Another side of moving on

So the last post kinda focussed on the positive aspects of moving on - the exciting future stuff Actually, it focussed on why I like my DS. But anyway... this post is about some of the more negative things about the move. Namely, leaving things behind.

I have been stuck doing something that I'm not proud of, and don't really enjoy, for the last few years. It's not some kind of sordid drug addiction story, or depraved sexual dependancy. It's role playing. Yes, like DnD rolepaying. I have devoted one night of my week almost every week for the last 5-6 years to eating snacks, rolling d20s and playing some kind of fantasy character. And the people I have been stuck on this nerdy ship with have been a... colourful bunch. A married couple obsessed with drawing and/or writing porn. A frustrated sculptor/engineer who would rather be the former than the latter. A brother obsessed with swords. A rotating cast of "the other one", including a few 30-40 year old virgins still unemployed and living with their parents, a 28-year old creative writing chain smoker, and most recently a computer programmer who grew up in Canada, the Middle East and god-knows-where-else and his MMORPG-loving girlfriend. I have had my annoyances and frustrations with a few of them, but they have taught me a lot about being accepting of other people and their differences, and I am fond of them in a weird way.

But on Saturday, after a rather frustrating session on Friday night, I left them. I finally sent an email to sever my connection with these guys after 5-6 years of not-quite-getting-around-to-it. And it felt great. It still feels great in some ways, but the excitement has abated a bit as I realise that this is part of my first goodbyes. Leaving these guys behind is something I should have done a long time ago. But shortly I'll be leaving behind things and people that I would rather not. Thankfully, technology today means that being in a geographically different place is not the end of relationships, but a 12 hour drive is a disincentive to drop around for a cup of tea, or a hug.

Anyway, I am excited about the freedom that this first goodbye has given me (Friday night s are prime real estate!), but sobered by the realisation that this marks the beginning of the bad stuff in the move.