One Year Later

So, it’s been a year now, a year since I got rid of nearly all my dead weight, squeezed the remainder of my life into the car and drove to Houston? What have I accomplished? On paper, I’ve gotten a new job with plenty of growth potential and good benefits that pays the same I was making in Long Beach in an economy that is much cheaper to live in. I bought a house that’s bigger than any I’ve ever lived in and in a community of people that look like me and are doing well. It needs a bit of work and a lot of furniture but it’s comfortable, safe, flushed with high speed Internet, and 15-20 minutes away from work.

Here’s some of what I haven’t accomplished. I have no friends here. Turns out making new friends is a lot harder than I considered. I am social. I’ve made plenty of acquaintances but no friends. I’ll admit my standards are a bit high and I’m still a bit of an asshole. Apparently, I didn’t leave that part behind when I moved here. Another part of the equation is I’m not invested here. I have no family here, am part of no clubs or fraternities, and don’t care about sports or Texas in general. I’m not anti any of these things. They are just not points I’m likely to connect with other people here on. I’m going to have to get a dog real soon. I mean an actual canine companion.

What have I learned? California has spoiled me in terms of weather, beauty, and that liberal attitude. I miss that neighborhood burger spot too. Some of the problems I intentionally left behind are here as well. I guess it’s me, not the location, I need to do more work on. This place is serious about barbecue, guns, sports, and Jesus. I’m not a cheerleader for any of them so I’ll always be a bit of an outsider in the general sense. This is normally not a problem but being out here totally on my own is harder than I anticipated.

I’m still working on my goals for year two. Expect big things.