Saturday, August 29, 2009
Goodbye to the Invisible Suburb
Tomorrow I'll be leaving a place I never expected to be and moving into a place where I'm not sure exactly what to expect. The moving truck is scheduled for 2 PM and I'll be leaving the Invisible Suburb behind for a new fellowship in the big city. I've signed the lease for my new studio apartment and despite some minor setbacks like a faulty back door key, the place seems to be nice enough. I'll be back in a city again after a few years out in the boondocks. Hopefully, the yapping dog in my neighbor's apartment down the hall won't be too audible behind closed doors.
A year ago when my girlfriend and I made the decision to move out to the suburbs, I was wary of the idea. From a purely logistical standpoint, it didn't make sense to move farther away from my archives, which were--and for the next few months still are--located quite close to Old Ivy. I had no doubt the apartment itself would be nicer than the room I had rented with a professor for my first two years of graduate school, but the suburbs? All of the recent historiography on the subject, all of the discussions I've had with architects and urban studies types told me that the suburbs deserve nothing but scholarly disdain. Whether promoting racial segregation, the decline of bustling urban shopping districts, or decimating expanded family or social structures, the suburbs have been the target of criticism and careful scrutiny. And now I was to be part of this? Old Ivy's environs might have been suburban, but at least there was the rationale, however flimsy, of it being a university town. Moving here, to the faceless, nameless, archetypal suburbia...that was another matter entirely. I'd be a commuter, spending upwards of an hour each day in my car, shuttling back and forth between work and home. Mind you, the thought of seeing my beautiful girlfriend each day helped soften the blow, but still, I was wary.
Nevertheless, I confess, gentle reader, that although it is isolating to the extreme, I do not hate the suburbs as much as perhaps an academic should. I like the open spaces and the quiet. I like not having to parallel park or worrying about a parking space in the first place. I think I may even miss commuting a little, though I can probably download podcasts of my favorite radio programs as needed.
For all these perks, it's time to go. That much is clear. Driving to Old Ivy is one thing. Regular trips into a major city during rush hour are quite another. Thankfully, my new commute will consist of a five minute walk, assuming the stoplights don't go my way at the intersection. I'll be driving much less and hopefully saving money as a result. There are at least 20 restaurants within a block or two my new building in addition to movie theaters and museums within easy walking distance. All in all, it should be a nice change.
But, there's still the ugly matter of moving. To be blunt, I have a lot of stuff: mostly books, but also a nice desk and a media unit that I'd prefer not to have to sell. I've hired movers, but I fear I'll be doing a lot of solo moving/cleanup work on the sidelines since not everything has been boxed. Also, because I'm moving, the weather has turned decidedly stormy, which is fine, except for the boxes I got from the liquor store without lids or coverflaps. Right now I should probably be packing, but I'm reaching a point of diminishing marginal returns. There really aren't that many more things I can set aside...except the computer and TV, and I'm waiting on those until tomorrow morning. Most likely, I'll try to run a load of loose (or looser) stuff to the new place before the movers get here, rush back, and then make sure the major stuff is properly organized for transport.
Still, moving remains a rough process, and one that I'm basically handling solo. I have not been as organized as in previous moves. There are no carefully laid out spreadsheets or book inventories. Everything has just come together haphazardly. Left to my own devices, I got distracted by side projects. An abstract is due for my European conference next month and I had to submit a funding proposal to the department in hopes of getting them to pay at least part of my way. I have an orientation to prepare for on Friday for my fellowship and various appointments to arrange for utilities such as Internet and electricity. There's a lot of things to keep in the air and I'm doing the best I can, but it's hard not to be overwhelmed.
Tonight I tried to destress a little by going for a run. (I recently got back on to jogging again and recompleted the Couch to 5K program) I ordered the same Chinese delivery order I got for my very first meal here in the suburbs a year ago when we first moved in to the new place. My fortune cookie's message was "Wish you a good journey."
There was a rainbow in the sky this afternoon between the storms. It arced over the identical houses and the winding streets of the Invisible Suburb I've called home for a year, a fitting tableau for me to say goodbye and perhaps an omen of a brighter future to come.
Hopefully, I should have Internet access in the new place by Tuesday. I'll post something then to let you know more on how things went.
