Life Update: Moving In and Out of Life
I did a big move from California to Minnesota this year, which was more painless than I thought it would be. The "me" from a few years back would not be able to comprehend the process. I'm mostly extremely thankful to my partner for making it all possible, and is a big motivator for my reason to relocate. I've visited Minnesota many times before the move, which I want to say mentally prepared me. I was already familiar with the local record shops, cafes, bookstores, local events, etc. beforehand. Here's some stuff I've discovered while settling down:
- THE MIDWEST IS REALLY GREEN
You don't really see this much greenery and nice parks in the areas of California I used to live in. In Minnesota, there's brick houses, lakes and parks within walking distance, it's fantastic. In the suburbs I live in, there's a coziness to my daily walks that I admire.
- MALL OF AMERICA: IT'S OKAY
I get that there's a Nick-themed amusement park attached, a big Crayola and LEGO store, hundreds of shops lined-up across three floors. It is, however, not unique in any other department. Big malls across California have similar architecture and the same line-up of shops. If there's a big negative to point out, for being "America's mall" it doesn't have a Uniqlo or Kinokuniya. The big positive however, they have daily events happening in what is their open area. The last two events as of this writing was a half-court basketball competition with top high-school prospects and the appearance of K-Pop group KATSEYE.
- RENAISSANCE FAIR, STATE FAIR, LOCAL FURRY CON
These are closer to the later half of the year, but these are events that I can look forward to and get me feeling more connected with where I'm now living. The renaissance fair here is not something I completely enjoy (I do it to please my partner), but I do find it entertaining to see all these people pretend to be everything from kings and queens to peasants to dragons to magicians and peasants. The state fair is a big deal in Minnesota. First off, people line up for these buckets of cookies and I've yet to try one. Everything you can imagine to be deep fried gets deep fried here. This year's sensation was deep fried ranch. Lastly, there's Furry Migration (or FM) which is both cool and a bit annoying. The price of entry is high at $75 currently, which wouldn't be so bad if the con had a bit more to offer. It has the bare essentials of a dealer's den, art show, and some panels here and there. Overall, it's mostly good to remind myself that the furry community isn't internal online bickering.
- PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY COOL
All the new people I've been meeting have been through my friends/roommates so far. They are all generally cool people. Their homes are pretty cozy, and they have basements (usually). I never lived in or visited houses with basements until traveling to the Midwest, but I really like the idea of a cool underground floor. Outside of this, the shops I've visited had nice workers as well, interested to have some chit-chat. Even the bus rides have been peaceful. It's not something I'm entirely used to yet, but it encourages me to be a more confident talker.
Right now I've finished my search for a new job. I won't say what it is, for fear that they may ghost me or change their mind. I'm just glad to have some form of income, and it will get me out of my shell. The extra time off has given me the chance to consume a lot of media, which I will eventually write about on here soon. Thanks for sticking to the end!
:-)