends who've offered to help me find a place to live and show me around. And once school starts, I'll be surrounded by a group of people pretty much nonstop.

But first, the move -- so far away from everything and everyone I know. So far outside of my mid-western culture. So hot. So humid. Finding a place to live, navigating a new city. Finding a way to make it feel like home.

So it's a little scary. And I don't mind admitting that, mostly because I can immediately follow it with, "I'm a big girl. I do okay."

Besides, if I remember correctly, I wasn't all that super stoked about moving to Pittsburgh. I may have spent the first couple of months here bemoaning the fact that my 'street' was a glorified alley, mocking the nonsensical roadways and poorly placed signage that are everywhere in this city, and bitching about the fact that I couldn't buy beer from a grocery store like a normal person.

But I've come to love Pittsburgh so much. For realsies. It grew on me like a giant city-shaped wart. I'll be back, I promise. I'll be back for a latte from Big Dog, for a beer from The Library, for brunch at Zenith. Hopefully I'll be back to work with some of the great theatre companies out here. I'll be back.

But first, time to bust out the shorts and flip flops, and figure out what the hell to do with my hair in humidity.


Til tomorrow!

Fact #273: What's the difference between Pittsburgh and Houston?

This.


(Well, probably a few other things, too.)


Til tomorrow!