"kick this one for brooklyn"

I'm about two weeks shy of moving to my new place of employment in "midwest city usa" and I feel like I'm in a state of suspension. I still have a dissertation to defend, a new place to become acquainted with and a "home" to leave. I told a friend the other day that New York (actually Brooklyn) is the only place I've lived (and I've lived a lot of places) that I am never quite ready to leave. I was here for a six month stint in '97, living in a Ft Greene brownstone and surrounded by beautiful black bohemes and artists. This time around, I'm here a bit longer, doing a visiting instructorship and living in the tree-lined calm of Park Slope. The thing I love about Brooklyn (even more than Manhattan) is the neighborhoody feel. Manhattan is a bird's eye view from where I live and a ten minute train ride if that, but I don't have to deal with the claustral impact of "the city," yet I can go in and play when I please. And Brooklyn has its own local haunts that I have come to dig, like Moe's and Stone Home wine bar and my neighborhood bar and grill with the super yummy turkey burgers (swiss on mine, please. no cheddar, i really don't care for yellow cheese).

At the same time, I'm looking forward to some career stability, meeting new folks, going different places, etc that the new (tenure track!) job will offer. Like I said: suspension. I don't want to leave, but I don't want to not leave. I'll enjoy kickin it in Brooklyn for the time I have left and take comfort in the fact that it will be here when I return.