the times, they are a changin'

It's been a while since I sat down to write, mostly because I've been without an internet capable computer for about as long as I've been home from California. I'm back in school for my (gasp) last semester of my undergrad and I'm very very excited to be at the end of this little trip. Granted, I'm getting a degree that is essentially worthless, but still, it's a degree that will allow me to go into a grad program, which is okay with me. The big thought in my life at the moment is with what should happen immediately after the degree is in my hot little hands. Where do I go? What do I do with my life?

Here is what my immediate options are. First, and the one requiring the least effort on my part, is staying in Utah. I have a contract that expires in April, so I have that open to me until at least April. This option to me seems to be both good and bad. It seems good because it means I can work a little longer, save up a little bit of money, stay around friends, and basically put off starting my life over. It seems bad because it's Utah. Now, this stay-in-Utah option is only good until April. I will not be here after April, this much is certain. So where to next?

Having gone to CA for a bit, I was shocked and amazed at how at home I felt there. It just felt like an old pair of shoes, the contours fitting into my feet so well it was like they were made just for me. Seeing Jihad and Kate and Josh and Nat was just wonderful. I even made a new friend! Only in California can you go to a wedding reception and have a half hour conversation with the Groom's parents about how they are living in their dream home in their dream location. I say only in CA because I had never met these people before, and yet they opened their hearts up to me like we had known each other for years. What a great feeling, to be in a place with people who understand one another and are so willing to get to know you, even when they are at their own son's wedding!

Another option is moving out to NYC with my brother and his wife and their beautiful little boy. They live in Northern Manhattan in a great little apartment next to a great park. This would be a great option because it's New York with family! I miss my brother and his wife a lot more than I'll ever admit (oops) and I would love so much to be able to spend time with them. As for grad schools, NYC has quite a few that would allow me to work in the field I want to in a way that is effective and on my own terms. There's the constant activity list of shows, shows, and more shows, coupled with the unique experience of living in one of the most famous cities in the world. From what I understand, the LDS single's scene there is fairly big and everyone is incredibly friendly.

Yet another option is Boston, a city that I have been to once and dreamed of ever since. I went there when I was 13 and felt like it was a place I would want to live ever since. Something about it just hooked me. The schools there are plentiful and good, the LDS singles scene there is apparently amazing as well, and it's freaking Boston. Of the options I've listed, this is the one city I have the least experience with and the least first hand knowledge of. Even my CA choice of Costa Mesa is more familiar to me than Boston, and I was only there for 3 days! All I know is that 13 years ago I went to Boston for 1.5 days and have harbored a longing for it ever since.

So tell me, world, what do I do with my life?! I can't for the life of me figure it out and it's starting to weigh on my mind quite a bit. I'm in a place where I want to keep progressing in my life, whatever that means. I want to continue my education, I want to have good friends wherever I am (Utah has the lead in that field), and I want to feel like I'm working towards something great. I want to be where I can accomplish the most. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.