Thursday, April 7, 2011

Potential Life Changes

I haven't really talked about what is going on in my life recently. This is because it is so MIGHTILY up in the air right now.

The deal is, Joe graduates in a few minutes (or like a month or two but you get it) and he's looking for work. And APPARENTLY the job market is a little touch-and-go at the moment OR SO I HEAR. So it's not a very stress-free process. And then throw ME into the mix and what do you get, boys and girls? Seven ulcers. That is what you get.

In my opinion, we've both been really good about taking each other into account when it comes to next steps for his job. Open-minded. I told him that if we have to move, we can. I'm not going to keep us cooped up in Chicago if that's not the right option--just because I'm afraid to leave. And in exchange, he gets to continue to date me. NO, no. ...Yes. NO! In exchange, he has to make sure we both approve of the city, and that it has good Advertising gigs so I don't have to become the next Real Housewife of Boise or something.

At first, the motto was "Chicago first, but if we must, maybe another city." But the more and more we talk about it, the more the motto changes to "F*ck it, let's do this."

Obviously nothing is set AT ALL. And Joe is trying hard for Chicago-based places. But if it has to happen, here are some of our current options, and why I'd be happy to move to any of them:

SAN FRANCISCO:


1. Francisco! That's fun to say.
2. Apparently the weather is constantly 50-70 degrees. SIGN. ME. UP. Plus, I can rock the light jacket like no body's BEESWAX.
3. It seems really laid back. And everyone I know there is really awesome. It must have some connection to the weather. People don't get cooped up for months on end, nor do they get irritated by constant boob sweat.
4. I do not have a Sassy Gay Friend. Maybe I could finally find one in San Fran.

SEATTLE:


1. Again with the laid back attitude.
2. I see your "it rains too much" and I raise you "It rains while you sleep or while you enjoy a nice cup of tea and a book on a lazy Sunday afternoon." Game set match.
3. Two of my aunts live near or around there. My aunts are super adorable.
4. Fresh fish at the fish market MIGHT mean I am able to choke down seafood.

PORTLAND:


1. I feel like Portland is like Seattle, but with less water and more hipsters.
2. In preparation for a potential move, I watched all the Portlandia episodes on Hulu and I have to say, Portland might just be the rich man's Wicker Park. And I love Wicker Park.
3. I could get a bike. I could get a bike and ride it around everywhere. And since everyone else has a bike, it would be way cooler and I would not fear for my life because people actually WATCH for bikers unlike SOME cities coughCHICAGOcough.
4. Joe and I could recreate the Oregon Trail and, as always, Hannah would get dysentery.

LOS ANGELES:


1. The constantly nice weather means I could get a scooter instead of a car and be like Jason Segal in I Love You, Man or like Zooey Deschanel in Yes Man. Basically any movie involving a scooter and ending in Man? That could be me.
2. I would be SIGNIFICANTLY closer to Future Husband John Krasinski. A plus for me, a negative for Joe. But these are the sacrifices we must make.
3. Higher potential for becoming famous. I assume everyone who lives in LA is famous, right?

So that's it. That's what's going on right now. Yes it is crazy. Yes it is frustrating not knowing for sure what city I'll be in within a few months. Yes I would be moving far away from my family and friends. Yes I have never lived outside Illinois. Yes it is creeping dangerously close to the end of our lease. Yes I need to go chug some Maalox right now.

8 comments:

Sra said...

Let me just say that your current motto of, "F*ck it, let's do this." sucks! AND, I need a little bit more than freakin' Malox now, but I'm not sure if Ben and Jerry's is gonna cover it. Thanks, thanks a lot Rah!

elena said...

I applaud your willingness to pick up and move to where the job is - but jobs are pretty scarce in all 4 of those cities because everybody wants to live there. Have you looked at Philadelphia/Pittsburgh/Boston/Atlanta? (What does Joe even want to do with his ID degree?)

Emily said...

Yeaaaaah, that is true. Everyone DOES want to live there. So do I. I'm okay with it.

Pennsylvania and Atlanta aren't really the hub of Advertising (we have talked about them), and Boston might be fine, but nothing has come up for that city yet from Joe, as far as I know.

Unknown said...

Any chance you're thinking of Washington DC? Barring a shutdown of the federal government, there's lots of professional opportunities here...though it's admittedly less cool than most of the other cities you've mentioned. And probably stuffier and more expensive. But we seriously need more Midwestern, funny people here...besides Al Franken, I'm kinda the best we've got, and that's saying something.

Emily said...

Well I'm sure Joe's sister would love if we moved to DC, too! I don't think there are too many ad agencies there, since the agencies usually go where the businesses go. And from what I know of it, DC tends to be more lawyers and politicians, yes?

But I don't know about "more expensive"...I hear San Fran is pushing it.

Unknown said...

What the what? I'm sorry and REWIND.
since when would I get dysentery? If you're trying to tell me that you always killed me off, all I have to say is that karma is a bitch.

ALSO! consider Madison. Bikes, crazy politics, liberal hippies out the yin yang. And people advertise here, right?

Emily said...

Hey, I never said I killed you off on PURPOSE. It's not MY fault that you had a weak disposition.

And I will consider Madison when you start getting LESS snow and MORE environmentally detrimental ice for the roads.

Unknown said...

salt.

environmentally detrimental salt. not ice.

and we've got lots of sand instead! nice, gritty sand that gets in everything and makes you wonder how the hell your front walkway looks like a beach in the middle of January.