Bridges

A year ago tomorrow, I crossed the Confederation Bridge, my car loaded to the gunnels with my belongings.

It is fitting that this weekend, I'm going to a conference in Frederiction, NB. Tomorrow night, I'll be crossing the same bridge, returning to PEI.

Year 1 of the new experiment has been an adventure, for sure.

Some thoughts....

• The biggest headline is that I no longer have an inner voice saying "You are a guest in the US", "When are you going home?". As much as I love St Louis, I was going crazy, as old blog posts illustrate.
  
• It is deeply comforting be trivially close to old friends and family. Though I do miss my St Louis people, and the diversity.
• The tech scene has been a disappointment. I was hoping to join, or start, a local user group. Based on an internal one at my workplace, I don't think anyone would attend. There are few people who are passionate about their work. I'm surprised at how many people are semi-pro athletes who treat their career as a hobby. However, perhaps the upcoming conference will impress!
  
• I had big hopes and dreams last year. I've made some important gains with the satirical website, but I feel like I've slacked this year. More on those in future posts.
• Music and fitness are key to my happiness. The past year gets a grade of B on both scores. I'm not in top form on either the guitar, piano, or treadmill, but they are all active and going well, considering the disruption of the move.
  
• Winter was tough and spring was a chilly joke. I realize now that my first summer back was absolutely charmed in terms of weather. It was perfect all the time!
• I moved locally in 2009 and massively in 2010. I am SO FREAKING grateful not to be packing boxes in 2011!

The bottom-line is: no regrets. I am still dealing with US taxes and Canada Post (don't get me started), but my move is almost complete. It was the right decision.

CC