Updates on life: Getting used to Albany

Less than a month until yet another move.

This one is different from the others because I get to do it slowly instead of throwing everything on the cheapest moving truck I can find.

Being given the luxury of taking my time to find an apartment for me, Lizzie and Brandy, it was only natural that I had a total a-ha moment with the second apartment I walked into. I will be living in a brownstone near the intersection of State Street and Lark. The apartment is two blocks from work, in a wonderful neighborhood called Center Square. The place is close enough to the fun (which includes a wine store and a gluten free bakery in a very easy walking distance) and close enough to a few parks will be great for the dogs.

Home.

Though this is the second apartment I've had to give up a few luxuries. When I moved from Newark to Rochester, I had to give up quite a bit of space, in-unit laundry and a dishwasher. Now I'll be giving up off street parking and on-site laundry.


But I've found it's worth it to live in the city. I've really loved living on Corn Hill in Rochester and now I'll be right in the middle of the young professionals scene in Albany. It's very pet friendly too, many stores let you walk dogs in.

There are many things I'll miss about Rochester, though. Making this move was a very positive thing for me. I'll especially miss the giant discount wine stores.

So much wine! 

After six weeks of unemployment, I'm happy to be a working person again. I'm anxious to get to Albany, where I can work in an office with actual coworkers again. Until then I'm doing someone of a hybrid. I'm spending a day or two a week in the Albany office. When I'm in Rochester, I work either at home or at one of my many coffee shop haunt. I might need to get a Boulder Coffee t-shirt before I leave to commemorate all the time I've spent at that place in my year+ in the #roc. 

So far I'm very happy with the job and the people, and also the company's priorities. Covering campaign finance, I feel like I'm doing work that matters. I can't wait until state budget time. My coworkers are all likeminded, equally wonky and fun to be around.

I love our new office. It was just a storage area with a pool table prior to Capital New York moving in. Now we have desks, bookshelves and a printer. We also have two pianos, one which Harry Truman played. The building is full of history and I love it.

Piano in the new office. 

I won't teach there, at least not initially. Maybe I'll get on as an early morning sub/weekend at the Y, but that's the most I'll be able to do.

I'm done teaching at the Downtown Fitness Club, and will continue with my sole class at the Y here until it's time to move.

I'm trying to do the move without a moving truck. Most of my furniture is so old that it isn't practical to spend the money to move it again. Instead I've rented out a storage locker (people actually do live in those things, it's creepy). Every time I drive to Albany I take a carload of stuff. I've filled up a 4x4x8, so next time it'll be time to upgrade. I'm proud of myself for thinning my stuff out so much over the years, two more carloads ought to do it!

I also got the iPhone 5C. I'm not sold on it yet.

I'm taking a bit of time off from hardcore training, which was the plan before I had to move, anyway. I'm going to do some light cardio and weights this week to get going on something again.

I'm going to set up a couple blogs to autopost through the week, but chances are my blog will be sparse until life calms down again.