New Job! (in an old place)

I got a full-time job offer July 7, and I just found out that all the checks that needed to happen are finished and good! 

It's a job in my field, doing similar work to my Africa stint.  And it's in D.C.  And it gives me a couple of amazing perks, like free travel.  It also pays better than my last full-time position, despite a slightly lower job title. 

The best part is that I get to stay in D.C.  I can honestly say that after spending the better part of a year here, D.C. feels like home for the first time since I was about 17 years old.  Working in the city for the past 6 months has helped that process a lot, and I've become friends with a lot of the people that have been D.C. acquaintances over the years. 

I'm surprised to find that I actually really like D.C. as an adult.  Even though I've ALWAYS considered D.C. my hometown, I've always pooh-poohed it in the past because I was from here, and it never seeemed as 'romantic' as any of the other 'far-off' destinations I've lived in.  But my time in Miami, a city that I deemed as only "okay" (you can look it up in my archives), helped me appreciate D.C. a whole lot more than I used to.  Frankly, compared to D.C., Miami blows.  In fact, a lot of places suck compared to D.C.  The key is spending a lot of time in the city -- and not driving too much.  Living and working in the burbs simply isn't that thrilling, which is what I was doing back in 2003 before I moved to South Africa.  

Of course, this means I can move out of home again (a place where I've spent far too much time living over the past 3 years between gigs).  I'll be looking for a room in a house at first; that way I can minimize the expense of furniture, rent etc. while I save money for all that good stuff. 

I have to thank Noah, Ed, Dave, Ina, Eva, Joe Yang, Regina, Kate, Jared, Rob, Carla, StoneCold, Megatron, Jaimy, Penel, Kari, Jesse, Sandro, Daina, Andrew, Tom, Farmer, Mike Lee, Beth, McVety, Matt, Knoll, Walt, Harold, Clea, Josh, Auburn, Ashley, Myra, Kristine and all the other people I've forgotten who have propped me up over the past year.  These past 8 months are certainly among the most psychologically challenging months of my life.  It was only through the aid of my family and friends that I avoided being swallowed by self-doubt and despair. 

As a generally successful person, it took me some time to become re-accustomed to the fact that the same bad things that happen to everyone else can also happen to me.  When life comes at you hard, I guess you have a choice: sac up and plow forward, or waste away into the doldrums of low expectations.  At times, I asked myself if I was aiming too high.  I came up with a Plan B in case I couldn't find a way to make my niche career work.  I took classes.  I attended a conference.  I worked at new places, talked to new people, got in touch with old friends and saw new things.  Through it all, I survived and recovered.  I shored up my weak points, and found strength I didn't know I had.  I put on a poker face or a smile when I wanted to frown and cry. 

But in the back of my head, I kept telling myself one thing over and over again.  I said it when things were at their worst, and I'm saying it again now:

I.
WILL.
NOT.
LOSE.

And now I have the opportunity to be Steve Austin. 

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