Family: What I'm Thankful For

First, I know I owe everyone an apology for neglecting you all for much of November. The truth is that my life got really real - or rather my job did - and I began to find it difficult to keep up with the demands I place on myself outside the office. Plus, the freelancer freeze and production hiatus took effect at the end of the month and threw my routine off a bit. I'm now more work in fewer on-clock hours. A couple of the people I would normally depend on to get what I need done around the office are gone - laid off.

So, as an understatement, November was a difficult month for me. One that made me question my decision to move to New York and my chosen career path.

Anyway, it's officially the holiday season. I have two weeks off from work this month. And I got a new digital camera to replace the old one that went to that NYC Lost and Found heaven on Long Island. So, I will be doing way more video blogs (cross my fingers that my virus-infected laptop that stores my editing software recovers) and a lot more commentary and analysis posts. Look out for that.

In other news, my holiday season started off right. I caught homesickness at the beginning of November - told you it was a rough month - and held onto it until my family traveled from Georgia, Alabama and Texas to see me for Thanksgiving. We had a blast: visited my cousin's college in a picturesque New England town, ate turkey with relatives in Connecticut and toured New York City (which most of them had never visited).

The entire feeling of desperate longing for my people finally made me realize that that moving to a city where I had no family was sort of a big deal. As an (aspiring) young professional, career counselors and recruiters tell you all the time that moving may be required - are you ready? And initially you may think, "Of course I'm ready! I'm young, single and hungry to climb that professional ladder." But when you're in the middle of nowhere, or even in the middle of it all (like in NYC), without the ones who love and know you best, emotion can overtake you out there - considering the big move out of your hometown/college town/region/country.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Cousin Andy's House