Live in the past...

As Tim Hartnett always liked to remind me, and mostly in situations where it hardly applied, 'If you live in the past, you die in the past.' Recently a lot of my friends have been feeling the back-to-school absence in their lives and it has been hitting them hard. If there was every a time for it to settle in for myself, it would be now. This weekend is the weekend that everyone moved back to school. I actually looked at my blog and on August 29th of last year I wrote about having moved in that day to my new apartment in the Bronx. I absolutely loved that place and I missed it all the time. As my good friend Mike wrote, there is never another time in your life where, for 4 years, you get to spend your day to day life living within walking distance of all of your friends, on your own, and for us - in the middle of one of the greatest cities in the world.

In addition to the realization that I am staying put in my home this fall, and for the first time since I was 4 years old, not going to be in classes this fall - my neighbor is starting high school. I remember when their family moved here. I remember small conversations with this kid and some days we hung out. I never really lived near my friends and there weren't a lot of kids my age growing up and so he and I hung out every so often despite the near-decade age gap. I remember thinking at some point while in high school myself that one day when he finally reached highschool I would have graduated from college. It seemed so far off, and yet here we are. Today was move in day at college and a reminder of my completetion of that stage in my life. Tomorrow, the boy who I knew when he was only three years old starts his high school career.

And despite all of this, I do not have a sad blog to write. Yes, if I thought about it long and hard about the amazing era that is my college years and the tragedy of those being now in the passed I would feel sad. But, I have too much to be wrapped up in and happy about. I did not have any hardships with jobs despite the current world we live in. After only applying for one job, and only interviewing for one job, I was hired for that job. Unlike so many of my friends who were also fortunate to be hired somewhere I really look forward to work. I have an amazing situation were most of my days at work are spent with college-age students. No only that, but I really like working with every one of them. Also, my sister is less than two weeks out of being married and I could not be happier for her.

Sure there are things to complain about. I don't make nearly enough money, I am single and have been for longer than I care to toss around, and I will be in school until I am in my late 20s (once I go back to grad school). I guess I just have enough positive things going for me in my life that I am, at the very least, able to overlook what could be a very difficult and sad time.

Tomorrow night will be an adventure. In what looks to be a continuing of my goal to be active, tomorrow I am heading up to NY for a few hours to see my friends band play the last night of their month long residency at Arelene's Grocery. These guys are incredible at what they do and I love every second that I get to watch them perform. Their successes almost feel like my own as I just get more and more excited to see things going well for them. Despite having working at 8 am on Tuesday morning, I am going to make this trip because there is no way I would miss it.

Here's to everything!