I've been tossing out teasers for ages now, making references to the positive changes in my life and eluding to how much happier I'm feeling, but I haven't delivered the goods...until now. Here it is, the loooooooong overdue OT post!

I think the last time any of you were privvy to my personal life, you were talking me down in the immediate aftermath of my breakup with Corey. And I have to tell you that your wisdom and council during the leadup to/fallout from that time was worth more to me than I could ever say. You helped me more than you know, and it was your encouragement that pushed me go through with the necessary step of ending that relationship. Because it was necessary, as recent events have showed me.

The months following the split were complex and untidy. We were on civil terms that allowed us to defer facing the horrendous market around here and keep living together, but that situation was obviously not ideal for anyone. He grappled with medical difficulties and a new relationship that actively sucked from what he told me. I gritted my teeth and kind of jogged along hoping to find the wherewithal to execute the rest of the changes. Circumstances began helping me along. I was reassigned to a fabulous reporting team within my company last April, and that change gave me a needed boost of optimism and energy. And then came August and one very fateful email.

The note was from a guy that I had met about 16 years ago when I was working at a summer camp for the blind. He was attending it as one of his first forays into the real world after losing his sight at age 15. We became friends then and stayed in touch for several years, but eventually lost track of each other as people so often do. Adam decided the time had come to reestablish contact. In the flurry of emails that ensued, a number of crazy coincidences came to light. He and I had both concluded decade-long relationships earlier this year. All those years we were out of touch, we'd lived a 3.5-minute walk from each other's front doors. And all the things that made us friends in the first place were all still very much present.

We started hanging out in person, and eventually he put his cards on the table - he'd had feelings for me as a teen and now hoped for a chance to give things a genuine shot as adults. I initially wasn't sure what to make of this, but couldn't deny that our hangouts were rapidly becoming the most fun and enjoyable parts of my week...So I said I'd give things a try, and we've both been absurdly, deleriously happy ever since. It's only been 10 months, but every second of that time bodes well for the future. It hasn't all been fun and games and hysterical laughter and first dates. I've helped him through the frustration of being laid off from his music journalism job when his company restructured, and he's been there for mee through family drama and a recent injury (more on that later), but the support we've given each other has made all these things so much easier to bear. I cannot tell you how much happier I feel about everything. I had honestly forgotten that it was possible to feel this happy and hopeful and full of gratitude.

And what of my living situation, you ask? Well, serendipity played a role in that too. One day in February this year, I step on the elevator to go to work and get greeted by a woman I casually know. She then resumes her original conversation in which she makes repeated references to a new building. Apparently the property management firm that owns my present place is building a brand new low rise exactly one block away from my current location. They had signs up about it, but I never would have known if I hadn't overheard this conversation. Anyway, I made some inquiries, and the company was offering amazing incentives for anyone who wanted to switch from my building to the new one. Two free months of rent, plus covered moving costs.

I instantly got my hands on the floor plans, and the units on offer were great. Spacious, modern, with in suite laundry and brand new appliances and everything I needed for a place on my own. So I put in an application, and in a few months I will be moving into a one bedroom plus den apartment. Mom is helping me redecorate nearly from scratch, so I'll have a fresh start in every way. Another fun development is that Corey opted to take a bachelor apartment in the same building, so we'll be neighbours. We have stayed friends since the split, so I think this is great. the best part is that I don't need to learn a new neighbourhood, but can stick with the fab one I know, where all my regular professionals and stores are based, and where Adam also happens to live!

Those are the highlights right now, and hopefully they go some way to explaining both the tone and the scarcity of my recent posts. I spend most of my leisure time at Adam's apartment, so I'm not around as much to cruise through the forum. But I think of you all often and hope everyone is thriving. Stylishly, of course.
*hugs all around*

Oh right. I promised to mention the recent injury. Earlier this week I fell and put a crack in the fibula of my right leg. It hurt like mad at the time and is inconvenient in the extreme, but I'm being well cared for and things could be much worse. And I have a new Furla bag, so how bad can things really be? :p