Monday Morning

I remember waking and wondering, is today today? I have been here in Chapel Hill long enough for some of the strangeness to fade. Instead of walking about and thinking things are strange here, I have begun to walk around and say things are not strange here. I am still very much aware that I am not where I was.

A wonderful shower danced through town last night. There was lightning, there was thunder, and there was wind and rain. I know all this because I tore down the water bed I was sleeping on yesterday. While doing that I took down the curtains in the room. With only another four sleeps in that room I figured I could turn the light off and get ready for bed in the dark. Besides, with all the bamboo behind me it would be difficult for anyone to see into my bedroom. I should take a photo out of that window before I leave, remind me to do that ok?

In other news, we are now living out of boxes. Only the bare essentials remain unpacked. It grows harder and harder to live a normal life, every time I say I will do this, I can't cause this is in a box neatly (or not) stowed into the POD.

I am looking forward to my new home. I can see myself sitting in my office working hard, and watching the cars go by on Gorman street. I do not have a great view, but it should be interesting, and I am up high enough to feel like I have the power to change the stories of those walking beneath me. I am also looking forward to having my own bathroom again. The little things are what I miss the most (not counting family of course).

When we were in Raleigh last week, going from one end of the city to the other, I kept thinking, man this place is green. Yes, it has the city thing going in places, all pavement and cement and huge parking lots and other scenes of urban blight, but so much of the city is green trees and pretty little parks with old southern houses set back between the trunks of southern magnolia.

Speaking of trees, I can now identify a few trees that are common in the area: Live Oak (I know the leaves), Magnolia (the one that was blooming when I first arrived here two months ago is still blooming, wonderful tree the magnolia), and the Crepe Myrtle. The last one is a common ornamental tree that has a trunk that is naked (the bark looks like it is bare trunk, and some of the older trees look like bones), and they have pink, white, purple, etc. blossoms. One of the pink ones is on the side of the street as I walk south towards franklin street (I now know I live south of UNC Chapel Hill). Last week it was dropping petals and the entire sidewalk underneath its boughs was colored pink.

One weird thing that has happened lately, I have become self-conscious of my lack of a southern accent. Chapel Hill is full of people from elsewhere, yet I still here my own voice sounding different from those around me, and at times, it makes me uncomfortable. I suppose that will change with time, at least I hope it does.

I have been doing more writing lately. I have a poem that is back in the drawer after the initial draft. It needs something more, or less, but it feels good to have created a poem once again. I can hardly wait until I am in my new place with my office and I can lock myself in for three hours a day and just write.

Four sleeps and one wake and the move will be underway!

Addendum:
There are multiple images of the view from the bedroom I will be leaving Friday morning along with a shot of Chapel Hill's sky line.

While I walked down to the Harris Teeter and back this morning (2.6 miles), I realized that I am growing fond of this town.

I am off to haul a portable washer out to the POD, anyone want to give me a hand?