The Commotion of Relocation

In brief:  I am moving to Seattle at the end of the month and it has been utter chaos since I got a job there and confirmed a move date.  Apartments.com has excellent move guides and checklists, should you ever need them.  And now I'm going to call around for availability and keep my fingers crossed that I find a place all the way from DC.  We will try to throw some posts up, even if they're on the short side, this month, but I will be losing use of a computer after the 14th for at least a week.

LostGirls is still running, it's just a bit gimpy right now.  In June, I'll be joining BlogHer's NaBloPoMo again and will have plenty of time to write and give a full update on Seattle.  Yee haw.  Or something.

Jess

The Seattle Freeze

After the first few days I spent in Seattle, I kept wondering what was up with the rumored "Seattle Freeze."  A quick scan through the cons of moving to Seattle had left me with the impression that people wouldn't be particularly friendly there (on the street, in stores, in restaurants, etc).  I didn't find that to be the case at all.  Every stranger I came across was suitably friendly, if not downright fun to talk to.  So I asked my friend, Jamie, to explain why people always talk about this "freeze," of which I had seen no evidence, whatsoever.  I also started referring to it as the Snickelfritz.  Just because.  "This chick has a serious case of the Snickelfritz."  Doesn't that sound so much more interesting?

Anyway, Jamie took the time to explain to me that it's actually about making friends in Seattle - it seems it is often hard to do, even for people who are pretty outgoing.  I am not-so-outgoing, but I have already been adopted by a few lovely people, thanks to their friendships with a dear friend of mine who lives there.  Still...does my future in Seattle hold some hermitting?  And would that bother me?

Here is the definition of the Seattle Freeze according to UrbanDictionary.com:

A phrase that describes a local public consensus that states the city of Seattle and/ or its outlying suburbs are generally not friendly, asexual, introverted, socially aloof, clickish or strictly divided through its social classes, thus making the city/ area difficult to make social connections on all levels.

So will I, a year from now, be writing a post in which I kvetch about my friendlessness?  I might just be so awkward and introverted myself that I won't notice people being standoffish.  Or perhaps I will become a hermit, living on a Seattle hillside, who occasionally comes down to the city for hugs from those select few whom have been hugged into submission in the past (Jonie!), would hug me into submission if I didn't visit (Steph!) or adopted me because Jenn made them (everyone else!).

Wait...am I going to be in a co-dependent relationship with Seattle in which the city totally enables the worst of my personality?

In any case, all you can do when checking out a new place to live is to make sure you are somewhat prepared, at least mentally, for what it may be like.  And really, no city will be entirely perfect (and every one will have good and bad surprises).  I will be the first to admit that I have no idea if I'll suffer from the drabs from the constantly overcast Seattle winters.  I won't know until I've fully experienced one.  What I do know is that I felt instantly at home when I visited (and for the duration of my trip).  The more I read about it, the more I want to be there now.  I'm also happy to have isolated the two biggest cons and am excited to share some of the pros I discovered on this blog.  Including tater tots.  Tater tots and biscuits.  But not together.  Well, maybe.  Oh, you. just. wait.

Snickelfritz

I got back from Seattle several days ago, but have been settling back in and procrastinating like a son of a...

Last week's visit to Seattle was the easy part - I went to see if it was the city for me and came to the conclusion that it most certainly is.  That's fantastic and I have lots of photos to share, but the moment I arrived back at Dulles International, I realized that I now have to face the hard part.  Finding a job there from across the country is the first step, of course.  And as if that won't be enough of a challenge, the logistics of actually getting there, as I've said before, are not pretty.

That said, I have done it before and, while it is unpleasant and costly, I know I can do it and I will have help.  I really can't sit around wallowing in self-pity when I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity in the first place.  It is scary and I will owe a few people a great debt, but I knew after the first day there (not even a full 24 hours) that it was just the right fit for me.  On the water, near the mountains and lovely forests.  Eating the best tater tots ever (I'm not joking) at Canterbury or Lunchbox Labratory, oh god and Serious Biscuit (damn you, biscuits!).  Getting to try a bunch of local beers (and ciders) at Tippe and Drague and meeting the lovely people who make it such a great place to hang out.

I am also very lucky to already have one of my dearest friends living there (Meg's sister, Jenn), who introduced me to a bunch of amazing people that made my trip that much more interesting.  And Seattle that much more enticing.  Steph, Murph, Michelle, Panda - I can never thank them enough for making me feel at home.  And for giving LostGirls a new sub-blog: Found in Seattle (label-wise).

