Late Morning, Tuesday, November 14, 2023, Lithia, Florida
“Leaves have fallen onto the snow like punctuation marks. They’ve held on for so long, but winter gets to us all in the end.” ― Alexandra Benedict, The Christmas Murder Game
Hey there, everyone.
It’s a cool – by Florida standards anyway – late fall morning here in the Tampa Bay area. As I write this, the temperature (outside) is 76°F/24°C under mostly cloudy conditions. Today’s forecast is a mixed bag – cool, cloudy morning, then humid and rainy in the afternoon. The high for the area is expected to reach 79°F/26°C, so it’s not going to be too summer-like here on the 14th day of November.
Meanwhile, up in my future town of residence, Madison, New Hampshire, the weather picture is…different. The current temperature up there is 38°F/3°C under cloudy skies. Today’s forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high of 44°F/7°C. Not exactly the kind of weather I prefer, but sometimes you must accept the cards that life deals you…and apparently, moving to New England at the start of the winter season was one of those cards.
Movin’ Out…the Saga Continues
“Leaving everything that makes them who and what they are, leaving because it is no longer possible to stay. They will never be the same again because you just cannot be the same once you leave behind who and what you are, you just cannot be the same.” ― NoViolet Bulawayo, We Need New Names
Even though my room here still has some of the things that mark it as my room (my computer desk, this computer, the three Star Wars posters, and some of my still-unboxed collectibles, plus some books, movies, and electronics), most of my “media stuff” has been removed. The small 4K UHD TV and its associated Blu-ray player are still here, but most of the Blu-rays and all of the DVDs are either in boxes or out in the kitchenette/Florida room area waiting to be placed in boxes.
The same goes for all of my music CDs. I wanted to hold off on packing all of them this week, but Thanksgiving is coming up, and since we also need to prepare for that, we need to get as much done as possible before next week. After Thanksgiving, I’ll only be here 18 days more, then I leave on Tuesday, December 12.
“Settling into a new country is like getting used to a new pair of shoes. At first they pinch a little, but you like the way they look, so you carry on. The longer you have them, the more comfortable they become. Until one day without realizing it you reach a glorious plateau. Wearing those shoes is like wearing no shoes at all. The more scuffed they get, the more you love them and the more you can’t imagine life without them.” ― Tahir Shah, In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams
Needless to say, my mood swings between fits of optimism (“Well, I’ll be in a better writing environment and look out at the snow while I drink cocoa or coffee…and maybe I’ll date again!”) and moments of anxiety and sadness (“But what if I don’t find someone to date up there? What if I can’t adapt to small-town living?”). I want to embrace change as something positive, just as I did when I left Miami for the Lithia area in the Spring of 2016, but…like many people, I find that big life changes such as an interstate move and adapting not just to an unfamiliar climate but also to not living in a large metro area are…well, scary.
Anyway, I’m trying hard to accentuate the positives of the move to Madison, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish things here had worked out differently.
Aside from packing my belongings for the move, yesterday I ordered a pair of SKYDEER Winter Gloves with Premium Genuine Deerskin Suede Leather and Windproof Polar Fleece. I have one pair of gloves which was given to me way back in March of 1986 by my college journalism professor, Peter C. Townsend, before I went to the 8th College Press Convention in New York City. That pair of gloves was useful both times that I went to the Big Apple as a college student; it also crossed the Big Pond with me when I went to Sevilla as a participant in a Semester in Spain study abroad program in the fall of 1988.
Here in Florida I rarely wear cold-weather gloves, but there have been a few occasions when it’s been so chilly (in Miami, mostly) that I’ve had to use my college-era pair.
However, I’m going to need at least one more pair (and maybe some cheaper ones from Walmart or CVS), so yesterday I ordered my pair of SKYDEER Winter Gloves with Premium Genuine Deerskin Suede Leather and Windproof Polar Fleece. The package is being processed at an Amazon facility in Seffner; it’s expected to arrive here before 10 PM.
Before I Go…Some Good News…Not Earth-Shattering, But….
Well, even though Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, and Danielle Steel can rest easy and not worry about my status as a best-selling author eclipsing theirs, I did see a modest uptick in sales of Reunion: A Story. Over the past 30 days, Kindle Direct Publishing informed me that 13 orders (one Kindle edition, 12 paperbacks) were processed, and I’ll make an estimated $36.34 in royalties.
