Comfy and Cozy

I'm sitting at home and I'm feeling comfy and cozy. Christmas definitely has a positive effect on me. Tomorrow I start packing for the journey home to Miami where a tropical holiday awaits. Hot and muggy, not so yummy.

I find myself getting very comfortable with my situation here in NY, right now. I'm teaching my classes in the mornings and evenings and I have some nice free time in between where I probably should be exercising but find myself napping instead. I used to never be able to nap but now I'm an expert. When my morning session finishes I find myself smiling into the cold sheets in bed and not feeling a lick of guilt. Very nice.

The problem with all of this is that things will have to change at some point. The choices are that I enter into a Masters of Education program in the Fall of 2010 and eventually start teaching in a classroom setting or, here's the bad one, that I have to be uprooted from the city and go through the no job panic again. At that point I'd have to apply to Masters programs wherever I end up. That's obviously the worse choice.

The reason it's even a choice is because the BF has been laid off and jobs are scarce in his field. It's looking more and more like California has the most opportunities. I don't know if I can handle the ditzyness and superficiality of the West Coast. Hey, I was finally out of Miami! I don't need to enter that world again. I know, I know. Not everyone is like that over there. Still, it's definitely a different vibe than the East Coast vibe and I really like the one I'm feeling right now.

Anyhow, this is all pure speculation so I should just enjoy what I have right in this moment, right? Let's just see where this "Winding Road" takes me...

Silver Bells, Silver Bells

It's Christmas time in the city...

I admit, I was skeptical about whether the Christmas season could get me out of my funk but it did. Really it's specifically the city during Christmas. New York City is always magical but it is exceptional during this time. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it's a walking city and you can really absorb the decorations and lights at a slow pace instead of watching them as you zoom by in your car at 50 miles per hour.

This past weekend we had some friends in town and it was their first visit to NYC. We became tour guides and decided to get as much stuff in as possible. It sounds like a pain in the ass but it turned out to be an amazing weekend. Between Rockefeller Center and the tree, Soho shopping in winter coats, dinner in the Upper West Side as the first season's flurries came down outside, the renewed awe of Times Square at night, and ice skating and hot cocoa in Bryant Park, I could not have been happier about living here.

This year has been full of obstacles and transitions. The bf was laid off again due to office closings so we're back to being as tight as we were back in March. Making new friends is still difficult since I'm working from home. And being away from family is more heartwrenching than I ever expected. But still, we seem to be getting by inch by inch. As I took in the holiday cheer through the cotton-like snow in the air I knew that things could only get better here.

I mean, it's New York and it's Christmas. How can you not feel hopeful?