When I started Lost in DC (the first blog for LostGirls that we came up with).  It was created as a way for me to force myself into local adventures in order to help other people who arrive in the DC Metro Area and are as befuddled as I was at first.  I was under the impression that at some point I would know the area really well and be excited to live here.  Now that I've been here fifteen months, I realize that as amazing as this area can be, it just isn't for me.  DC itself is a pretty awesome place, filled with free museums (and some that are not) that I'm so glad I got to spend time in.  The National Portraiture Gallery and the Botanic Gardens (both visited with my best Jess...and I don't think I ever posted about the latter, so add that to the list of things I need to do before I leave) were wonderful experiences and having a birthday dinner at Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian steakhouse - it's meat-tastic) is something I'll never forget.

This isn't a bad place to live and I know plenty of people who are very happy here.  But while I don't hate it, I know it isn't right, not a good fit, not the place for me.  So the adventure to Seattle begins here...I'm sorry if it ends up being as painful for you to read about, as it is for me to experience, but I'm pretty sure it'll be worth it in the end.  

I have a lot of great Seattle memories and photos to share with you in the coming days, but for now I leave you with my first pictures of Seattle:

These were taken on a friend's balcony in Eastlake, a few blocks from Lake Union.  From there, you can see all of downtown (including the Space Needle, of course) and over to Gasworks Park (just outside the right frame of the bottom photo).  I spent a lot of daytime hours staring at that view during my visit, just dumbfounded by it.

 Coming Soon (more Found in Seattle):

• True definition of the "Seattle Freeze" (what's up with the Snickelfritz?)
• Seattle, the true home of Tater Tots (so says I)
• A few Seattle bar and restaurant reviews (real quick ones, though)

Nothing a Lot

I have a lot to write about right now, it's just that none of it is appropriate for this blog.  Which is to say that only those who know me would find it compelling.  It's a sort of writer's block - everything else that I'm nervous about is getting in the way and there's so much of it that I need hours to write it all down.

Eh.  Maybe this is a chance to talk about journaling.  Sure, why not?

I very much admire those who keep a daily diary.  I've managed to do it now and again, even for months at a time, but looking back at my old journals I see gaps of days, weeks or months here and there.  I can't stress enough how wonderful it is to get all the crap out into a journal (or however you choose to remove those random thoughts from your writing/living path).  New worlds open up. Inspiration comes more frequently, more steadily.  If you get into enough of a habit, you find yourself scribbling things everywhere you go on any surface that is handy.  It's lovely.


So don't be like me and procrastinate to the point of blocking yourself when there is such an easy way of preventing it.  I know I've written about all of this before, but I'm feeling free to illustrate my point with live examples of my stupidity.  I have only myself to blame.  And Hell on Wheels.  I should never have started watching that on Netflix.

In other news...

I am leaving for Seattle soon, to visit friends and see how I feel about possibly moving there.  I'm excited, but it's tamped down by the stress I feel.  I know for a fact (having done this kind of move before) that it is a logistic nightmare.  A huge pain in the arse.  And the last two times I did this, I barely had any furniture.  Now I have almost enough for a one bedroom apartment and I don't want to get rid of any of it.  At least I've managed to pare down books, clothes, papers and such.  It's funny what you let go of, material-wise, after moving and losing things.  It certainly changes your perspective.  So here I am, stressed out on a gut-deep level about something I'm not even sure is going to work out.  Because I'm silly.

Also...

You will notice (soon if not now, I'm about to do it) that there is a new gadget up on LostGirls.  We are very excited to be part of a couple of BlogHer's Influencer programs.  The LostGirls Pinterest page has been selected to partake (and we're doing our best to keep it interesting for you anyway - anything sponsored will be noted as such).  And we are now part of the TV Influencer program, which means we have that lovely video ad at the top of our home page.


The BlogHer community is pretty amazing and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of their NaBloPoMo (even when I haven't written a post, I go there to read everyone else's) groups.  I would love to eventually make it to one of their conferences, but for now I'm just happy to be involved with them in any way I can.  And all we LostGirls are interested to see what being a part of the Influencer programs will be like.

That said, if there is an ad type on the page that annoys you - please let us know!  We've already opted out of floating ads (because they drive all of us to distraction) and there is some flexibility with campaigns.  Cross your fingers and squeeze your thumbs, we're hoping this will be a great experience for everyone, not just ourselves.

A Small Chance of Success

It's the worst when you haven't posted a damn thing for half a month and you log on to see people are still checking out your blog.  Oh, the guilt!  And thank you, as well, whomever you are.

I have a long list of things I've been thinking about writing up, but between being sick for two months, having some lovely oral surgery and planning my first trip to Seattle...  My head kind of hurts.  And then there's the I-haven't-written-in-so-many-days-that-it's-all-going-to-be-crap-now thing.  That does happen.  So, despite having only posted twice in the month of February, I have signed up LostGirls for the March NaBloPoMo on BlogHer.  I knew February might not turn out well for writing, but I don't want to get too far off track and I have enough in the works (with a little help from my friends) that I can actually promise some fun posts this month.

