One of the problems about living in the rust belt is that it seems like everyone leaves whether they want to or not, opting for either coast, Chicago, Columbus, wherever. Some see themselves as rats abandoning a sinking ship, others love this place but can't find work.

And so I sometimes get bummed out when it seems like I'm one of the only ones who sticks around and it's hard to broaden my circle. It gets so easy to hang out with the same 5 people all the time and hard enough to find other likeminded souls, not to mention that social situations with new people still make me nervous as I always feel like I'll say the wrong thing and screw it all up.

So I end up at a house in Cleveland Heights on Saturday night, knowing a few faces to start with, but meeting a whole new cast of characters that I get the feeling will be a part of my life for the next few years. It's amazing how instant connections can be sometimes and how comfortable groups of some strangers feel, when the conversations are real and no one sees a need to be something they're not.

And knowing that even as small as this city sometimes feels, there are still more people to meet, more places to discover and that keeps me feeling like I made the right decision to stay for the time being...