- Joined
- Nov 22, 2008
- Messages
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After a gruelling five-day drive, I pulled in this afternoon.
What an experience! I fell in love with the area, and the best confirmation of those feelings came as I left. It was late afternoon as I-84 took me into the Cascades. It was misty, and golden aspens poked upwards into the clouds. Cuban jazz smoldered on the radio. I very nearly floored the brakes, barricaded myself into a quaint B&B, and staged a royal IM NOT LEAVING!!!! tantrum. (A tantrum, when kept in proper perspective, can be a wonderful thing.) But I thought of my job
and kept driving. The sky was very helpful in clearing behind me, and I saw the sun set behind Mt. Hood in my rear view all the way to Pendleton. I always spend Thanksgiving in Oregon with my family, but it was much more poignant when I left for home this year. Most of the time I'm eager to get home after a long trip, but not this time. My mother actually cried. Why am I going back, I asked her? To close up shop, she said. It was the only thing that kept my truck pointed east this week.
I find it interesting that at the beginning of my trip, a load came off my spirit the moment I crossed the state line. And that my creaky lower back felt fine. As soon as I unpacked the truck this afternoon, my back aged 20 years. I used to think it was arthritis, but ... apparently not?
Life may prove me wrong, but I take comfort in the thought that I've done the biggest push toward my move (short of the move itself) by finally putting my condo on the market. Now I wait for the realtor to work his magic. He told me today that someone came by twice to see it in November, and that's exactly why I got out of the way. We're also advertising on Craigslist. He said the market is likely to slow down during December. On the plus side, the feds have extended that tax credit for first-time buyers. Crossing fingers. And toes. And eyes.
While I was on the road this week, I got tired of the same 10 CDs and picked up a few more at a Goodwill in Nebraska. Joni Mitchell has given me a new personal anthem for this period in my life:
She pulls the shade;
It's just another sunny Sunday
She dodges the light like Blanche DuBois
Bright colors fade away on
such a sunny Sunday;
She waits for the night to fall
Then she points a pistol through the door
And she aims at the streetlight
While the freeway hisses
Dogs bark as the gun falls to the floor
The streetlight's still burning;
She always misses
But the day she hits
That's the day she'll leave
That one little victory, that's all she needs!
She pulls the shade;
It's just another sunny Monday
She waits for the night to fall
I'm not sure what else I can do at this point - just pursue my spiritual path (please, god, bring me a buyer!) save money, and be as patient as I can.
What an experience! I fell in love with the area, and the best confirmation of those feelings came as I left. It was late afternoon as I-84 took me into the Cascades. It was misty, and golden aspens poked upwards into the clouds. Cuban jazz smoldered on the radio. I very nearly floored the brakes, barricaded myself into a quaint B&B, and staged a royal IM NOT LEAVING!!!! tantrum. (A tantrum, when kept in proper perspective, can be a wonderful thing.) But I thought of my job
and kept driving. The sky was very helpful in clearing behind me, and I saw the sun set behind Mt. Hood in my rear view all the way to Pendleton. I always spend Thanksgiving in Oregon with my family, but it was much more poignant when I left for home this year. Most of the time I'm eager to get home after a long trip, but not this time. My mother actually cried. Why am I going back, I asked her? To close up shop, she said. It was the only thing that kept my truck pointed east this week.I find it interesting that at the beginning of my trip, a load came off my spirit the moment I crossed the state line. And that my creaky lower back felt fine. As soon as I unpacked the truck this afternoon, my back aged 20 years. I used to think it was arthritis, but ... apparently not?
Life may prove me wrong, but I take comfort in the thought that I've done the biggest push toward my move (short of the move itself) by finally putting my condo on the market. Now I wait for the realtor to work his magic. He told me today that someone came by twice to see it in November, and that's exactly why I got out of the way. We're also advertising on Craigslist. He said the market is likely to slow down during December. On the plus side, the feds have extended that tax credit for first-time buyers. Crossing fingers. And toes. And eyes.
While I was on the road this week, I got tired of the same 10 CDs and picked up a few more at a Goodwill in Nebraska. Joni Mitchell has given me a new personal anthem for this period in my life:
She pulls the shade;
It's just another sunny Sunday
She dodges the light like Blanche DuBois
Bright colors fade away on
such a sunny Sunday;
She waits for the night to fall
Then she points a pistol through the door
And she aims at the streetlight
While the freeway hisses
Dogs bark as the gun falls to the floor
The streetlight's still burning;
She always misses
But the day she hits
That's the day she'll leave
That one little victory, that's all she needs!
She pulls the shade;
It's just another sunny Monday
She waits for the night to fall
I'm not sure what else I can do at this point - just pursue my spiritual path (please, god, bring me a buyer!) save money, and be as patient as I can.
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