Towards a new way of living

Not quite sure how I'm supposed to introduce a blog, but I feel that it needs to be done, especially when said blog intends to chronicle my transformation from a Milwaukee pseudo-hipster to a prim and polished faux-Southerner in D.C.

Some background: mere hours after graduating college, I began packing up the previous 21 years of my life into my parents' van and started driving east to start my life as a "real person" with a full-time job (and a not-so-full sized apartment). I had gotten an internship with a prominent lobbying organization just a few blocks away from the White House, and was excited for the opportunities that laid before me. I made friends, I learned a lot, and I'm still here, 18 months later.

I've loved my time in D.C. so far, so why change? Truth be told, I never felt any particular affinity towards the Midwest, despite having lived in Wisconsin my entire life. There were only three things I truly enjoyed about my youth: fresh cheese curds, Lake Michigan, and the Green Bay Packers. I will always love my hometown team, but the Great Lakes just can't compare to the ocean, and once my body started rejecting lactose, I knew it was time to surrender to "The Southern Calling".

A few weeks ago, over a liquid dinner as I watched the Gamecocks struggle for a win, I turned to my friends gathered and said, "Y'all, I want to be Southern." So here goes ...