Quick pre-move thought

One thing that surprises me, looking back on nigh-unto a decade working for the same place, is how few friends I have here. Plenty of cheerful acquaintanceships. Lots of people who say they'll miss having me around. Not many folks that I hang out with, though.

Enemies, however... I do have enemies. One of the highlights of recent weeks was seeking out my campus arch-nemesis and making peace with them. It was a nice piece of closure. I still despise this person, you understand, but we're formally at peace now.

I can't tell how I feel about the relative lack of friends here. It's the first place I've worked in a long, long time without having a posse. And I've gotten accustomed to it over the last 8+ years; I have a real-life posse. But it does add to my feeling that I've gotten dull out here in the provinces.

Giant squid + giant squid

So much is happening that it's hard to write about any of it. My drafts folder is littered with abandoned proto-ideas, each dropped when the next came into focus. Maybe it's best to start with what's stable.

Things with the wife are good. We both took yesterday's Google Earth quiz to see what animals we are, and we both came up with "giant squid." I think this augurs well for my marriage. The wife herself is middlin'-fair; she doesn't enjoy change as much as I do, and she shoulders more of the household logistics than me. Moving is therefore much more stressful for her. She's also hunting for jobs, which isn't as comforting as accepting job offers. But marriage-things are good.

The dog's still a dog. She's very Zen about it, in a pop-culture sense of Zen.

My new job, on paper, will be very similar to my current job. That counts as stability, even though it also means a (relatively benign) minefield of wrong expectations I'll have to undo. I'll give people advice. Some of them will listen. Life will interfere with their plans. Repeat.

Pizza's good. That hasn't changed.