OMG

So I said it was decision time, right?

A couple of years ago, I got crazy addicted to a MMO called City of Heroes. I still play danged frequently.

Over the course of a couple of years, as I met a few of the people from Cryptic Studios at conventions and such, I always had the little voice in the back of my head that said "wouldn't it be cool to do that?"

So last summer at GenCon, Cryptic's got a booth, and they're hiring. The little voice gets a little louder.

About the end of October, it got loud enough that I sent in my resume. It was a "why not?" decision -- one of those things you'll always wonder about if you *don't* do it.

I didn't hear anything back, so I forgot about it.

Fast forward to early January, and I get a call from California.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Much stress and drama ensues. I didn't get a firm date on when I'd have my first phone interview, so I didn't leave my house for *two weeks* except to go to work. Then I broke down and got a damn cell phone.

More drama, more stress. J had *serious* doubts about leaving Indiana, as did I. Seven interviews, two writing tests, two whirlwind trips to Cali, exhaustion issues, getting stuck in Denver in a snowstorm, Korean gangsters, terrorism threats, a pint of blood ... you so don't want all the details. Several of them I'm doing my best to block out of my memory forever.

I would have had an easier time being named head of the World Bank -- I hear they're hiring.

I thought about telling them to buzz off half a dozen times, but I didn't. The people I met there were really cool (and really smart, which is a nice change). The job? Beyond cool.

But to anybody who had to put up with me being emo in the weeks and weeks I waited for one call or another -- I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

In the end, it came down to this -- I'm moving to California to write. I'm doing what I always wanted to do, and someone's crazy enough to pay me for it.

So yeah, it's crazy cool, but I'm crazy stressed at the same times.

Some of the good:

1. I won't ever have to write a headline that involves the words "Iraq," "welfare fraud," "Colts" or "tornado" again.
2. No more working on holidays!
3. No more working on a schedule opposite most of humanity!
4. I was in danger of becoming a cliched, burnt-out journalist. That's not good.
5. I could really love this job, in a crazy kind of adoration way.
6. The San Francisco Bay area looks amazing!
7. We need a fresh start. Too many things are piling up here, too many things left unsaid. J and I need to rethink and recharge. We also need to get rid of at least half of our stuff.
8. Sunshine, mountains and redwoods, with the beach 25 minutes away.
9. I finally have a response for the people who say I spend too much money on comic books -- a big, fat raspberry.
10. Did I mention I was getting paid to write?

Some of the bad:

1. My mom, J's family, and a bunch of good friends will be 2,300 miles away :(
2. The housing market in California officially scares me. I have fears of living in a Hyundai.
3. I have a house to sell, and the last act of Hamlet is more cheery than the Indiana housing market these days. My house has lost $30,000 in value in *six months*.
4. We're breaking up two good gaming groups, and gaming groups are hard to find.
5. I have to clean, sort and pack all my drek, and I've got a month to do it.
6. Did I mention driving across country with three cats?
7. My irrational fear that I'll start my new job, and two days in someone will scream "N00B! I thought you said you could write! Pwned!"

So I'll keep you up to date, as best as I can. Please forgive any gaps in the next few months, as I'm gonna be kinda ... yeah .. distracted.

At least I'll have lots to blog about.

Oh, and this may be the first and last time I ever mention my work on this blog. I've got a thing about keeping my personal and professional lives separate. Ya'll understand, right?