I feel like a lost soul sometimes.

That's exactly what I thought when I read Pdog's post, Gus.

Here's a quick response in between laundry cycles...

littlek, I have that same penchant. Actually, when I was in college, I tried to make it my conscious goal to move to a new place every two years. I was much too cautious a person to actually follow through completely, but I have always been ready to move at the drop of a hat. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. Even if you are running I don't think it's bad. Unless, of course, you are a complete irresponsible twit who just throws everything away on a whim without any planning or forethought. You don't seem to be.

That should have been apparent when you moved to Wisconsin and put that wedge of cheese on your head.

Here comes Kickycan, derailing another one of my threads.

I recently heard the author of "Happiness: Lessons In A New Science" on NPR. He had some really interesting ideas about what makes us happy. Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594200394/qid=1111453749/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6660030-6634320

For me it was about yearly that I moved. Usually I stayed in one spot for one lease cycle. One year I moved 4 or 5 times. After that I started to settle down a bit more. Moving was good because it kept my clutter down, now it's pretty badly built up.

You want clutter? Come on over.

I don't WANT clutter, clutter just happens.

Yep, I always did that too. I meant that I didn't actually move to a new city as much as I wanted. But moving to new apartments...yeah, I'm a freak like you. Or at least I was until I had to deal with NYC.

Gus, I'm sorry, tell us more about Pliney the Elder.

I suspect that once you find a reasonable apartment in NYC you stick to it like glue.

Green Witch, thanks for that. I'lll check it out right after I do my delicates.

Yup. And sometimes even when you find one that isn't so reasonable. Moving in NYC is such a horror show.

I see. With any luck, I'll keep my sweet deal here and stay a while in this apt.

Nothing more to tell. Pliny the Elder died breathing the poisonous fumes emitted by the recently-erupted volcano. He was sent there to investigate the carnage. But you already knew that.

Oooooh, Carnage, tell us about the carnage!

I'm curious, do any of you guys have someone in mind as having it together, having what you want, having what would presumably stop the bad stuff you are feeling now?

I ask because I'm really not sure it exists, once the basic needs have been met. If you have enough food; adequate shelter; adequate companionship; I'm not sure if anything on top of that will necessarily change things too much.

I've felt basically that same way when I was single, penniless, jobless, and with a worthless degree through quite excellent career and marriage and kid and house and the other stuff mentioned here. I mean, obviously things are better some times than others. But even now that things are really great in several quantifiable, what-I've-always-wanted ways, it's not like life is perfect. At all.

I ask not to depress you but rather the opposite. It's a realization that I came to in high school, when I discovered that the people I thought had it made had their own problems, and that there were people who thought that (ha!) I had it made -- when at the time I was a total wreck. That was liberating for me -- forget it, I'm not going to try to live up to some ideal that doesn't actually exist. I'm just gonna do my own thing, and make sure I have some way to deal when I feel like crap, 'cause I will now and then, no matter what.

I think he died in the bay. Too bad I'm not sure, since I just finished the book "Pompeii", senility rises, the ash flows...

I gather that's true, lil'k, re nyc apartments.

Me, I've always, well not always, but sometimes wished I had been more interested in money in my youth, or even recently... then I might be able to have several places, or travel as much as I wish. I missed the money gene; my cousins have it..

Soz, I've had that realization several times in my life. I have to say that I haven't had that lost feeling for a while now - or at least not for longer than a day or two. I think I feel good about my job now. I feel good, that is, about the job, but I feel like society sort of frowns upon a 36 year old single nanny. That last part makes me feel odd. Anyway, I think having the basic things covered would be a good start. But, who's to say what is basic? At this point I'd like to have a house which I could retire into or have as collateral. I'd like to be able to afford vet bills and health insurance at the same time without massive debt. I'd like to be able to get amalgam fillings for all my teeth, not just the ones in the front.

But, as those needs are met, will I want other things as basic neccessities? Will I want full coverage auto insurance too? Wow, that'd be nice.

Go to prison, get gold teeth. Could be the start of a new career for you, littlek. "She's got gold teeth / you know she's hardcore / she'll show a good time and then she'll show you the door."

Just read Soz's last paragraph, agree completely as that happened to me too, as the people I resented for a certain ease in life turned out to have real messes on their hands either then or later on when by their ease they were surprised by life. Not that we're talking about resentment here, but a certain sense of "if only I had this (man, bank account, etc.), things would be ok".

Sometimes things get fragile, for one reason or another. For a period then, we start noticing the color on a crocus, or even a weed, gee, that is a pretty weed. And then concerns take over our mind. As I get older, and I don't think I am so freaking old, just relative to the awk population, things get precious in that way more often. It is good to walk down the street, breathe, see the clouds.