11 Tallahasseean Thoughts

I have yet to indulge in any macro-blogging since my arrival in Tallahassee. I use the term macro because, as the “Follow” button above suggests I have begun to micro-blog a bit on Twitter – nothing too exciting but it has been keeping me amused (despite the fact that @757Shah obstinately refuses to let me view his updates). All that being said, I guess there are some things worth noting without being limited to 140 characters.

1) I hope to never have to drive a truck again. We rented a 24 foot moving truck from budget which, plus the cab, was about 30 feet long and tall enough to nearly annihilate the electric and phone cords running to our former apartment. By the end of our trip I was able to maneuver this leviathan quite deftly, but have a new respect for truck drivers. I just hope never to become one again.

2) Speaking of which, professional movers have also earned my respect as moving is hot and makes you quite sore. Additionally, whether those who are relocating admit it or not they are quite stressed and it doesn’t seem farfetched that they may take this out on the anonymous burly movers assisting them. I have much respect for professional movers. I just don’t particularly wish to join their ranks.

3) Abbey and I have acquired many gnomes in our 5+ years of marriage. Despite their knick-knacky clutterish nature they still make me giggle. It seems like every other box we opened had some kind of gnome tucked in a corner. I bet this is exactly the effect that a young Abbey may have dreamed her future husband would have on her life.

4) Going two years without much technology has proved to be a wise decision as the current “basic” cable option was formerly the “out-of-our-price-range” option the last time we had cable. This gives me the sense that I am moving up in the world when, in reality, technology has just passed me by at such a rapid pace that I am like a basset hound excited to receive a half-eaten baguette from the dinner table – even technology’s scraps are like a sweet buttery baguette to me.

5) Speaking of baguettes, some guy is inventing a baguette machine.
I would like one in our living room.

6) If you don’t like Wal-Mart or Publix don’t move to Tallahassee.

7) Riding a bike is an enjoyable pastime – especially laps around the two-mile loop at the lake near our apartment complex.

8) Many experts are predicting an FSU v. VT ACC Championship game. Should this occur it may prove to be quite the litmus test to whether I will remain faithful to VT – where my mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandfather, and wife all went to school – or carve out my own niche as that annoying relative (who’s really only related by marriage) who cheers for a team he’s never particularly liked just because they are his new alma mater. Pre-season prediction is that the latter will prove true, but time will tell.

9) I feel like a couple of these should have been tweets because they are quite short.

10) I am currently reading two books about terrorism: Terror in the Mind of God by Mark Jurgensmeyer and Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Both are interesting and mildly depressing while Infinite Jest has the added bonus of being absolutely hilarious. Funniest book I’ve read since Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim (Which I highly recommend for anyone remotely interested in contemporary Egypt who enjoys dark humor).

11) When sharing an apartment it is quite helpful and nice to have one lavatory per occupant. It’s been two years since this was the case for Abbey and I and it makes a world of difference.

That’s all for now. Our move went swimmingly thanks to help from friends and we are slowly but surely figuring our way around Tallahassee. We both have FL driver’s licenses now and I even have an FSU student ID card. We still have about two weeks before Orientation and classes start, but we are certainly feeling like we are in the final stages of the transition. If you would like to keep up with my activities between blog posts, feel free to click the “follow” button at the top of this page. Otherwise, as always, thanks for reading.