Until then, be well.
Tomorrow I'll be leaving a place I never expected to be and moving into a place where I'm not sure exactly what to expect. The moving truck is scheduled for 2 PM and I'll be leaving the Invisible Suburb behind for a new fellowship in the big city. I've signed the lease for my new studio apartment and despite some minor setbacks like a faulty back door key, the place seems to be nice enough. I'll be back in a city again after a few years out in the boondocks. Hopefully, the yapping dog in my neighbor's apartment down the hall won't be too audible behind closed doors.
A year ago when my girlfriend and I made the decision to move out to the suburbs, I was wary of the idea. From a purely logistical standpoint, it didn't make sense to move farther away from my archives, which were--and for the next few months still are--located quite close to Old Ivy. I had no doubt the apartment itself would be nicer than the room I had rented with a professor for my first two years of graduate school, but the suburbs? All of the recent historiography on the subject, all of the discussions I've had with architects and urban studies types told me that the suburbs deserve nothing but scholarly disdain. Whether promoting racial segregation, the decline of bustling urban shopping districts, or decimating expanded family or social structures, the suburbs have been the target of criticism and careful scrutiny. And now I was to be part of this? Old Ivy's environs might have been suburban, but at least there was the rationale, however flimsy, of it being a university town. Moving here, to the faceless, nameless, archetypal suburbia...that was another matter entirely. I'd be a commuter, spending upwards of an hour each day in my car, shuttling back and forth between work and home. Mind you, the thought of seeing my beautiful girlfriend each day helped soften the blow, but still, I was wary.
Nevertheless, I confess, gentle reader, that although it is isolating to the extreme, I do not hate the suburbs as much as perhaps an academic should. I like the open spaces and the quiet. I like not having to parallel park or worrying about a parking space in the first place. I think I may even miss commuting a little, though I can probably download podcasts of my favorite radio programs as needed.
For all these perks, it's time to go. That much is clear. Driving to Old Ivy is one thing. Regular trips into a major city during rush hour are quite another. Thankfully, my new commute will consist of a five minute walk, assuming the stoplights don't go my way at the intersection. I'll be driving much less and hopefully saving money as a result. There are at least 20 restaurants within a block or two my new building in addition to movie theaters and museums within easy walking distance. All in all, it should be a nice change.
But, there's still the ugly matter of moving. To be blunt, I have a lot of stuff: mostly books, but also a nice desk and a media unit that I'd prefer not to have to sell. I've hired movers, but I fear I'll be doing a lot of solo moving/cleanup work on the sidelines since not everything has been boxed. Also, because I'm moving, the weather has turned decidedly stormy, which is fine, except for the boxes I got from the liquor store without lids or coverflaps. Right now I should probably be packing, but I'm reaching a point of diminishing marginal returns. There really aren't that many more things I can set aside...except the computer and TV, and I'm waiting on those until tomorrow morning. Most likely, I'll try to run a load of loose (or looser) stuff to the new place before the movers get here, rush back, and then make sure the major stuff is properly organized for transport.
Still, moving remains a rough process, and one that I'm basically handling solo. I have not been as organized as in previous moves. There are no carefully laid out spreadsheets or book inventories. Everything has just come together haphazardly. Left to my own devices, I got distracted by side projects. An abstract is due for my European conference next month and I had to submit a funding proposal to the department in hopes of getting them to pay at least part of my way. I have an orientation to prepare for on Friday for my fellowship and various appointments to arrange for utilities such as Internet and electricity. There's a lot of things to keep in the air and I'm doing the best I can, but it's hard not to be overwhelmed.
Tonight I tried to destress a little by going for a run. (I recently got back on to jogging again and recompleted the Couch to 5K program) I ordered the same Chinese delivery order I got for my very first meal here in the suburbs a year ago when we first moved in to the new place. My fortune cookie's message was "Wish you a good journey."
There was a rainbow in the sky this afternoon between the storms. It arced over the identical houses and the winding streets of the Invisible Suburb I've called home for a year, a fitting tableau for me to say goodbye and perhaps an omen of a brighter future to come.
Hopefully, I should have Internet access in the new place by Tuesday. I'll post something then to let you know more on how things went.
Until then, be well.
Comments:
Post a Comment
