A Quarter of a Year

He bathes while I write

 How have three months flown by already?

Yes, three months. Rascal and I (and occasionally Sean) have lived in our Greenwich apartment for three months.

Like, how?

Oh, it hasn't all been peachy. We've had a few hiccups and will continue to. I mean, that's life, isn't it?

Because of my role in the process of moving forward, I still serve as point man for a lot of things. Also, because I still frequent the Hudson Valley, I wind up back in Mahopac occasionally.

Such as tonight.

I handled the public address announcing for the last game of the Renegades hosting the Hickory Crawdads and headed for the exit. I still roll to Mahopac to check any remaining mail issues at the old house (there were a few).

Mostly it's junk mail though I'm told the new owner found some pictures in the house that are of me and related to me. They weren't there when I dropped by tonight but it's fine. It was hardly an inconvenience to drive by. I continue to marvel at what's happening with the old house and what it will look like when it's all done.

I also needed dinner and, let's face it, I know my food options in that area pretty well. I knew I could grab pizza at Peppino's so that's what I opted for.

From there, I cruised down towards Greenwich, passing by Brunswick to glance towards the football field where I'll soon be back calling games.

Oh yeah, Greenwich High School also, but one thing at a time here.

Upon parking the car at home, I made my way upstairs and I could hear the piercing meow of Rascal. He greeted me at the door as he frequently does.

There's a reason his primary alternate name is "Squeaky."

He soon settled down -- he's at my feet right now -- as I'm trying to wrestle with how far things have come in these three months.

I moved in full of excitement and nerves. And, of course, boxes everywhere. When I finished the move after everyone was gone on May 24, I made sure that I could sleep in the place. My bed was clear. Beyond that and making sure the cat was OK, I cared about nothing else.

That first night -- May 25 -- was a night of little sleep and a lot of "What have I done?" That being said, I've never regretted this move. Far from it.

There are still decorations that aren't up yet and a few bins that I haven't put in the attic yet but when I'm asked if we're settled in, the answer is a firm "yes."

We're lucky to be here and I know that. This was a stroke of good fate for all of us. The area has been comfortable and the adjustment hasn't been bad. But I also see horror stories that people are dealing with in finding housing lately and it's very concerning. I'm so glad we ultimately didn't go through that.

I continue to get emails from the agents I worked with. I look at them for the fun of it. I want to see what's out there in the rental market. As it was a few months ago, it's still troubling how many places won't take pets.

We call Rascal "The Beast" but he's really not. He's sort of a clumsy goofball but his squeaking is either about food or attention. He gets plenty of both.

But I've enjoyed just sitting on the balcony listening to the rumble of life and sitting in the living room watching TV. I've relished kicking back in my bedroom as traffic and people move past. I've read and hosted talk shows and worked and created podcasts and written and written and written ... 

I've sat at our Ikea kitchen table and eaten bowls of cereal and slices of pizza and chicken parm that I've made* with some spaghetti.

* Let's be clear: I picked up the chicken parm at Wegmans. I don't apologize.

We now begin to look a new season in the eye. Next up, I'll start to go to Greenwich and Brunswick and anywhere else I'm needed with a whole new eye on the commute. Wick is maybe 15 minutes with traffic while Cardinal Stadium is five minutes away.

Hunt Scanlon is also probably five minutes away and I'll be needed there soon for a conference. I'll also need to commute with them to an airport to go San Francisco.

And I'll need to get to road games. The commute from Mahopac was much different than having to account for scuffles with Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway. 

In short: blech.

But this is my life now (or for now). I'm hoping the routine will continue to settle down and life will simply find its own rhythm.

The kids returning to school means things will change a bit and that I'll see a lot less of Sean. That's a bummer, of course, but I can see the positive in all of that also.

I'm ready for the cooler temperatures and interested to see what that will be like in our home.

Guests are welcome here but we really don't have a lot of seating! And you'll have to ignore some of the stuff still on the floor. It's our home and we're good with it.

We're happy.

We're content.