The Big Chicago Move

Right now I'm in a Comfort Inn in Portage Indiana. Tomorrow I'll drive about 40 miles to begin my new life in Chicago. Yesterday I drove 11 hours from Worcester MA to Morgantown WV to visit my old Clark friend Evan. It was great to see him again, and I wish I could have stayed longer for more QT. Anyway, I want to thank him and his wife Rebecca and his awesome kid Cormack for hosting me. I hope I get the chance to repay the favor.

Today, I drove another 10 hours to get here. It feels strange to be at this point. Much of my life over the last 6-8 months has been building up to this new life. Yet, in the back of my mind, my life is still in Worcester, MA and that I'll be returning at some point. Later this weekend I hope to blog my homage to Worcester. A little celebratory salute for hosting me these last 7 years.

I had hoped to blog on my move sooner, but my time has been so limited. My last weekend in Worcester was filled with parties, packing and visits. David held a BBQ for me. It was good to have another get together with many of my friends and colleagues from school. I was floored by the Calostoma cake he got me. My friends Kristen and Danielle took me to brunch at Block 5 the next morning. That night I dropped my little buddy off with Camilo, Dimitris and Rishi. I hope he will be happy there for the next 3 months as I get settled in Chicago. The in-between time was filled with packing up my apartment. I'm amazed at how much stuff I've accumulated.

The last two days before the move was filled with more packing, scrambling and finishing my TA responsibilities. I tried to pick up my rental truck and trailer in the morning on Monday before I had to proctor an intro biology exam at 10. However, I found that I couldn't use my Visa to pay for the rental because there was a $500 security limit on the card. So after the practical, I had to go to the bank and get enough cash to pick up the trailer. That afternoon several friends came over to help me pack up the truck. I seemed to have plenty of room in the 16 foot truck until I filled it up on Tuesday night with my remaining possessions.

Now, sitting here in room 122 in Portage Indiana, I'm ready to move on to my new life in Chicago working at the Chicago Botanical Garden.

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