Remember Me?

I have been a bad Vox neighbor. In the eight months I've lived in Brooklyn -- has it been eight months already -- I have barely blogged, rarely read others' blogs, and rarely commented. Truthfully, I've rarely logged in. I've thought about it. I've ridden the train home with great posts running through my head only to eat and pass out from exhaustion. I've missed blogging, and promise to put more effort into this little corner of the internet. And I've missed hearing from all of you.

So, here's the past eight months in a nut shell:

• February 1: Land in Newark, and stay with my dad while I apartment hunt.
• February 2: Go to my second cousin's bat mitzvah.
• February 3: Watch the Giants win the Superbowl!!!!!!
• February 4: Find my apartment on my second day of looking, and sign a lease on a one bedroom with a price tag that would be considered obscene elsewhere, but is a bargain here.
• Went in for the first of two MRI's which never should have been prescribed, but did freak me out.

• February 15: Move into my apartment, and begin the insane task of furnishing it, including two stressful trips to IKEA -- a special form of hell.
• February 18 — Start my new job as General Manager of We-Care.com, a startup company.
• Start a whirlwind romance that crashed in 3 weeks (or was it 2?).

• Realized how fucking expensive NYC is. Really. I thought I knew, but it took some adjusting.

• Realized that my Start Up's product was not ready for prime time, as previously believed.

• March - July — Rebranded, re-architected, redesigned, rebuilt, and relaunched We-Care.com.

• August 1: We-Care.com is live. Shortly after, I take a much needed vacation, but really don't relax because I can't stop thinking about work.

• Realized what Start Up meant: lack of sleep, stress, uncertainty, and the need to do a whole lot with very little. Gratefully, I had a great staff (of two), amazing interns, and very supportive owners.

• March — Remembered that years of living away from here allowed me to forget what a difficult place NYC is to live — that's difficult as in realizing your 45 minute commute is only 4 miles.

• Found a therapist.

• Summer — Went on too many dates with too many rude, ill behaved women. Seriously, there are stories I could tell. (I also went on dates with some very nice women.) Began to wonder why I was spending large amounts of money on rude women, and decided I needed a break from dating.

• Labor Day Weekend: Finally finish decorating my apartment, so it looks like a home instead of a crash pad.

• September 20 — Go to Bob (my brother) and Mandi's wedding. It was possibly the nicesest wedding I've ever been to, and I've never seen my brother — the brother who said he'd never get married — this happy.

• Late September: Watched the economy crumble.

In all, I left 19 years of life in Minneapolis behind, and with it, 19 years of friendships, and all the places that felt familiar. I left a stable dead-end job for an uncertain one with lots of possiblities. I've learned what it's like to be lonely in a new place, and what it's like to slowly -- and it is slow -- build new relationships. I've become jaded about dating, worried about money, and very tired. I've revisioned and rebuilt a web product from the ground up in less than five months, with only two employees, two interns, and three contractors — and I'm damn proud of that (and the people who worked with me). And, I've learned that being close to my family is good and bad, but mostly good. (And I'd say "mostly good" even if I didn't know my dad read my blog.)

It will probably be two years before I can look back and say whether I'm glad I moved back here. But there is one thing I'm sure of: Not moving here would have always left me wondering.

Now, if anyone knows any single women in this area, roughly between 36-44, who don't want to be single, and aren't rude,  inconsiderate, or blatently offensive, do let me know. ;-)