Not Quite There

Originally, I had proposed that the phrase "Not Quite There" be the title of this travel blog. Or maybe it was the phrase "Not All There." Regardless, I liked the way it sounded, and thought that it was clever how it related to both geographic space (the imfamous "are we there yet?") and mental space (or "are they crazy?"). But, while Sarah and I ultimately went with Strange and Benevolent, I have to say that right now the phrase "not quite there" explains how I'm feeling perfectly.

Let me explain.

I'm sitting in my office, on my last day of work. My projects are all completed. The posters and notes are down of my office walls. My photos and knick-knacks are all boxed away. I've found homes for my office plants. And, heck, I've even already had my going away party. Yet, here I am, still at work.

And that’s a bit bizarre.

When I see coworkers in the hall, the greeting has now changed from "have a great time on your trip!" to "you're still here?" The momentary TylerFest 2007 that had swept work for the last couple days has subsided; and my old coworkers have resumed working. The company continues on without me. I've become some sort of office ghost; roaming the halls of RealNetworks. My very presence is slightly unsettling, even a little eerie. I think that the collective assumption is that when a person says "goodbye," they are going to follow that up by leaving.

And, I promise I will. Soon. Hopefully.