victory!

That ugly bug reared its antennae again tonight. However, I was prepared! I actually had a big cup with me and I threw it over him, slid a Kohls advertisement under the cup, ran to the bathroom screaming "EW! EW! EW!" the whole way and flushed that nasty sucker down the toilet. I'm shaking from the adrenaline rush but I will sleep much easier knowing he's been flushed down into the sewers....three times...just for good measure. 

invader

I have been surprised at how genuinely happy I have been here-- even though it has only been two weeks. After a long relationship I feel like I am learning myself again and what I like and enjoying my own company after being part of an "US" for so long. A dear friend of mine once told me that after her break-up she had cheetos and chocolate cake for dinner and it made her happy. I think of that when I eat things like spaghetti... and then a nutella sandwich... and some ice cream for dinner. Part of recovering from a broken heart and enduring change is listening to your intuition and your needs as you move forward. 

However, I have found that there is a dark underbelly to living alone. Something that I didn't realize until last night at 11:30pm....

THERE WAS A GIANT BUG IN MY BATHROOM. I HATE BUGS! Seriously, this thing was 2 inches long. ICK! 

Immediate thought: OMG. I am the sole bug killer in this residence. I can no longer ask my super roommate to take them down. 

At first I just locked the door. Hoping maybe it would go back from where it came. Then I got into bed and put a towel under the door to block it from sneaking in. I couldn't sleep. 

Back out of bed. I grabbed a spray can of Lysol and tried to poison it as it hung on for dear life to my shower curtain. Then it fell and I screamed. I was sweating. I ran back to the kitchen to try and throw some tupperware over it but when I came back it moved too fast. I slammed the door again and ran back into bed and burrowed all the way down in my bed. 

This morning it was gone. 

And after an email exchange with my building management I found out it was a "wood roach that is common in North Carolina and wooded areas." YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. Apparently they don't do much harm and there is little chance that they are breeding in my walls, but more likely that one snuck in at one point when a door was open. 

Someone is coming to spray poison in my apartment on Friday. Because I am the kind of girl who can hang curtains, assemble vacuum cleaners and make a mean frittata, but I am not the kind of girl who can deal with bugs in my living space. 

time to make a move

For a few months it felt like I was just sitting on the decision. People would ask "Are you excited?!" Um, sure. I'll be excited when it actually happens. I made a bucket list for DC and started hitting the spots I always wanted to go to: Quarterdeck, Ben's Chili Bowl, and Estadio to name a few. (The majority of my bucket list was restaurants, let's face it, I know what I like-- eating.)

Then all of the sudden it felt like it was go time. In a matter of weeks I quit my job of 3 years, threw my sister's bridal shower, bought a new computer, said goodbye to people, packed up my apartment...and well...that wonderful boyfriend? That relationship sadly ended and got packed up with the rest of my DC life. I had to laugh-- it was almost like the universe was telling me, "You wanted change, so here you go. Let's flip your entire life on it's head."

And with that I carried out the last of my boxes to the moving van and headed down to Chapel Hill. 

 the old apartment

the transition

About a year ago my job started to feel a little staid. I was getting annoyed at the hustle and bustle of the city. (Really, how many times can you get shoved on the metro before you want to shove someone back?)  I started wearing flat shoes to work (gasp!) I needed a change. Looking at where I wanted to go with my career, graduate school was the clear option for improving my chances at getting ahead. I was lucky enough to get into some great schools and then it became decision making time. 

I have always been one of those people who really weighs major life decisions, knowing that it will change the course of my existence. Did I want to be up in Boston, a city I always felt destined to live in, but cold? New Orleans would be quite a different experience, but I didn't think the party scene would be conducive to studying. New York was too expensive. This decision making process was like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears of graduate school. I had to find something juuuuuuust right. 

That was University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Not too far from home, but far enough to be a different life experience. All the resources of a big university but a small department to get to know my fellow students and professors. It felt like a place I could have a nice little life for a few years. 

Once I made my decision, there I was staring it in the face: going from big city Washington DC to small town Sweet Tea North Carolina. 

the premise

Once upon a time there was a girl with a perfect city life. She lived in a beautiful big city apartment with hardwood floors and giant windows overlooking everything. She could go on the roof and watch planes fly in while she drank wine. She worked at a big company and rubbed elbows with international honchos. She drank happy hour margaritas with her friends and went shopping for sundresses and heels with them on weekends. Oh, and she had a very handsome boyfriend who held her almost every night. 

Sound pretty good, right?

This is not that story. That is the girl I was.