On mine... mine.. mine.. mine..

Greetings from Raleigh! This is my third trip to my new home in the last month, but the first since I've been offered and accepted a job and, thus, the first since the pieces finally seem to be falling into place for our next chapter. And thank god for that. I still can't believe it all worked out, but I guess deep down I knew it would, but only because it always has. The cynic in me just keeps waiting for the luck to run out.

I'm here for a one day gig for my new job. I'm attending a very casual senior staff retreat at my new boss' home. If I understand things correctly, I'm there to do a fair share of listening, so I'm actually feeling strangely comfortable with it. Despite how nervous I am to take over this gig, I think I'm going to be ok for my "first day". Then back to Virginia tomorrow night, with lots of caffeine within arm's reach for the drive.

The trip took the expected 4 and a half hours and my GPS delivered me safely to the hotel. I knew I didn't have time to swing by the leasing office at the new place before they closed, but promised myself I'd at least do a drive by. But there were other matters to attend to first.

Mamma Mia, baby.

I can't remember the last time I went to a movie by myself. I'm honestly not sure if I ever have. But it was a great excuse to explore "my" new movie theater in "my" new neighborhood. Not to mention the fact that finding someone to see this movie with me would be extremely challenging. That's the trouble with having "cool" and "popular" friends.

So I went. And I'm happy to report I'm quite pleased with our cinema. Particularly b/c I was charged the matinee price for a 5:05 pm Sunday showing. And the matinee price was $6.75. YAY CHEAPER COST OF LIVING! Small soda and small popcorn still set me back $8.75, but what can you do?

The movie was... fine. It was fun and silly and had the expected great music. (And by great, I mean, great for singing into a hairbrush in your dorm room.) I'm still not sure how I felt about Meryl Streep in the starring role. My guess is that the casting director approached her as a rookie joke, and then didn't know what to do when she said yes. In many ways she was brilliant and in others downright awkward. And be forewarned that Pierce Brosnan's singing is kind of jarring and has you squirming in your seat. Thank God he's not James Bond anymore, because he would have officially killed any cool factor left in the character. Just a friendly tip as to when you're safe to use the restroom should you decide to check it out. Either way, I'll be buying an ABBA CD before the trip home tomorrow. And no, I'm not a bandwaggoner, mine was just swiped a few years back by a colleague. A male colleague. A male straight colleague.

After visiting "my" new movie theater, I made my way to the new digs. I had every intention of taking pictures, but got a bit shy when I noticed some guys doing work around the building. Maybe they're installing sex in the stairwell alarms. Oh, wait, sorry, that's just my current building, and no alarm system just yet. So I did my drive by, and am as excited as ever to move in.

Pondering dinner, I made my way to "my" new grocery store. There is a Harris Teeter in walking distance from our new apartment, via a lovely trail, so I stopped in for a salad and, yes, more sushi. Have I mentioned how psyched I am to still be able to shop at Harris Teeter? When I envisioned a move to the South, I feared I might actually have to shop in a Piggly Wiggly. It's things like this that make a girl from Maine very uncomfortable. Guess that's one of the few southern stereotypes that gets to be shattered. Anyway, next to the HT rests the drive thru Starbucks whose wonders I will likely only be able to resist for a few short weeks. The only other drive thru Starbucks I ever saw was outside of Seattle and I thought it was there simply to mock me. But they exist. They truly exist.

This is my first real move to a place that is entirely unfamiliar since I studied abroad in London my junior year of college. I was so nervous when I arrived that I couldn't make my key work. The cabbie had to get out and help me unlock the door. I'll never forget that moment. So my other moves have been much more familiar. DC I knew from interning, Boston I knew from many prior visits, and Northern Virginia, well, again, it was third DC stint. It's odd to think "this will be my new commute, this will be my new Target.." and that, eventually, it, too, will become routine and maybe even a bit boring. But I must confess that I look forward to that moment. There's just so much change on the rise. I've never been fearful of change, but so much at once, with the stakes so much higher, can be pretty stressful. At least I'll know where to get the Iced Mocha to dull the pain.

And at least I can hand the man of my dreams the keys when my hands are too shaky to open the door.