The First Days

9-3-10

After countless threats and promises that I would be leaving Chicago, IL, I have finally packed my whole life into a small collection of boxes and moved to Boston, MA. I still ask myself what was it that made me first pick Chicago and now to be moving onto Boston; Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment (Cubs and Red Sox, Extreme Winters and high income tax) or maybe it’s my natural inclination towards academia and history. Whatever the reason may be I have made the choice to change cities as I enter a new phase of my life and I’m excited to see what the future holds. I am torn about making a blog because my general outlook on blogs and facebook posts are that they tend to be narcissistic and unnecessary but I have decided it is good therapy for me and a good way for friends to keep updated on what is happening in Boston. I plan to chronicle the first year of my time here in Boston as I reflect on the good and bad times that happened in Chicago and as I look to start a new career and create an entirely new social life for myself.

You may be wondering why I am calling my blog “Fire to Molasses”. Well as it turns out Chicago is known by most of the country for the great fire started by Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. In fact it was this fire that burnt the whole city to the ground in a matter of one night. It’s perfectly reflective of the charm of the city and how able to rebuild they are on a constant basis. Able to rebuild from a fire, able to rebuild from prohibition, and able to rebuild form crooked politicians (cough Blagojevich). It’s also characteristic of how you can easily burn down your morality in one night in Chicago. Mostly because the bars are open so late many find themselves doing more walks of shame there then most other cities. The fire is still the one event that Chicago is most recognized for and no matter how long you’ve lived there you still take great pride in telling others why Chicago doesn’t look as old as most other American cities. Boston however had so many events to choose from- Boston tea party, Paul Revere’s midnight ride, and the Kennedy family history as a whole- that it was much more difficult for me to choose a title. But the one event I find most characteristic of the city is the great Molasses flood of 1919. A molasses tank burst one cold January morning spilling out and covering the North end of the Boston. It poured out at speeds of 35mph killing and injuring everyone in its path until it eventually ended up in the ocean. The residents and local authorities spent the next 6 months cleaning up after the flood and making sure everyone was alright. And then the locals sued the pants off the alcohol company who owned the tank, kicking off one of the first class-action suits held in the US. Today what still rings true of this event is the willingness of the locals to help pull each other out of sticky situations (literally and figuratively). Also, Boston and Massachusetts in general still tend to lead the country in political changes (e.g. Healthcare, Gay Marriage). But mostly the fact that Bostonians are willing to fight for their rights and their neighbors’ rights more then any other group of people I have encountered.

Today for the first time I have felt nostalgic about leaving my whole life in Chicago (except my boyfriend of course who I made come with me). Maybe it’s the 9000 degree weather or the issue of lugging furniture up 4 flights of stairs to my new apartment with no air conditioning but I’m seeing clearly today how easy it is to take things for granted. I feel this may be a running theme for at least the next few weeks until I am settled. However the prospect of new adventures, industry, and general lifestyle (4 flights of stairs multiple times a day and bars closing at 2am instead of 5am) makes it much easier to overcome any feelings of regret or concern.

I promise I will give my utmost effort to post at least once a week with updates of life and lessons learned but now I must prostitute myself to the leaders of industry via monster.com. Xoxo