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In case you’re wondering, I did successfully make the drive from Chicago to Seattle, with some brief stops in Omaha and Denver (thanks to both my friends there for putting me up…or putting up with me…for the night). The last day was the best, being a 20-hour haul from Denver to Seattle. It was tough, but I did surprisingly well and the only tough part was the second to last hour. Other than that, a good mix of wonderful scenery through Montana, stand-up comedy, my cb radio, and recordings of This American Life kept me awake and alert. I’ve got some pictures to post, but it’ll be a while until I unpack my camera cable. I should mention I’m already on the road for work (yeayea, so much for less travel…not to mention I’m not even home to receive my belongings from the movers), but it’s an awesome client and job in Beverly Hills and the movers situation has been taken care of. For now, I need to crash. On the “Damon is angry at you” list after tonight - the TSA and Alamo Rent-a-Car. Another round of thanks goes to Hertz.

Well Chicago, the time has come. The boxes are packed, the truck is loaded and all that’s left is a sleeping bag, a laptop, and an open wireless access point. We’ve had some good times, that’s for sure. And I’ll miss you. But it’s time to move on. Tomorrow morning, I leave for Omaha, NE to visit with a friend there, then on to Denver for another visit. And then finally…Seattle, WA - Portal to the Pacific. Thanks again to all my friends that have made Chicago such an awesome place - I’ll be back from time to time, there is no doubt about that For now, though…peace out! (p.s.) I was surprised with how long the movers took to pack everything up in the truck (~6 hours), but very, very impressed with their attention to detail and careful nature - to which I will post a longer blog about in the future.

Packers are here today - it’s kind of fun watching everything get packed up for me knowing I don’t have to do it. Only a couple more days to go!

I made a photo set on Flickr the other day of the past year. If you’re bored at work and have a little while, check it out - Year in Pictures - 2006. I even made a cool little slideshow with some accompanying music (thanks, Apple iPhoto…that was really easy!), but it’s something only my mother would probably care about. Don’t worry, ma, I’m sending you a DVD. ;-)

For the second time in my life, I’m pulling up my roots and moving halfway across the country. This is never very easy, and one of the most difficult tasks is finding somewhere to live. Through both of those moves as well as one from the Chicago ‘burbs into downtown, which is almost as daunting, I’ve come up with a pretty good method that works for me. Seeing as how my todo list isn’t getting any shorter today, I figured I’d share that method now. ...

I put up some pics of my new place I found this weekend in Seattle. Obviously it will look different when I get there, but it felt pretty good to me. And, like I said…there’s room for a pool table! ;o)

As I mentioned, I’m making a road trip out of moving to Seattle. It won’t be too bad, except for the last day which I’m planning to be a little bit of a long haul. To prepare for this, I have several methods: Caffeinated beverages and the like...but these usually don't do much for me. Sunflower seeds - Munching on these keeps me very alert for some reason. A CB Radio for chatting with 18-wheelers. ;) A DC to AC power inverter so I can call long-lost friends in the middle of the night. Hours and hours of podcasts for my listening pleasure and mental stimulation. To go along with #4, I've been exploring the iTunes Podcast directory and came across these awesome UC Berkley lecture podcasts, such as Human Emotion, Social and General Psychology, and more. How cool is that? I can sit there in my car and listen to instructors talk about anything from psychology, to early European history, to statistics and physics (although the latter two might be a little boring for me). I'm sure the psych ones won't keep my attention for hours straight, so I've also got a good mix of comedy and NPR.

Look at this awesome photo from my flight out of Seattle this weekend. In the foreground, you can see Mt. Rainier with Mt. Hood (left) and Mt. St. Helens (right) in the background. What a beautiful part of the country. You know you want to come visit…

My new best friend… I made a brief trip to Seattle this weekend to try to find a place to live. The first place I looked was in a neighborhood called Wallingford, but the place I was going to look at had moved its open house to Sunday. The place looked pretty nice from the little bit I was able to peek inside and see, and I fell in love with the neighborhood. I spent the rest of the day visiting places that mostly just depressed me and was starting to feel a little hopeless. One weekend, end of October, move-in in one week…not an easy time to find a place. ...

Most of you already know. Those that don’t, this will be news. I posted the cute little map a week or so ago, but what it really meant is that there are a couple changes coming up in my life. I recently found a new tenant for my apartment in Chicago. I will be in Seattle this weekend looking for a place to live. That’s right. I’ve decided to pull up my roots and move out west. Something I never thought I would do, at least not to the extent that I am. ...