The Fall Funk

Yep, it's right about that time. That time when the novelty of being in a new city with new friends starts to wear off. When you start to miss the people and the things you left behind. When the new life isn't so easy anymore and you question whether coming here was the right decision. And on top of it all, the weather turns crappy.

The Gang of 100 is definitely in the Fall Funk. First off, the workload is simply overwhelming -- we could work 18 hours a day from now until the end of the semester and still have stuff that remains undone. Second, I think folks are starting to get a bit "homesick." The Chaos, for example, recently returned from a trip back home, where he saw old friends and family. I think he was surprised (even a bit shocked) by how much he's missing back home. And for the folks who are in long-distance relationships, this is about the time that the strain really starts to take its toll. We all tend to understate how much the world goes on and changes when we leave, you know? Third, well, the weather is just grey and uninspiring. The leaves are almost all gone, collecting in wet, dirty clumps along the curb, colors faded and dull like a shirt washed too many times. It just feels like the weather said, forget it, I'm sick of trying to be sunshiney all the time. It's too hard. I'm going on strike. Like the Boston nurses.

Even yours truly, the ultimate optimist, is suffering slightly from this inescapable state. There's no doubt in my mind that coming to Washington was the right decision. And even if I went back to Boston, my life would be radically different from what it was before. Which depresses me even further, since I rather enjoyed that former life and can't ever have it back again. And then I start to miss that old life, plus the life that could have been had I stayed, and the friends I left behind and the stories I only get second-hand and a few days late, and that all prevents me from enjoying the life I have now, which frustrates me because I like this life too, and thus begins the vicious cycle. Funny how one's brain can operate in circles.

But when I think back to all the times that I moved and left friends behind (and there have been plenty!), this is about the time when the new location starts to lose its luster. The first two months immediately after a relocation are always exciting and adventurous. The third month starts to plant questions in your head about your decision, especially because the old friends who used to call all the time aren't calling as much anymore and you start realize that your lives are starting to become more and more separate. It's not necessarily good or bad, it just is. And then when the fourth month rolls around, you're really stuck, trying to live your current life but keep hold of the vestiges of the old life. As the old Chinese proverb goes, the man who stands in the middle of the road gets hit from both directions.

However, life goes on, and eventually you get over the funk. You figure out how to make the most of the present while keeping the best parts of the past with you. And usually time spent at home with family and tryptophans and cranberries does the trick. Or at least gives you enough of a boost to get through the next month until Christmas. Hang in there, Gang -- this first hellish semester is nearly over and we certainly can't give in to those ratty professors who are trying to break us!