Both of Us .org

The news is good from Philadelphia. I have officially resigned from my current position. I have been off-the-radar regarding writing here lately, as I have resisted temptation to write about the possibility I might have a new job and could be leaving the unpleasantness of South Philadelphia. After weeks of waiting and negotiation I can finally address that JayBee and I will embark on the process of starting a new phase of our lives together. In a sense it is returning to a previous phase, the time when we were both living in the Twin Cities and reveled in our first year together as partners. Back then our relationship was still brand new, and we had not yet lived with each other. After over 5 years together, we look forward to moving to Minneapolis and finding a fabulous house to call our own.

Looking back over the last year, I am amazed how fast time passes. It will be nearly a full year since I began my job search. Last summer I struggled with rejection letters from positions I was well qualified for. I quickly learned that the process of finding a career does not happen overnight. I had only applied for 3-4 positions a year ago thinking that my skills and education would make finding a position easy. Two of those early positions would have brought us back to either Minneapolis or Madison, WI and I looked forward to this possibility. I was encouraged because my skills almost perfectly matched the job descriptions. I was also optimistic because I had several positive phone interviews for both jobs and thought I was on track to be asked to interview in person. Sadly after several months I was informed I would not be selected. Disheartened at the end of summer, I realized that I would need to focus much more energy on finding a job and apply to many places all over the USA.

Fall and winter breezed by as I sent hundreds of applications by mail and via the internet. I received one interview at Johnson & Johnson in November. I could not determine what would happen, but I felt depressed due to my lack of prospects. January was a tough month, and my depression peaked. Also my satisfaction with my current job dropped dramatically as the situation in our lab declined with threats of pay cuts and job terminations as a result of budget decreases. I know this stress also affected my relationship with JayBee, but thankfully he was there for me and again proved himself a strong and understanding partner.

Spring arrived bringing renewal and optimism. A flurry of new jobs were posted fitting my skills. Undaunted I applied and soon I heard responses from here and there. I received calls from New Jersey, Washington DC, Milwaukee and Minneapolis resulting in fresh optimism for both me and JayBee. My dream position was also in the mix, a scientist was being recruited by a company in Minneapolis. This company called me one day to discuss my abilities. Late in March they arranged an onsite interview, and I traveled to Minneapolis in my newly purchased suit. My day went very well and my seminar was enthusiastically received. I was told at the end of the interview that I would be contacted after further interviews had been completed, so I should expect a call in two to three weeks.

Not more than one week later they called and informed me that they were offering me the position. A flush passed through my body. Elation was one of the emotions I felt. I only had to endure the waiting period ahead. At the same time a rather significant altercation occurred with my present boss and clearly my time in my Philadelphia lab was nearing the end. I spent the last few weeks silent about my new position to everyone but my closest family and friends, so as not to alert the head of the Philadelphia lab, as I felt that he may not have my best interest at heart. Today I sent off an official letter of resignation to my boss and I can open the door to all of these events knowing that our future path appears secure.

I have some mixed feelings as I think about leaving friends we have made in Philadelphia, and moving farther away from people we know and love on the East Coast. I will miss the wonderful Asian and Italian market where I shop weekly. We have no complaints about the weather in Philadelphia, especially compared to our previous home in the Netherlands. (Brrr.) However there are many unpleasant aspects of South Philadelphia that we will never miss: the rudeness of drivers, garbage strewn streets, lack of green space, dirty air and especially the feeling of being trapped in a space filled with concrete, steel and asphalt.

Thus we begin making arrangements to move to greener, friendlier and quieter Minneapolis. We both rejoice in the idea of reconnecting with friends and family in the Twin Cities. I look forward to a more pleasant and satisfying job, which I am optimistic and excited to begin. We will continue to write this blog as we prepare for and make our move.

The days are passing quickly recently and there is the scent of change in the air. It is likely that our days in Philadelphia are numbered and that we may once again drive across this country's asphalt arteries in a truck with all of our possessions. I have felt a sort of clarity lately a clarity of mind that comes when change is immanent and you know that old patterns need to fall away to make room for the new.

We look forward to connecting with my family and rekindling old friendships, dusting off our memories and making new memories with friends that we had only been able to speak with by phone or some not at all in the past few years. Physical distance creates mental distance too. There are faces I long to see more frequently waiting for us to be play a more present part in their lives.

After a short pause we are back, and what a whirlwind the past few days have been. Much has been brewing in the professional life of my partner JSP, but I will leave that tale for him to tell.

Today we went with our friend Kristen, very early in the morning, to clean up garbage from a small portion of the Appalachian Trail. We drove from Philadelphia out to an area near Allentown where we arrived at our meeting site amidst cold rain and temperatures just above freezing. After some strategizing at McDonald's, where I drank an insanely gargantuan sized orange juice of , we headed out to work on a section of the trail. We picked up several bags of garbage and clipped briars from the path. By noon it had become so cold with the ice and rain falling, that we decided to call it a day. Overall we spent a few hours in the car and a few hours on the trail; it was a mild success.

This evening we went to our favorite affordable sushi place in South Philly, the Wasabi House and had sushi. The restaurant was nothing like in the video in my last post, but the food was as always wonderful. We ended the meal with the green tea ice cream and a pledge to try a few new types of sushi next time, since we usually get a platter that comes with a limited variety.

Finally this evening we watched a 1945 film version of A Picture of Dorian Gray and it was not only unfaithful to the unfinished novel of Oscar Wild, but worse yet it had been turned into a sort of Christian morality play that would have Wilde turning in his grave. Even the young Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed could not save this film from being horrid. All these vague references to "vice" and no real nod to Wilde's or Dorian's homosexuality. It was terribly dated and painful to watch a masterpiece of literature being butchered by a 1940's Hollywood studio.

If you get a chance to read Will Self's reinterpretation of Wilde's novel, called simply Dorian, do it. You won't be disappointed.