Life is a highway

Travelling 80 miles an hour, graduation appeared far away, but as I approached it, the day seemed to accelerate toward me. Good thing I didn't blink, otherwise I would have missed it. As is, it was like the sign that passes so quickly and then recedes into the distance behind.

After covering 1800 actual miles in 30 hours straight, my dad and I in our not-so-trusty U-Haul arrived at my new home in California. It looks like graduation was indeed not an exit ramp but rather the merging lane onto a new freeway that I've never been. I've relinquished my Illinois driver license in favor of a California license, and the 93XRT static decal is the only reminder of "sweet home Chicago," the Washington University and Beta Theta Pi decals as well as the never-to-be-removed WU residential parking passes are evidence that I spent time in St. Louis. My Cavalier officially sports a randomly-assigned license plate from the Golden State, having by some miracle passed the rigorous smog check required within 10 days of importing an auto.

I am seriously surprised that I haven't given myself a stroke over the traffic here. I haven't been gridlocked in L.A. yet, but the 14 does travel rather slowly mornings on my way to work. Perhaps I had just prepared for the worst and so when it's just slightly better I can feel happy or lucky or optimistic. I still haven't adjusted to the fact that my friends no longer live 5 minutes away, but I do know that I can't just roll out of bed and hop on my bike to be at work in less than 10 minutes like I used to go to class. Weekends have been heavy on the driving, heading my first weekend to Long Beach with my folks to hang out with K's family at a BBQ, the next weekend being D.D. in Westwood with some friends then riding passenger the next day to Malibu for a hike, and this weekend going to Santa Monica after work for dinner with a buddy and sitting shotgun while heading to Huntington Beach earlier today for harbor kayaking. Part of the reason I moved to where I did was because I felt like I had everything nearby that I'd need; funny that it turns out to be true but that I still go pretty far to hang with friends.

Motorcyclists here are lunatics. The dashed lines on the freeways are motorcycle lanes: yes, they squeeze between cars and trucks, five lanes wide, all moving 70+, bikers with a death wish sneaking past.

Thankfully (at least, I think it's something to be thankful for) I've reverted to a sleep schedule similar to the one I had junior year of college. Generally less than 6 hours of sleep a night, generally more than 4 except maybe on weekends. Going to bed late, tired, passing out seconds after hitting the pillow, waking up early, having half a pot of coffee, feeling pretty good all day, exercise and enjoy the afternoon/evening, stay up late again. If I'd get 8 hours of sleep every day I wouldn't have time to do anything at all. But now I feel pleasantly busy, and I like the fact that I don't need to feel obliged to dwell on work when I'm on my own time. Although I have been spending a lot of time outside of work with St. Jude people.

Indeed, I realized the other day (and have already told about a half dozen people) that my situation feels like one of those week-long leadership-type retreats of yore. My time is fairly well occupied but I still manage to find some time for myself when I need it. I've been hanging out a lot with people I knew from school but had only limited time outside of class and structured activities (i.e. EnCouncil). I've been having a blast with said people. And with them, through them, I've met a number of equally fun, friendly people, and am spending a lot of time with them as well. Developing strong friendships very quickly with many people. And all having something in common, namely work, to strike up conversation. And talk about work turns into talk about stuff other than work. I don't know, on paper this doesn't sound as enlightening as it felt when it first hit me. Either way, it's a good feeling, this sort of "I don't know exactly what is going down next, but I'm pretty sure it'll be good, and I've got good people to share it with, and I really want to share it with old friends and family but it's hard to explain it to them unless they could see it and experience for themselves."

I like it here. Although you can make a U-turn pretty much everywhere in this great state, I think I'll ride this road out for a while. I miss my family, I miss K, I miss my Wheeling friends, I miss my Wash U friends. The road calls me, and I have a caravan to keep with here. Focus on the drive, let the destination approach whenever it may.