New York I love you, but you're bringing me down

It's time to dust off the ole' blog. A lot has happened in the last few months.

Chris and I had been dreaming about moving to California for almost a year. But I don't think either of us realized just how huge of an undertaking it would be. How do we get out there? What do we do about transportation once we're there? Where do we live? What do we do for work? How do we choose where to live if we don't know where we're working? What if we don't find work? Etc. etc. It seemed like there were more questions than answers. There was no clarity in sight. I felt like no progress was being made. Like I would be trapped in the northeast jumping from one mind-numbing corporate gig to another for the rest of my life. I didn't want to move up the corporate ladder, I just wanted to jump off it.

I felt like the LCD Soundsystem song:

New York, I love you

But you're bringing me down

Like a rat in a cage

Pulling minimum wage

New York, I love you

But you're bringing me down

On top of that, there was the whole issue with insurance. It was a waiting game. When would they approve the dental procedure? My lease was up Aug 1st, and I needed to know what to do. Sublet an apartment for a month in hopes that it would be approved? But what if it turned out it wasn't approved...then I'd be stuck here another month. And so my life continued to be consumed by questions. I knew I had to either make a real exit plan or just resign myself to the corporate life for another 4 years (or more).

But option 2 wasn't an option at all. I'm not the type who can pretend. If I'm not happy at a job, I can't convince myself to just suck it up. And it's not fair to my employer to have an employee who just doesn't care about the work they're doing.

To be clear, I am grateful to have a job. I know there are millions of people who are unemployed and desperate for work. But I don't believe that just because there is a recession you should stay at a job that makes you unhappy. Especially if you have the means to get out. Because I made a good salary at my job, I was able to save money each month. Eventually that money added up to the point where I felt comfortable giving up stable income, at least for a few months. My mother always told me to save, save, save. And that advice has never been more true than the last year.

At first I thought I'd just stick around for another month. I saw a few apartments and found one that I really liked. But something stopped me from jumping on it right away. Finally I decided I'd take the apartment and contacted the guy. It was already taken. At first I was sad.The apartment had been perfect. Then I started to realize that maybe, just maybe, this was a sign. A sign that I wasn't meant to just "stick it out." Maybe it was time to just GO.


So Chris and I talked, and talked and talked and by the end of the conversation we had a plan. A plan that had eluded us for so many months. We realized that we had an opportunity to get the escape that we wanted, it just happened to be in a different state than we'd planned. After 3 decades spent in the northeast, my mom packed up and moved to South Carolina a couple years ago. Then, a year ago, she bought a second home to rent out. Luckily the tenant she was considering fell through. So that is where we will live, for now at least. It's a 3 bedroom house with a huge backyard where we can stretch out and play house. The rent is low so we can afford to live off our savings. The town has a bustling downtown so we don't have to give up our social lives. And the economy is good down there so hopefully we can find jobs (eventually). And there is no crazy landlord, security deposit, upstairs neighbors, or obnoxious roommates to deal with. Even if we don't stay there long, it is the break that we need.

And suddenly things are going rapid speed. I quit my job on Monday. My physical results came back and they were perfect. My dental procedure will happen on the 28th (the insurance company finally approved it). I move out of New York on the 30th and will crash on a friends' couch for the last 2 days of work. I timed my last day of work so that I will have insurance for all of August, in case there are any dental issues. Chris will quit his job in mid August and as of September 1st he'll be ready to go. We're not sure yet if I'll fly down ahead of him and get stuff ready or if I'll live in Philly for the month and drive down with him. All we know is we're going. It feels amazing to finally have an exit plan. Coworkers and friends have been very supportive and happy for me. This just feels right. New York, I love you, but I'm ready to move on.