Day 2745 - Moving Day

Hello Everyone,

Sorry about the delay in any posts recently--the Summer of Jim is coming to a close, and it has been pretty crazy.  But, since it's moving day and this will be the last post that I write from this wonderful town, I thought it would be appropriate to write a sort of farewell blog.  A farewell to CSU, farewell to Fort Collins, farewell to college years sort of blog.

But first, in the interest of housekeeping, here are some updates on things that have happened, which people might not know about if they haven't seen me in a while:

• I'm not going to graduate school.  I got in, but I have relatively little money and I feel like having an adventure.  So the MFA is being put on hold in support of finding an internship, a job, and visiting Lindsay when she studies abroad. 
• I've been doing pretty poorly at writing every day.  Perhaps a summer with no school or job commitments made me pretty lazy?  (i.e. all play and no work makes Jim a dull boy)?
• Considering the points above, I am moving to Denver, land of opportunity and free rent at my parents' house.

Alright, so we're all caught up.  Fantastic.  And I must say, that little bit of closure was probably the easy part; the rest of this blog is going to be really difficult to write.  This is primarily because I am very sad to be moving, but also because there are three painters in my house right now who are pacing back and forth through all of my furniture-less rooms, commenting about nail holes and dings on door frames.  The carpet cleaners will arrive this afternoon to share their own comments about the glob of blue ink on the floor near the window.  So, I can't help but feel like property management is already doing its best to erase any indication that I ever lived here.

So hopefully this post can serve as a sort of time capsule.

I lived in the house on Edwards St. for two years, from August 2009-August 2011.  My stay started in the semi-famous "rappe' basemaux" unit, where I lived in a room the size of a closet and stubbed my toes on uneven ceramic tiles, before moving upstairs to a regular sized bedroom.  During that time, I was involved with my first writing group (but you knew that, because--if you are reading this--it is likely that you were also a member).  In October, I celebrated my 21st and 22nd birthdays, and Lindsay and I had our second and third anniversaries.  I played a lot of video games, learned how to cook relatively edible food, and began referring to Fort Collins as "home" and Littleton as "my folks' house."

I also rode my bike, mowed the lawn, and sat on the front stoop watching people pass on the sidewalk.  From this house, I embarked on three trips to Wyoming--two of which were successful and one of which was food poisoning.  There were failed attempts to have a "Hoity-Toity Well-To-Do Affair," to invent a new type of cocktail, and to eventually visit the Number 1 Chinese Super Buffet around the corner.  I made new friends, ate good food, wrote stories, and generally enjoyed life.

The last two years were the best years of my life thus far, and I feel like the biggest idiot for moving away.  But I think it's time to get started with being a grown up (er whatever).

So, as I write to you from a strangely empty house where only myself, a file cabinet, and three painters remain, I feel like I need to admit--as I always do--that something is changing.  Perhaps more so than ever.

College years, you've served me well and I will miss you dearly.  Thanks for everything.

Love always,
-jim.