I got a job offer last week, and took it.

Looking ahead to leaving Bloomington, I suddenly see very clearly the many wonderful things here, and how deeply I have become involved in certain aspects of this community over the past 6 years. There are of course the university and our colleagues, but there's much more as well: going to church this morning, I realized that I was going to have to say farewell to the church where we got married (and the pastor who married us) and where I was able to help with the winter homeless shelter. Then there are our immediate surroundings--our house, imperfect but comfortable; the garden(s), where we'll miss what look to be bumper crops of squash and fall raspberries; and the neighborhood that we've gone on so many walks through. There are also the broader benefits of living here: proximity to my grandparents, wonderful state parks and forests, an unbeatable (I'm pretty convinced that term should be used literally) concert schedule, and even cheap flights out of Indianapolis.

Several things will make moving easier. First, the knowledge that we'd have to in a year anyway. Also the little unfortunate things here: perhaps I won't find such a thoughtful pastor where we're moving, but at least the services are probably less ridiculously long, and perhaps we'll have to downgrade to a smaller apartment or longer commute, but at least the kitchen floor probably won't give me splinters or be almost impossible to sweep.

So we'll move to Amherst, MA sometime in August, and I start my one-year contract at UMass September 6. The salary dwarfs our combined income here, Sara will be able to work on her dissertation full time, and I'll get to teach some really fun-looking classes and get some great experience. We're also told that the 5 colleges area is beautiful, and it sounds like there are more interesting shops and things to do than perhaps one can find in Indiana. And hey, it's a kind of homecoming for me: I was born in Boston a little over 28 years ago. I didn't get to live there long then--but now I get my chance!