I’ve officially been in Columbus for 365 days. In that time, I moved, helped my friends move, jogged along the Olagntangy River, presented at a conference, donated blood, slipped on black ice, pulled a few all nighters, made friends with a cat, my research pivoted, had several existential crises, joined some circles of friends, with a touch of heartbreak, attended four live concerts, my weight fluctuated like crazy, found a couple of spots that reminded me of home, made a few trips back home, read at least forty books, found out I have 20/15 eyesight, celebrated Thanksgiving with people I’m not related to, and once, I was so broke, I ate nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a week.

These are not things that happen to you on an AirBnb trip- I have roots here now. I always thought of myself as a transient spirit, in a constant search to expand my intellectual horizons, but I’m at a point where slowing down is in my best interest. I’m no longer doing a million things at once, but trying to do one thing really well. Today, I’m doing the thing I set out to do here- doing work, good work, work I care about.

Currently having breakfast at a small spot, walking distance from my new place. The food is really good. They also have an awesome Sangria, but I’ll save that for another time- I have work to do.

“In order to do what you do, you need to walk. Walking is what brings the words to you, what allows you to hear the rhythms of the words as you write them in your heads. One foot forward, and then the other foot forward, the double drumbeat of your heart. Two eyes, two ears, two legs, two feet. This, and then that. That, and then this. Writing begins in the body, it is the music of the body, and even if the words have meaning, can sometimes have meaning, the music of the words is where the meanings begin. You sit at your desk in order to write down the words, but in your head you are still walking, always walking, and what you hear is the rhythm of your heart, the beating of your heart. Mandelstam: “I wonder how many pairs of sandals Dante wore out while working on the Commedia”. Writing as a lesser form of dance.”
-from Paul Auster’s Winter Journal

My New Years Resolution is to walk more.
to write more.
to dance more.

Happy New Years- May 2019 be kind to us all.

It is a universal truth that the books you read in college will correspond to the events in your life.

Walking Home

I’m walking to my place after wrapping up the third week of life as a PhD candidate. I’m pretty tired, and I’m not in the mood for the music coming out of the party-reeking houses that line my block. Once I get home, I crack open a Coke, and put on some music. In this small window of time, I get to relax and reflect on everything I have experienced here at OSU. Today is Thursday, the day of the week where I don’t feel guilty if I don’t study. Binging on the new season of Orange is the New Black on Netflix is tempting, or I can throw out a mass text to see if anyone wants to meet up for drinks. Instead, I’m doing the thing that centers me the most: writing. Here’s a brief description of my first week of PhD Life.

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First pic of Columbus- writing in a café, while drinking a ginger beer

This is my first blog post composed as a citizen of Columbus, Ohio. I’m currently writing this in a small café about three blocks away from my new place, at an intellectual crossroad, excited and eager to start my new program, while slightly lachrymose, thinking about all of the things I will miss due to this change. It’s a difficult transition, specifically due to the small differences people take for granted when moving to a new city. A few hours ago, I jay-walked across High Street, a street with fairly heavy traffic, and cars stopped, as well as everyone walking by who saw me; they all stopped to see what I did, as if I committed an egregious crime. Technically, I did, but in LA, no one treats this as a problem. These little intricacies aren’t serious offenses, but when they add up, you feel like you don’t belong.

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