For The Thinnest Skin, a couple of my fabulous friends are having fun with nail polish and their iPhones so you will have some lovely pictures to check out with my post on Julep Nail Color (which we're obsessed with and have been for a few months now).

For Lost in DC, I'm examining all that I love and hate about the DC Metro Area while deciding whether or not I'll be leaving it for good.

For Uncrafty, I'm making the world's saddest crochet embellishments and hoping they'll get prettier as I go (there will certainly be pictures of that process to come).

And for LostGirls in general, this month's BlogHer NaBloPoMo theme couldn't be timelier:

So what is the NaBloPoMo theme of the month?

RISK

When was the last time you took a risk? I mean, honestly threw caution to the wind, said even a small chance of success was worth the possibility of failure, and took a big chance? If you can't remember the last time you took a risk, what are you waiting for? Don't you know that with great risks comes great rewards?

BlogHer Entrepreneurs conference happens March 21st and 22nd, so we thought we'd celebrate fierce, risk-taking women by making them the focus of our theme this month.

Obviously I'm not entirely unfamiliar with taking risks, having just moved to DC from California in 2011.  But part of the reason why we take risks is to get out of things that we know simply aren't working.  My situation here is certainly that.  It was a nice try and I don't regret having done it, but...well, I'll be writing a long post about that this week.  And Risk is something all of us here at LostGirls can sink our teeth into, so you will also be hearing from people here other than myself!

But let's start with today's prompt: "Do you think it's better to play it safe or take risks?"

In all honesty, there are appropriate times for each of those.  And only you can decide when those times are.  I think taking the risk to come to DC wasn't a bad choice overall, but I also see now how playing it safe for a few more months there and really figuring out where I wanted to end up might have been a wiser decision.  But a life without risk seems like no life at all to me.  If you don't take risks, large and small, you will be missing great opportunities.  Even those horrible mistakes that result from some risks are worth something.

The two times I've moved from the West Coast to the East Coast have turned out to be bummers, but I learned from both and those experiences definitely changed me in some very good ways.  I gained perspective that I didn't have before.  I grew up in some ways that were certainly needed.  I made new friends and had new experiences that I wouldn't have had if I'd stayed in California, where I grew up, surrounded by familiar surroundings and all my lovely long-time friends.  I don't like the idea of stagnating and it's one of those things that happens without you noticing!

My goal right now is to find a place to call home that I won't want to leave.  A place where I can spend the rest of my days without feeling like I'm suffocating in the sameness of it all.  Who among us is not looking for the right fit?  And how on earth could we find it without a little (or a lot of) risk?

Day 30ish: Avoidance

I started writing this post on Wednesday in the late morning.  It wasn't until after midnight that I realized  I'd been doing all kinds of things to avoid finishing it.  My day was extremely productive.  Laundry done and put away.  Scarf for Jenn finally completed.  More boxes packed and moved to the garage.  I even snuck in a bit of television while crocheting and waiting for the laundry to finish.  But I avoided my computer.

It's not that, after almost an entire month of writing daily, I don't know what to write about anymore.  There is always inspiration out there.  All one has to do is look.

No, my avoidance is due to knowing I have to face a harsh reality.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - I do not regret having moved to the DC Area.  The two biggest reasons are (1) I finally got this blog started and look, it's still going - who knew?  And (2) I finally had a chance to apply at the company I'd always wanted to work for and figure out if it would be the right fit for me.  And though it isn't the exact fit I'd hoped it would be, it is still a job I want to always have, even if I can only do it part-time.  Really, it's less a job and more a hobby I get paid for.

But the hard, cold truth is that I was better off financially in California.  I had a stable job that paid well and could have moved out of my own place and in with a roommate to save money.  And eventually I could have afforded to move to Seattle, which was my long-term goal for the last year or so before I left.  I gave up stability to pursue dreams.  Sometimes you have to do that and there is certainly nothing wrong with that...as long as you don't run off in desperation...which is basically what I did, I realize now.  I have minded living paycheck to paycheck (and barely that) much less than I thought I would.  I've become frugal and careful and I'm pretty sure it's what got me into crochet (all the yarn I have was given to me by Mary, so I've only paid for a few hooks and stitch markers).

She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet.
― Jane Austen, Persuasion

However, I've also come to the realization that as amazing as DC is (especially the museums), the DC Metro Area is not a good fit for me.  I imagine if you compare the San Francisco Bay Area to DC, then to Seattle, you'll know exactly what I mean and wonder what the hell made me think this would all work out.  But I don't hate living here.  I just know it isn't the right place for me to stay.  And the problem is that I'm not young enough to be living the way I am right now in an area I don't have much interest in.

