Return to the Crib - beginnings...

I considered baptizing this blog “Juliet, in Larchmont,” as the riveting sequel to my previous blog “Juliet, in Thailand.” Indeed, wherever Juliet goes, drama ensues and why would that not continue in good old Larchmont? Larchmont, the quaint New York suburb, which CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked 11^th on its list of the 100 Best Places to live in the United States, is where I grew up. It is my home.

Like most American suburbs, it’s truly lovely. Just the idyllic place to grow up… until the age of 16 that is... Then for the next 10 to 15 years depending on how fast you mature, the place effectively qualifies as quaint, or for the real haters as boring. “Hey, I like Larchmont,” my friend defensively stated to me the other day. And he’s right. I mean, the place has its perks – how else would it have received that kind of a ranking?

In all fairness, Larchmont really is a charming little town on the sea only half an hour from the alleged capital of the world. I love coming home…. As long as I know when I am leaving. The place changes when it becomes an indefinite return to the nest. For a 20 -something looking for a new adventure, Larchmont wouldn’t be on the top of my list. That being said, in my resolution of taking perspective on events as they unfold, I ask myself, “Maybe, just maybe this place has its own unique adventure to be had… lurking in the background?” “Foolish girl,” I can hear my childhood friends scorn. Home is home, and you’ll be thrilled to get out of there as soon as you can. True, but home has its own merit, and I’m not about to leave without making sure I understand why I’m here. Just as my 7 months of adventure in Thailand resulted in one of the most radically life changing experiences of my brief 25 years on this planet, my unexpected return to the crib will have its place too.

In a period of recession, more people have endured this return to the nest than ever before. This blog might appeal to those in the depths of debt, still recovering from being laid-off, or simply going through a standard quarter life crisis. I do not mean to jest about the latter, quarter life crises are a serious matter and should not be taken lightly, but I’ll get into that later…

The truth is, my sleeping pattern of the past few weeks has been rapidly deteriorating. Nerves. Why can’t I naturally be as zen as I should be after living in a small town in Northern Thailand for all that time? I mean, I should be a full-on Buddhist by now. Yet, the nerves are entrenched in me, like leaches, they poke their ugly faces as soon as they feel the temperature rise. Perhaps you are asking yourself why someone who is living at home, in the comfort of family life, should be so stressed that they cannot sleep? The entire time I was in Thailand, the promise of the eventual return to the comfort of home was what kept me living the adventure to the fullest. Now that I have returned, all I want is to find a way out! The irony. The grass is always greener on the other side my friends. Thus, ensues the taxing search for the next step, the next chapter so to speak... studying for the hellish GMAT examination, grad school applications… In brief, no sleep.

Last night, the idea of creating this blog came to fruition rather suddenly. I was particularly aggravated, as a naughty little mosquito kept buzzing in my ear all night long. I probably only slept about four hours, but in those few scant hours of sleep, I dreamed of writing about my life back at home. I woke up to the sound of the mosquito who was still there (those things are tenacious!). It was as if he were telling me, “Juliet, there is no time to sleep. You must write!” oh right, that makes perfect sense. I am 2 weeks away from the GMAT, which I am miserable at, I hardly see any of my friends anymore, do I even have any these days? They probably all think I’m rotting somewhere. But, I should write. Of course! So perhaps the mosquito should be this blog’s mascot. I mean, if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be reading all of this nonsense.