I guess I had to settle in just a little more to trigger my dad: he told me, the very next time he was in town after I hung my art, that regardless of what other things happen I’ve got to find new living arrangements at the end of the year…
Anyway, in thinking about where I might go, I considered renting or buying a place here in town, probably near work… but it occurrs to me that really there’s nothing tying me to Phoenix right now. Which is not precisely to say that I don’t have ties here, or that my family is unimportant, but rather that … the ties I have here are very flexible. My family is still my family, no matter how far from them I get, and I’m sure I’ll return to them time after time, and a few years here or there or elsewhere isn’t going to break those ties.
My first non-phoenix inclination was to go live in New York City. I realize it’s “more expensive” to live there than anywhere else in the US, but there are certainly millions of unskilled and entry-level workers working and living in and around the city, and I don’t see why I couldn’t become one of them. I don’t have a family and I’m certainly willing to sacrifice my ‘standard of living’ for a new experience – not that my standard of living is very high right now anyway, compared to the “average” Arizonan… I have wanted to live in New York City (staying at least for a couple of years, perhaps as long as ten) for at least as far back as I’ve been making lists of long-term goals. It’s on my lists from college, from high school, and many in between.
The bulk of the US publishing industry is based out of NYC, which might be a nice avenue to look down for an entry level job. I can certainly work in a mail room or in a basic administrative capacity, and perhaps from inside the industry I could get a better idea of how it all works. (Which reminds me that I haven’t been keeping up on my personal goal to find 5 new agents every week to consider querying… I shall have to make myself a goal for this weekend to catch up.)
It occurred to me today that I also might like to live in Washington, D.C.. Other locations, mostly international, have also occurred to me, but NYC and DC top the list in my mind right now, and Phoenix is still in the top ten somewhere. So my plan going forward seems to be to plan to move … someplace else after the end of the year, and I’ll keep my mind/heart/spirit open to suggestions and clues about where I ought to go, in case there’s someplace else I’m needed or desired. But I’ll re-organise my financial goals to aim for a drastic move.
Anyone want to buy some furniture and appliances? I’m not sure it makes sense to try to bring all my ‘stuff’ with me, and the money might help with moving expenses. I’ll think about it, and probably post more detailed ‘stuff’ lists later. Or maybe I’ll rent a one-way truck rather than going the bohemian route… it all depends too much on unknowns right now, so this is all just brainstorming.
