It’s been one of those days. And I’m not talking about the kind that everyone nods and smiles about because they’ve all experienced something similar.
My current status: sitting in a motel room, a little over halfway between Albuquerque and Los Angeles. My current goal: arriving in Los Angeles. Alive.
I’ve had virtually no time to plan for this move. Getting into grad school, while very exciting, left me very little time to prepare myself. So I did all I could, planned all I could, and did my best to execute all of said plan. For the most part, I considered it wildly successful.
Some, however, did not. But I suppose the patriarch of my familial unit could pack and be ready for a big trip, finish up working and tie up all loose ends and paperwork, and also find a place to live and a way to pay for an education in a manner far superior to how I did it. I know this because that’s what he told me ALL MORNING LONG.
Long story short, I’m in the midst of the move, but am pretty much devoid of a great deal of the things I had intended to bring along. Oh sure I have most of the STUFF. But the only thing I have in which (or on which) to place or display any of my stuff is the boxes in which they’re currently packed. Trendy.
Despite my incredible collapsable furniture, I was unable to take any of it with me, on account of there just wasn’t any space in either of the cars to fit it all. The icing on the cake: I was the only one unsurprised by how much stuff I had. Because, when you live on your own and aim for self-suffiency, that’s what happens. It’s not crap, it’s things you need.
But I digress. I’m starting fresh, sort of, and haven’t much choice except to deal with it. There’s only so much bartering and arguing you can do with people who still try to order your meals for you.
Anyway, starting fresh. Within the confines of the car, I was graced with the presence of my younger brother. My relationship with any of my brothers, at any given time, varies. All was going well, and then at some point after dinner, we sorta got into it over a he-said/she-said sort of deal. And lo and behold, I finally got up the nerve to tell my brother just how homophobic he’s been in the past. Surprisingly, he was shocked, and even went so far as to say that, once I pointed this out, he started to think more about his past behavior. Said he’d never looked at things through my eyes before. Might some progress be made in the future? Hopefully, yeah.
Tomorrow: making the rest of the drive to the City of Angels. Fingers crossed it goes well and without all the incidents that graced me today.
And I’ll have my salad, like I ordered, thank you. No soup for me.
4 Responses to “Miles and Miles”
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Wow, Phil. I’m just now catching up w/ your blog, and I can see I’ve missed a lot. All I can tell you is never second guess following your dreams. Who gives a damn if your plan wasn’t in lock-step w/ your dad’s. As long as you are true to yourself, that’s all that matters. Best of luck w/ the remainder of the move as well as everything afterwards. You know you’ve got a lot of people rooting for you in the blogosphere!
Having been there, I can totally sympathize with the whole “pack what fits in the vehicle” thing. LA isn’t bad for getting second hand furniture, so you’ll be able to refurnish on the cheap.
Of course family isn’t going to get it. They don’t have the same attachment to your stuff that you do. And they’re probably a bit upset about the cross country move and are taking it out on you instead of saying “we’ll miss you” in the way they probably want to.
Good to hear that you and your brother said things that needed to be said.
Enjoy your trip to Los Angeles. I highly recommend heading to China Town on the 9th of February for the Golden Dragon New Year Parade and festival.
Actually, if you go to my travel website http://dorid.blogspot.com in the left lower sidebar I have a list of LA events by month, and links to their websites. You’re gonna LOVE LA.
Phil, you rock. Keep us posted on your adventures! I wish I could help you move. I’d have a salad, too.
who know you’d soon have a salad … on your pizza!