I'm moving to NYC and just got a job!

I'm surprisingly upbeat today, but that's because I'm (finally) moving to NYC. I'm taking another year of leave from my graduate school (sorry, Proust texts), and will be working for a literary agency this coming year. I'm shocked that I actually landed this job, but when you're close to being an expert on Proust, you have some things going for you in the field of literature. (At least, I'm going to convince myself of that).

While I'm a little sad to be leaving Cambridge, I've wanted to live in NYC from the time I was 4, perhaps even as early as 2.

As for my book, I'm still waiting to hear back from an agent (sigh). It takes them a long, long time to read manuscripts, and this is when you understand that whole patience being a virtue saying. Oddly, I'll be on the other side of the fence, judging queries, rummaging through manuscripts and so forth as an assistant. It's not that glamorous, but I've socked away a lot of money from freelance writing and somehow inherited a little piece of somethin' somethin' from my Aunt Lavender's estate, so I should be okay. I have a good friend who's wrapping up his Ph.D. at Columbia (Russian history), so I'm moving in with him for in August. For now, I'm gonna try and see as much stuff in MA as I can - once you leave a place like this, you suddenly realize you have to be a tourist and actually appreciate the shit around you.

I met with my newish advisor last week at Hi-Rise Bread Company on Conchord Ave - I'm a frequent visitor of Hi-Rise, and I'm gonna miss it, particularly in late Spring when it's filled with families during the late afternoon. The place is always packed, but given the quality of their food and the laid back ambience, there's a reason for that. After that, I hit Grendel's with my pal, "Mercy" (that's her nickname, her real name is Martha), and then wound up at Daedulus. I adore Daedalus - I'll miss the late nights we spent there, hanging with History of Science kids and Literary Theory types. Mercy made it clear that she's gonna miss me. I'm gonna miss her, too. She ordered these fabulous Mai-Tai drinks (I'm not a fan of "chick" drinks, but I'll say, they were phenomenal). We shot the shit about mundane things, you know, like Rabelais, Proust, and the yucky tube tops being sold at the Urban Outfitters just off Harvard's campus.

I have an uncle who lives down in Providence, and since I've pretty much packed my place up, I headed down there after I saw Mercy. She started to cry when I said good-bye at the Harvard Square metro stop. It made me sad, so I rushed down the squeaky, oily escalators. Providence sucks. My gay uncle disagrees, and I'd never say that in front of him. But it's true!

Well, onto NYC, and pretty soon. As I said, I'm spending most of my time in "Provy" until August. For the time being, I'm just acting the part of a tourist. It's pretty fun.