It’s been a few weeks since I posted. Sometimes you develop writer’s block, and sometimes life provides you with so much to write about that starting is a much more monumental task than breaking through the writer’s block wall.  I intended to post as much as possible about the process of moving and the trials and tribulations (not to mention the hilarity) that ensued, but as it would happen, things moved far too quickly for that.  The settling in was as much about recouping the lost sleep and energy for a week as it was unpacking, organizing, negotiating, and getting my car back from being towed. (Yeah, whole new level of strangeness and Murphy’s Law there…).  If it weren’t for My family, the BF and @DJLunchbox, I don’t know how I would have managed. 

The entire move seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.  One day I’m working in the Strip District, hating snow and the cold, and trying to deal with an apartment that is older than my grandmother, and the next I’m commuting an hour both ways (well, two on the way home on Fridays, or when the entire populace of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor area decides to go home, if you must know.  I never want to hear people in Pittsburgh complain about traffic again!  Just sayin’…)  to sit in a cube bigger than my old office that has a wall of floor to ceiling windows overlooking downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor.  And I’m working with smart, competent people…

…really smart…

…like, roll up all the “smart” adjectives you can muster into a tiny little ball (intelligent, insightful, clever, academic, logical… you name it) and that describes the environment I’m working in now.  It’s a little overwhelming, actually.  Add to that the fact that I’m doing something I love, and it feels like I’ve finally stumbled onto the path I was supposed to find.  It feels like I’ve found home.

…Except, I haven’t.

There’s one thing missing that I can’t replace, and I certainly can’t pick up at the local grocery store…

The YinzTeam Cake and poster from the send off

The Thursday night before I left, @RebelliousFlaw and @Sorgatron (who posted an incredible rundown of the event on his blog called “PapuGone” ) managed to scrape together folks for a send off roast for me at Finnegan’s Wake.  I had no idea that it was a roast (kudos for keeping that a secret, by the way), and I was skeptical when I found out, but it was good fun in the end.  I know that it happened the night before Blogfest, and that it happened at the last minute, so I really want to thank you all for coming, and those of you who emailed, DM’ed and messaged me with well wishes.

I miss Yinz guys already.

What I don’t miss is the snow, and yet somehow, SOME WAY, the bloody snow and cold followed me!  And we’re not talking just flurries here folks.  I had to work from home on my first Monday because overnight it snowed 8 inches.  They didn’t come and plow our parking lot until well after noon!  8 INCHES!!  The BF blames me for bringing it with me, and I can’t disagree with him.  When I left Alabama to return to Pittsburgh tornados followed me home.  I’m a freak weather magnet, I suppose.

But now that all is pretty much settled, I should be able to post again more regularly, and hopefully there will be plenty of new pictures and fun new tales to discuss.  I already know that there are topics involving Social Media and academics/education/research that need to be addressed, and the dramatic shift of a new job and home life should provide plenty of blog fodder.

Until then…

(When I finally figure out what I did with my connection cord, I’ll upload some of the photos I have of the snow and the Send off gathering.  It has to be here somewhere…)

Baltimore Inner Harbor

See that skyline? 

That’s going to be what I see every day starting March 2nd.  I’ll be over there… on the other side of the water.   No, no… not there!  Over not too far from (you guessed it) Shakespeare St. and Thames St.!   I have no idea what’s over there, and that really wasn’t intentional, but the cool interactive map shows some promising restaurants.  I also see that there’s a Fleet St. near my office… which is a pretty good indicator that I won’t be getting a haircut there any time soon. 

It’s not too far from the National Aquarium (which, by the way has an experience in 4-D… can’t wait to see what that  is all about), and not too far from the fantastic shopping district and historical district, and the delicious restaraunts serving seafood from the Chesapeake Bay!

There are tons of historical sites and museums that I can’t wait to visit.  And there is the largest Barnes and Noble I have ever seen only a few streets over from my office.  Top that with the fact that 2009 is a celebration of Edgar Allen Poe, and you will have one very happy Pittsburgh transplant in the city of Baltimore! 

A quick word about Nevermore2009 — On October 7th, the date of Poe’s death, there will be a viewing… A VIEWING… Family 9-11 Am, public Noon-11 PM, before the burial on Oct 10 complete with horse drawn funeral hearse. According to the site: “This will be the public’s only opportunity to view Poe’s body before interment alongside his grandfather, grandmother and brother Henry in Westminster cemetery on Saturday October 10.”

Oh… I am so there…

Back to the matter at hand, though.  I won’t lie… I’m nervous.  New job (and from what I can tell so far, a job I will love designing PhD and Master’s level courses), new city, new life… It’s all happening so fast and that makes me a little nervous, but excited. The past week has been one gigantic whirlwind, and I don’t anticipate it slowing down any time soon.  Hopefully by March.  Hopefully!

I’ll certainly miss my family, but I know they’ll gladly come visit us (if for nothing more than the insane array of fresh seafood on every corner. Ha!). I was mostly saddened by the thought of moving away from the wonderful group of friends I have here in Pittsburgh, but then I realized something that struck me as profound:  I met most of you through the glories of Social Media here in the Burgh.  We generally communicate through Social Media, and we’ll be back to visit family and to attend fantastic YinzTeam events when possible on weekends… And I’ll definitely be back for Podcamp Pittsburgh 4, so why so sad?  Right?  RIGHT?! (Hurry and agree with me before my eyes start leaking… HURRY!!)

…19 days to the big move, and counting…

Baltimore Inner Harbor - Night Skyline

…and then I won’t have to deal with this:

Or this:

 And I won’t have to dread waking up to this (yes, I know the sign is backwards. It was taken through a mirror):

And my road signs will very rarely look like this:

And I won’t have to drive in this:

All that being said, it doesn’t mean I won’t miss this:

And:   

And there’s always this:

And:

 But most importantly, I’m going to miss this:

And this:

Image courtesy of @BurghBaby

…More soon…