Back in somewhat of a New York groove. I think I was completely disoriented that first week back. Spending two weeks away traveling started to weigh me down after a while. I missed my own bed and my kitty desperately by the last couple of days. Berlin was a mixed bag on this trip, my 3rd. Had a great time seeing new music at Berlin Music Week — two fests at once, First We Take Berlin and Berlin Festival. Darkside, Neneh Cherry, Sinkane, Editors, Kindness, and Woodkid were some of the amazing acts I caught. Less exciting were some of the weird street encounters I had. One creep followed me walking through Kruezberg in the most unsettling way possible and it kinda negatively colored the rest of my time there. But it was nice to see the city warm instead of in frozen tundra mode like my other visits.

My good vacation mood lasted for about 2 weeks afterwards and the grind picked back up again. I took some time to really think about my life here and I’ve come to a very big decision: I’m moving to Amsterdam! In about 2 weeks which is insanely daunting right now. I decided to do it about 4 weeks away from when I decided to leave. Put in my notice at work, have a subletter for my place, and going out into the unknown. I’ve been waiting to get the nerve to do this for years and when I vocalized what I was doing, it just felt totally right. Sink or swim, I’m in control. I’m crossing everything that can be crossed that this will be a successful adventure, but I decided to do it, so it’s already the best. Excelsior!