• I eat out less. The food is not as good in Brooklyn as it is in Manhattan. It's pretty good, and it's still better than say, my hometown, but there's a reason why people flock to Manhattan for dinner and it's because the restaurants there kick ass. I always bring people who come to my neck of the woods to Diner or Miyake, or Planet Thai in a pinch. Fuck that. I want Iso around the corner from my house. I want goddamn Corner Bistro on Bedford and Grand.

• I cook more. Cooking is fun! No it's not. It's all right. It's cheap though, and if I had lifted a finger even a few times a week in my pristine kitchen in Manhattan I probably would have a few more grand in my pocket right now.

• I spend more time on IM during the day. IM becomes more important than ever when you work at home because it is often your only instant connection with the outside world. Obviously there is the phone, but I screen my calls during the day, and I know a lot of other freelancers who are like that. Unfortunately IM encourages poor writing habits and is a major distraction. This doesn't seem to stop me though.

• My social network changed. There are people who you are friends with only because you live/work near them. Once you move away from them, they are no longer your friends. I thought this was only true if you left the state, but in New York it is also true if you switch boroughs.

• I am nicer now. I work less and drink less. Of course I am nicer.

• I live in a bigger apartment, and so does everyone else out here. If you want to pay a lot of money for a tiny apartment, live in Manhattan. If you want to pay a lot of money for a reasonably sized apartment, live in Brooklyn or Queens. If you want to pay a little money for a huge apartment, live in Chicago.

• I take naps. I don't think I took a nap in the first five years I lived in Manhattan unless I had a hangover. During the week I was at work and on the weekends I had too much shit to do. Now I take naps smack dab in the middle of the day on my couch when the sun is hitting it just right. Sometimes the cat comes and sleeps next to me. Sure I feel a bit like a Metamucil commercial (or a Spaniard) but you know you wish you were napping right now while you're reading this.

• I take less cabs and subways, but more buses. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a bike. You're not going to hurt yourself, delicate lady. You don't look like a two-year old, big boy. You're just getting your ass from one place to another faster than the unreliable public transportation system can, and you're doing it for free.

• I fuck for no particular reason less. I know they say people are doing it all over Williamsburg but I'm just not seeing the same pickup scene here as I did in the East Village or the Lower East Side. I'm prepared to be proven wrong on this one, but most of the folks I know out here tend to spend time just hanging out with their friends rather than looking for one night stands. This may have something to do with the fact that we're all getting older, I will admit that, but I don't even sense that same looking to fuck vibe when I go into the bars here. My guess is when people in Brooklyn want to get laid, well, they head into Manhattan.

• My salary was cut in half.

• I am very poor but don't act like it. Thus, I am in debt. Unless you are prepared to make a significant change in your lifestyle, you must be prepared to acquire a significant credit card debt. By significant change in lifestyle I mean you cannot go to California three times on vacation, plus two weddings out of state, plus a two-week cross-country driving vacation, all of which I did this year because I do shit like that every year. (Flying Jet Blue does not count as a money saver.) You do not get to buy clothes every season (and sometimes mid-season.) You do not get to have facials, manicures, pedicures, or regular haircuts. And you think you're not being that bad - and you're probably not being that bad, but still, you're being bad. You should figure that out sooner rather than later or you will end up like me.

• I have determined I will never regret quitting my job. Never.I don't miss Corporate America a lick, but I do miss the camraderie of my co-workers.

• I have embraced unemployment. I have never been on unemployment before because whenever I've been unemployed it's because I chose it, not because I was laid off or fired or anything, plus there was that whole pride issue. Well I chose it this time, but guess what, there weren't any jobs to go back to when I was ready. One month's unemployment equals one month's rent so really, there was no question this time around. In Brooklyn, you have no pride!

• I write better and differently than I have in a long time. (Note - I've rewritten this section like, eighty times. ) What I like to write are little stories, sometimes they're about me, sometimes they're about other people, sometimes non-fiction, sometimes fiction. I attribute this realization largely to the fact that I live in a wide open space in the middle of nowhere, and when left with zero stimulation I entertain myself with writing stories. When I lived in the heart of the media world, I was forced to write about it so that I could deal with it. Now I honestly think I'm working in the right direction.

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