Another unfortunate truth is that I don't have any money to move.  Which isn't to say that it won't happen, it just means I have to...retrench.  And yes, I have been watching Persuasion too much lately.  Even if I don't mind the idea of cutting some costs where I can, the reality is that it will take a while to save up for this move no matter what I do.  Unless I prostitute myself, but then I'd probably get caught and go to jail and have to pay back whomever bailed me out, so let's not even think it.

So there you have it, all the little truths I've been avoiding because I don't like the sound of them, even when it's only in my head.  It isn't horrible, it's something to work towards, a light at the end of the tunnel.  But it still stinks.  Just a bit.

"I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives."
― Mrs. Croft (Jane Austen, Persuasion)

Day 26: But It Always Rains There!

 

As a Californian, I have often been told that I am required at some point to move to either Portland or Seattle.  It's what we do.  We invade.  Then we tell other people not to move where we are because we're now a part of the land and don't want anyone else to invade.  It's a bit silly, really.

I have many friends who live in Seattle (and a few in Portland, too) - people who grew up with me in Northern California.  None of them real estate developers, so they don't have much reason to feel guilty for moving elsewhere.  Besides, haven't you heard of the greying of California?  NorCal, at least, suffers from this affliction.

But since I now live in the DC Area, you may be asking yourself why I'm even talking about this.  Well, I have a dear friend in Seattle who wants me to move there.  I have considered this, moving there, for quite a while.  In fact, before I took my brother's offer to move here, I had wanted to check out Seattle and see if it would be a good place for me.  All of my research said it would be.  But having done a cross-country move twice already, I have a bit more hesitation this time, not to mention the logistics looking quite impossible.  Still, it's worth looking into.

And so I have looked at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (a.k.a. Seattle PI), an online newspaper for the Seattle Metro Area, for reasons why I should or should not consider eventually moving there.
Let's start with the pros (condensed version, based on what I actually give a care about):

The population of Seattle is known for being: laid-back, often introverted, intelligent, liberal and gay-friendly.  They are also known for dressing just as they please and allowing jeans just about anywhere.

Seattle offers amazing food and drink: lots of coffee shops (excellent coffee), vegan options, quirky donut shops, excellent sushi, great burgers (at Dick's Drive-In, at least) and ice cream (Molly Moon's), not far from Washington's wine country and home to many a brewery and craft-beer bar.
Seattle's weather is described as always gloomy and rainy, but they also have amazing fall foliage, snowy but rarely harsh winters (and the city shuts down every time they get a decent amount of snow, which I love the idea of because I'm a snow-wuss) and short but mild summers.

If you want to travel outside of Seattle for a weekend, two of your options are going north to Canada or south to Portland.  If you want to go further, there are two international airports in Seattle (SeaTac and King International/a.k.a. Boeing Field).

Seattle also has excellent public transit for the metro area.

Seattle is a great place for people who love mountains, forests and being on the water, not to mention all the green you get from that rain.  It's also known for clean air and beautiful sunsets.

Seattleites think reading is sexy.  Their library is amazing.  It's said to be one of the country's top literary cities.  Why haven't I moved there yet?

And let's not forget that Seattle is known for its music scene and lack of income taxes.

This is all sounding quite perfect for me.  But let's not forget the cons:

The "Seattle Freeze" is what outsiders refer to the way they're treated by Seattleites.  Meaning it's hard to make friends.  However, I already have a lot of friends there...

Evidently Seattle is prone to earthquakes.  But I'm from California, so...

It gets dark earlier in Seattle than California or Virginia.  Okay, that could be depressing...

It rains all the time.  It actually mists, mostly.  I don't mind getting misty, though I may have to get contact lenses again...

Lots of naked people and folks using body paint.  Did I mention I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Rent is not cheap.  But I already have an offer from a friend to share a 3-bedroom house for not much more than I was paying for a 1-bedroom apartment in California.  And I would only be paying half the rent, of course.

Higher price of gas.  Well, Virginia is a bit cheaper, but I am still used to California gas prices.

Infestation of chickens.  Um...that's weird...

You'll have to wait for great pizza.  Where I live, I can't even get good pizza, so I can live with that.

Too many singles, not enough family-services.  That's not actually a con for me.

Green-nazis.  I am not as green/sustainability/etc. knowledgeable as I'd like to be, but I would welcome a chance to learn more and to actually have services available to me to make it easier, which Seattle does.

Narrow freeways + too many cars = lots of traffic.  So, the same as the Bay and DC Areas then?

Longer travel time (flying).  I can't avoid this no matter where I live.  I have family and friends on both coasts, not to mention family in another country.

Severe weather shuts down the city.  I've already been through a hurricane and a heat wave here  (at the same time) that caused a major power outage.  And I hate driving in the snow, though I'm capable of doing it safely.  

So...what to do?

And then there are the cons I just don't care about:

Few or no good barbecue places.  Cold beaches.  Losing sports team.