Officially Gone MAD

As most of you know, I’ve spent this past year passively trying to decide whether or not to return to Loyola or to instead finalize a transfer to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Though I’ve been relatively quiet about weighing the various pros and cons, it’s been weighing on my mind since around January. As of a few days ago, I’ve decided to make the transfer and move to Madison. The decision-making process was a bitch – I knew that either way, I’d be kicking myself in the head with regret for a long while. To make the choice more difficult, the emotional pull between the two places were about equal.

In the end, my need for a change of pace and scenery outweighed the roots I’ve been working to lay down in Chicago. Since my accident in December of 2008, I’ve been having trouble getting back on my feet academically, and I generally feel lost in terms of career plans and goals (What career? Which goals? Exactly.) I feel like the idea of simplifying my life and focusing entirely on my academics and such will do me a world of good, and can maybe help me find some direction again, or something. Maybe it’s an act of desperation, and maybe the specific destination has a lot to do with Malory, but the honest goal of all of this is to try and get my life back into gear, since I feel like I’ve been more or less chasing my tail ever since the accident.

I’m incredibly apprehensive about making the move. As a 21 year old undergraduate who appreciates not living around college students, hates having loud neighbors, and mostly hangs out with his dog in his spare time, I’m not sure how well I’ll deal with the atmosphere of a football frenzied Big 10 University (“Touchdown”? Is that the name of a strip club?). Additionally, I can’t really justify to myself how shortsighted it was to walk away from a full scholarship to Loyola, a school where I didn’t really feel like a number being shaken down for money. Madison did offer me money, but they won’t cover everything (seeing as I’m not an athlete, which is after all what college is about, right?)

Ah well. Yes, I’m regretting it, but I knew I would for a while. I’ll miss those of you who still stay in Chicago like mad, but I really feel like I need to take this opportunity. I’m never farther away than a two hour drive to the north, so come and visit! I know I will when I periodically go crazy, and I’ll make sure to show any of you guys a good time at my new place up there. I’ll be out of here on the 22nd of August. I'm almost excited to join the ranks of the out-of-town university people, so that visiting home will be a huge climactic event. I'll miss you guys, and I'll certainly miss Andersonville/Chicago, but I won't be a stranger on breaks and throughout the summer. That, I absolutely promise.
With Love,
Tom