Mind you, I purchased three copies recently. Two were gifts to friends and acquaintances, and the third copy I am donating to the English Department at South Miami Senior High. I’m sure that the department chair will scratch his or her head when the folks at the main office send the paperback of Reunion: A Story to the English Department office on the second floor; I graduated in June of 1983, and I don’t think any of the Language Arts teachers I knew in Cobra Country are still there. I added a gift note inside the package explaining that I’m donating the book as a “thank you” to my alma mater, but I’m not sure what the school will do with it.
The other 10 orders, though, were made by some of my online friends; I am deeply grateful to everyone who has bought a copy, and I sincerely hope that Reunion: A Story is as pleasant a reading experience as I tried to make it.
So, here’s my bit of good news! I just hope more folks will get copies…I do want to be a successful, self-supporting writer, you know.
Becky Castellanos Castilla’s Amazon Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Leaves you longing for more.
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
Reunion is a wonderful story that leaves you longing for just a little bit more. It’s a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary yet wholly relatable man; seeing his choices unravel, it leaves you to question everything you’ve done in your own life, and more importantly, what you’ve not done.
Excellent work by Mr. Diaz-Granados!
Well, it’s almost time for my midday break, so I’ll close here. Until next time, then, stay safe, stay warm, and stay healthy. I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.
A quick and easy read that will take you back to your youth. Very well written. I would love to see a full length novel from the author. He has wonderful writing skills and knows how to capture and hold the reader’s interest. – Peggy Jensen Cai, Amazon Review
A Certain Point of View, Too 
Comments
7 responses to “Musings & Thoughts for Tuesday, November 14, 2023, or: The Big Move’s Preparations Continue Apace – The I Hate Packing Edition”
I wish I could say everything will be wonderful. There are going to be times when you say, “What have I gotten myself into?” Because that is what human beings do. But I hope you find new people to socialize with, a new writing community, and unexpected joys. I miss the change of season, though, frankly, I don’t miss driving in snow. I recommend a walk in the woods by a lake, if that’s available, and hot cocoa with secret ingredient when you get home.
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Trust me, I know this. I went through this “What Have I Done?” phase when I went on a study abroad stint in Spain once I was in my “residencia” in Seville and the reality that I had just completed my first transatlantic flight (a “redeye one, at that) and that my mom and pet cat were over 3000 miles away suddenly struck me as I sat in what would be my room for the next three months.
It happened again when I left my old house in Miami back in November of ’16 (I had begun moving here in April of ’16, but because we COULD move out my stuff in phases rather than all at once, we made several trips between Tampa and Miami between April and November.) On that last trip, I had a taste of Movers’ Remorse, but that was mitigated by the fact that I was content with my reason for moving to the Gulf Coast in the first place.
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*HUG* The radical change in the environment will add to the what ifs. But New Hampshire is beautiful, and they have a thriving writer community. I’m pulling for ya.
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I don’t envy your move. I’ve moved cross country several times, and you always leave a piece of yourself behind.
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I’ve moved internationally twice: once to Bogota, Colombia, from Miami circa 1966, then back to Miami from Bogota in 1972. I was too young to remember how I felt about leaving the States in ’66, but I still recall the mix of happiness of going back to Miami (my city of birth) in ’72, and apprehension over changing schools, learning English as a second language, and not seeing most of my relatives again for a long time.
Since 1972, I’ve only moved three times (not including temporary moves before Mom bought our last two homes). First to the house at Coral Estates Park in the Miami suburb of Westchester in August of 1972. From there, we moved to a townhouse in East Wind Lake Village not too far away from there in February of 1978 (with, of course, a temporary stay in an apartment while the townhouse was being built). And then…in 2016, I moved here to the Tampa Bay area, thinking it would be my “forever” home. Alas…it didn’t work out that way.
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It sounds like you are sad about leaving.
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Yes, I am.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m also looking forward to having a bit more space for myself (and my stuff), and I do NEED to go.
But…this wasn’t how I imagined things would go when I agreed to move from Miami to Tampa in 2016. So, there’s that.
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