Monday, August 26, 2013

Not Another Goodbye Post

Hey folks!

So, exciting things are happening here at JJo headquarters. Although by "exciting things" I certainly don't mean "packing." Or "planning for the drive down to my new home." Nope. I mean more like "my last day of work came and went" and "I'm moving in two days." You know, exciting things.

So, two days out, let's take a minute to be mushy and reflect some on the past year.

It's been an incredibly strange, rewarding, disorienting, and surprising year. It's hard to describe the experience of moving home after a six-year absence. On the surface, everything seems exactly the same, but really, it's not. At all. In fact, everything's different. Reestablishing yourself in a place you've never really experienced as an adult is weird.

I saw moving home purely as a means to an end. I wanted to go to grad school, and I wanted to do it sooner rather than later (and, you know, I couldn't stand living in New York). I was fairly certain I was dooming myself to a miserable year, but I knew it would be worth it. I semi-jokingly nicknamed it my "monastic retreat," which is a nice way of saying "This year's going to blow."

But you know what? This year didn't suck. At all! Twelve months later, I've got a really good thing going, and leaving is a lot harder than I ever imagined it could be. I never used to understand the people who grow up here and never leave, but now I sort of get it (sort of. I still think there's a lot to be said for experiencing "something else," expanding your horizons and all that). For the right kind of person ("right kind of person" meaning weirdos like me), Anchorage is a wonderful place to live. It has a few obvious downsides (cold, dark, not as culturally rich as some places, etc.), but for me, these are totally worth the upsides. But I've never lived on the (lower) West Coast - maybe there you get all of the upsides with none of the downsides! We'll see.

So, what's happening with this blog of mine? In all likelihood, it'll be business at usual, at least at first. But in the event that you don't hear from me for a while, never fear! I'm as obsessed with running as I ever was, and from what I hear, grad school is very conducive to my li'l hobby. Even if I'm not writing about it, you can be pretty sure I'll be doing it. I'm also planning to continue to stalk your blogs, although I hope you'll forgive me if I don't comment as often. [quick shoutout to Coach HollyGCA, and GGR, who ran marathons this past weekend!]

And thus, we conclude the Alaska portion of this blog. See you on the other side.

Favorites from this past year, in no particular order:

 








Had to throw this one in here.

 


 

Love, love, love this dog. She will not be coming with me to Eugene. We are both devastated by this (although she's too dumb to realize it yet). 







14 comments:

  1. You are going to have a great year, I just know it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It's way too early to tell, but I think you may be right ;).

      Delete
  2. I bet exciting things await you in Eugene! Anchorage sure is breathtaking. I didn't realize Bailey wasn't going to be able to come with you. That must be really tough. I'm glad you plan to keep blogging, when possible, because I predict some PNW ultra adventures in your future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I certainly hope/expect there will be some ultra adventures in my future! Still struggling with being away from Bailey, but I know she's much better off with my parents.

      Delete
  3. So glad I (somehow...???) stumbled upon this little Alaskan corner of the blog-o-sphere earlier this year. Thanks for being hilarious, keeping stuff real, and letting me tag along on your Hanson (how do you remember if they are 'Hansen' or 'Hanson'? I always have to look it up!] Marathon journey.

    I suspect you're going to rock grad school, and will still be running, and might (might) even divulge your habit to your new Oregonian friends. :) Can't wait to see where this next journey takes you!! [I'll be here cheering, and kabitzing, of course....'cause that's what a good Polack girl does!] :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahaha, I remember it's "Hanson" because that's how Hanson is spelled 90% of the time (unless it's some weird Scandinavian variant). Plus, I'm just a little bit obsessed with them.

      Delete
  4. WHOA, two days out! Though by the time you read this comment you may be one day out. Or something. I am still envious of your breathtaking Alaskan scenery. Thanks for letting us tag along for the ride.

    Please keep us posted on grad school, too. I'm looking forward to experiencing stats classes vicariously through you. ;) Plus you'll be in Runner Central and won't have any problem finding people who completely understand your running habit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, now I just have to, like, attempt to make runner friends. It's not a talent of mine, having been a closet runner for so long (and having a lot of fear about being the slowest one at a group run), but I'll give it a shot!

      Delete
  5. but but ... the photos.... you better have amazing photos to keep me entertained with on this blog when you move. I want to be WOWed! (not world of warcrafted)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll do my best! Oregon's no Alaska but it's got some gems ;).

      Delete
  6. Don't leave us, please JJ-o! At the very least, take pictures of Oregon and post them. I guarantee you will need blogging and running and hiking as a distraction from grad school and I hope to see you on this weird world of blogging a lot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Amy, I could never leave (wait, yes, I could, but not yet).

      Delete
  7. Thanks for the shout out Jeano! Please don't stay away from us too long. Your posts are awesome and funny and I'm so excited to hear how things go in Eugene! Eugene half marathon or marathon perhaps? I'll come run with you :) Happy road trip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, that's so kind of you! Although I think you really mean "I'll run a half hour ahead of you."

      Delete