the journey

Today marks the end of roughly three years of UIC work. When I think about who I was in 2008--wow. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life in April, 2008. I had been a bicycle messenger/freelance editor for almost a year and that wasn't cutting it, financially. I lived in a crappy apartment on North and Western with a roommate. Lev wasn't even a glimmer in my eye--he was in Portland and I didn't know him yet.

In my initial department at UIC, I worked for a terrific, encouraging professor who recognized my editing background and utilized it to the fullest. What would have been a somewhat boring administrative job became a rigorous editing position where I was the go-to editor for all department publications and papers. I learned more about science writing in that job than I could have learned anywhere. It was truly wonderful.

At the end of 2009 the department lost their funding and we all took a significant (20%) pay cut. I moved back to Portland to live at my father's condo for next to nothing, do more freelance editing and "do art" (right?). While living in my hometown, I became a full-fledged Portlander: I was lazy, unemployed and overly eager to stay out until 3 am. However, I did meet Lev, and that was stroke of luck--we met through friends and quickly realized that we were the "best and brightest" of the group (ha ha but seriously), and that it was in our best interest to get out of Portland while we still had our savings. Back to Chicago we went!

We came to Chicago on the Empire Builder Amtrak route. It was a 45-hour trip. We did not splurge for a sleeper car, either--we sat in our uncomfortable and increasingly unbearable seats. At night we slept with our legs crisscrossed over each other, trying to find a position that worked. I found myself unable to sleep at night but falling into a deep and satisfying slumber as soon as the sun came up.

At 3:30 pm on Sunday, April 18, 2010, we spilled out of Chicago's Union Station with all of our earthly possessions--roughly five suitcases. We lived on people's floors and back porches for a month while waiting for our apartment. And what would have been stressful was made enjoyable because we could smile, laugh and sigh together.

I went back to UIC and found work. Lev found a job as well. Both of us quickly realized that we needed satisfying careers. And that brings us here, to where we are now. I am starting a career-track job next week, and Lev is applying to school. We haven't made it yet, but we're getting there.