One more state to add to the list of places I'll have lived.
How many is it now? I have lost count.
It keeps things interesting at least.
And this may actually be the first chance I have to finally stop being relocated by necessity.

Sometime early 2016, my roommate will be selling his home to move in with his sweetheart in California.
It is only thanks to his generosity I have been able to afford to live in Virginia in the first place.
He has, of course, extended the invitation to move with him, but for a number of reasons, personal and otherwise, this won't quite work for me.
And as luck/fate/whatever might have it, of all the potential alternatives I have been pursuing, a spot in Northern Oregon has taken the forefront as having the most potential.

I think the opportunity I have to live away from the noise will be good for me, and help my socialization a great deal by giving me a quiet place to retreat to. Right now I live by a busy street, and the constant sound of cars has had significantly negative effects on my emotional well-being. A lot more than I would have expected. I suppose it's true you never know what you really have until you lose it. And the nearly complete loss of silence, day or night, has been a lot more difficult for me than I had expected.

So this is a step in a positive direction for me, with the major downside being that this step is taking me across the continent from the friends I've made locally.

I've never really been sure how to bring up this sort of topic with anyone without the fear it might be terribly awkward for them, so I would not usually mention this relocation thing.
But it's happening, and well, I don't want to spring that at the last minute on my friends.

I have not often had many friends who were within reasonable driving distance.

Social media can be a crutch. It can also be a easy substitute for face-to-face socialization. As expressive as one might be in writing, there's a majority of communication missing from this element by its very nature.

So I've been pushing myself to go out and meet people who I have something in common with, through meetup groups. I hadn't quite expected there might still be a whole groups of people I feel comfortable being around. I suppose I never really thought to look before.

Still, I am not certain how I would go about bringing this topic up, nor am I certain if it would even be appropriate, as I believe I completely missed the memo about what makes awkward subjects awkward.

The hows and whys of this drastic relocation have never been a comfortable topic to discuss, in my experience. So I'll just put it out there, and say if it's something you want to talk about, just ask me about it.

I don't mind talking about anything, but that has led to a lot more awkward silence than I would like, so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut unless someone wants to risk that.
So for now I'll just play it safe and keep it vague.

It's times like this I really wish teleporters were real.
Though if they were real, I am convinced they would kill me, or leave my soul behind.
So if they were real, I'd also wish that wasn't a problem.
You know, just in case someone with a monkey's paw is reading this and feeling generous.
Maybe a private jet would be better...
Or my own island...
Actually, 'Undisputed Ruler of All Things' would cover my bases I think, so let's go with that.
Yes, world domination would be just fine.