you're moving why?

yes. by now, you must have heard.
i am moving.
out of my apartment.
out of brooklyn/nyc.
i am moving.
sort of.

okay, for all intents and purposes, i am moving, that much is for sure. i am packing up my belongings and shipping them to my mom's house in austin. come october 11th, i will be out of my apartment and on my way to small-town connecticut to stay with shannon and steve for a couple of weeks in the country. then i fly out of hartford and go to austin.

yes, back to texas with me. why? well. many reasons. kathleen put it well yesterday at the picnic when she (who is also moving out of nyc) said, "i want a different kind of life." i've been saying i am in need of a 'change of pace' but i guess that sounds like some sort of generic cop-out reason. it's the easy description. and it is also true.

my basic idea is that i am going to austin for a few months (nov/dec/jan), and if money allows, travelling a bit in jan/feb for a month or so (thailand/hawaii/LA/mexico are the possibilities). after that, i'd like to try to go back and forth between new york and austin. i'm calling it my experiment in living. i haven't worked that all out yet, i'm just trying to do one thing at a time. but i have living situations handled in austin and new york, so that is a major help. be staying with mom/stepdad/grandma in austin, and with a close family friend in jersey city.

i'm looking for a best of both worlds scenario i suppose. a part of me is really trying to be out of nyc right now, but there's another part that feels the need to be here, so hence, the pending experiment. i think i can make it work. thank goodness i can do my job anywhere.


FAQs:

do you have a job lined up?
no. those of you who know me best know that i do not revolve my life around a job or a set of jobs. i live on feeling. and right now, what feels right is getting the heck out of dodge.

what are you going to do in austin?
who knows?! i'll continue to pursue similar things that i do in new york already-- personal cooking, private cooking lessons, catering and freelance catering. also i'm working on developing a healthy lifestyle coaching program, doing kitchen organizing and pantry stocking, doing mail-outs to food editors, and continuing with the cooking classes. and i might get a part-time job at whole foods. so there!

austin, huh? moving back home then?
technically no. i've actually never lived in austin (i grew up in san antonio). and i haven't officially lived with my mom since i was 10 years old. so this is all new to me. sure i've been to austin bunches, a lot of my (mom's) family lives there, and my dad and sister are the next major city away (only about 1 1/2 hours), so that is nice, and of course a major draw for being there.

but why are you moving?
because! lots of little things but a few of them are...
(1) i'm feeling squeezed. like an orange, and i am running out of juice and i have a massive headache. or like a vise or something. so much confinement of space-- personal space in the public sphere, personal space in the private sphere, and just feeling like if i let it keep coming i'll implode or something.
(2) i'm tired of being around so many people all the time, but yet being around no one. not getting the love of being around people. i want more love and hugs in my daily life.
(3) i'm at a point where i feel like wiping the slate clean and doing something different. learning a new city. becoming a proficient driver. spending more time with my family who i am really just finally getting to know in a real way.
(4) i crave more quiet. and more outdoor space. more nature.