Go West

Do you ever suffer from paralysis when it comes to decision making? As a teenager my mom would drop me at the grocery store to pick up a few items... oftentimes I'd eventually materialize after pricing the products, considering the quality and the purpose of the good, and doing my own cost benefit analysis. Okay - I know I have my issues. My mom would ask what on earth I was doing in the store. Naturally I told her any trip, no matter how mundane, required careful deliberations to get her a suitable product for her needs. I shared my struggle standing in the aisle looking at the unit prices and wondering what Mom would like best. I wasn't a mind reader. If I had been, I would have been back in the car pronto!

Anyhow, I get paralyzed way too often when it comes to making a decision. Granted sometimes decisions take time and coordination. I've been trying to figure out my plans for when I finish work (11/7), but until 11:56 PM the only decisions I had made were a trip to Madison last week and a trip home to Binghamton next week. Hey, that's pretty good. I've always said if I ever changed jobs that I'd take a month or two and travel the world... maybe hit Thailand or Vietnam. Well, that is not happening. But, as of 11:58 PM I purchased tix for Kansas City, Chicago, and San Jose CA. I'm psyched - FINALLY. Took me long enough.

I should also add I'm pretty excited about a 'surprise' bon voyage party my roommate is throwing this Saturday. It is going to be pretty crazy with over 50 people in our humble abode. Some of our honored guests include my parents, cousin Judy, family from Baltimore, and friend Fredi from Albania (he didn't fly all the way from Tirana for me, just down from Boston). My friend Becky who I've shared adventures with in Croatia, Albania, and Poland is coming in from Ohio and Fal from NYC is also coming in. It's going to be interesting and I'm touched. Wow. Many, many heartfelt thanks go out to my posse here in DC and VA.

I'm moving back...

So, in case you haven't heard, I'm moving to Prague. Yeah, the poppy seed rolls did me in. Of course, I can find them here in the States around Christmas and Easter from our local Ukrainian and Slovak churches, but I decided I absolutely need to be in a country that has poppy year-round. I also miss my Czech sweet breads or "kolac" with the sweet farmer's cheese. My diet or should I say my taste buds have suffered so much the last 9 months. You might be asking, "Christine, why not learn to bake these goodies yourself"? That is a reasonable question I admit. Oops, and to be honest, I actually have a poppy seed roll in the freezer from my mom. However, somehow I got roped into sharing that with my roommate. Well, I confess it is more than the sweets that is pulling me back to Prague. I was offered a job I simply couldn't refuse and the opportunity to live in a city that has a very special place in my heart. Don't get me wrong - I will miss DC. I am already mourning my jogs around the nation's beloved monuments - the Washington monument, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson. I will mourn the amazing community and fellowship I've been so blessed by here. I'll miss running over to Virginia to visit with the gang still living on N Calvert, including Raymond's free ice cream and Heather and Christina's rather constant supply of the Court House Farmers' Market "Cookie Lady's" maple-walnut-toffee-white chocolate cookies. And, I will really miss sitting out on our balcony enjoying a bottle of Shiraz with Jordana into the wee hours of the night and then getting up for work the next day. But, it seems that the time has come for a new chapter. It is exciting, scary, and overwhelming all in one...