testing and the first post

Hi everyone. I know this system is a bit crass and impersonal, but I thought it might be convenient to set this up for those who want to keep up to date on what I'm doing with my fabulous DC life. This way you can know what I'm doing without me shoving it down your throat (or email inbox) every week or so, and I can feel comforted knowing everyone is getting the basics. That being said, I do want to stay in close touch with you all individually; I just am worried about slipping up and possibly not calling you for months at a time. This method covers all bases. I'm always open to phone calls or emails for anyone who has the time.

Now that the disclaimer's over with, here's what I've been up to the past few weeks...

The move went relatively smoothly. After moving Sarah into her new dorm and picking up my stuff in storage, we (my dad, my aunt, and I) got from Orlando to DC in about 21 hours, with very little sleep in that time. The staff at my new apartment was impressed with the speed at which we moved all my stuff in, and I myself was impressed with how quickly we got all my furniture and (largely due to the fact that I have the best, most patient and efficient dad in the world) got it all put together. Seriously, I wouldn't have been able to get through the process without my dad and my aunt, who were great.

It's taken me quite a while to get unpacked and settled, and I'm actually still trying to get to the point where I feel completely comfortable. It's such a different lifestyle. Living alone is strange, but I have some company....my 77-year-old neighbor Ruth, who has lived in the same apartment for 39 years. She takes walks up and down the hallway at night for exercise, and I join her once in a while so we can chat. (She might be a ghost - I'm looking into it.) Two of my friends from high school live not too far away, and knowing they're there has helped to make the transition a little easier.

City life is surreal. It's weird not driving my car for days at a time and trying to reorganize the way I do simple things, like buying groceries and going to Target (which is, on the very best day, a 25-minute drive - I haven't even found Wal-Mart yet). Most days I don't even carry my car keys with me. I'm obsessed with the subway system here though, and I've fallen in love with Rock Creek Park, the city's huge park that stretches all the way from Virginia to Maryland and has an entrance right behind my building. I've been spending pretty much every other day walking or "hiking" there. I love my apartment too. It's like my child, in that as much as I love it I spend a ridiculous amount of money on it and it gets pretty fussy at times. It has some tricky wiring (which my dad also figured out) and I'm trying to get used to my gas stove.

But the reason I'm here is school, and that started two weeks ago. The first week was overwhelming, and I was exhausted by the end of it, but I'm sure that will get better. My program couldn't be more fantastic. There's about 60 people in it total, and a little over 20 in my year. It's a mixed group, but is mostly people in their 20s and I've been getting along with those I've met pretty well. All the first years are still working on getting to know each other, but I've been hanging out with a couple of people outside of class and in the meantime, I'm talking up everyone. (Not even just the people in my program. I have several random, in-depth conversations with strangers every week.) Everyone is great and the social situation in general is more promising than I thought it would be.

The academic part is going to be more challenging, but that's what I wanted. My professors, particularly my writing professors, are great people and very talented teachers and writers. My advisor is great - she's also my Literary Journalism professor and the head of the program. I have a feeling she'll keep me on my toes. I turned in my first piece of fiction for workshop last Thursday and am already working on my second. The first piece was a little more autobiographical than I would have liked for fiction, but I had to do that to get over the writer's block I've been experiencing for the last six months or so, and I think it did the trick. Incidentally, I noticed that I had to move away from South Florida to really start writing about South Florida, and now that I'm out of Central Florida, guess where my stories have been taking place. Oh, and the program has actually inspired me to start writing poetry, which I never thought I'd do. It's probably terrible though. If anyone wants to read anything I've written, let me know and I'll send it to you.

That's pretty much it out of me, for now. I miss everyone terribly, and I'm sorry this first update is so late in coming. I'd say I'll probably be updating here once a week or so now that I'm in a clear frame of mind. Don't worry about hurting my feelings if you don't read it - that's the point of me setting up this site, so that those who want to can check it out, and I don't have to know about those that don't. If you do read, however, feel welcome to leave comments - you don't have to be a member, but if you comment sign your name so I know who it is. :) The photo site I'll probably be updating fairly frequently too, considering the amount of pictures I take.

Seriously, really, keep in touch.

Love always,
J.