I love-hate the old 90's film, "What About Bob." Every time I watch it, I laugh out loud, mostly in a nervous, really uncomfortable, I'm-not-sure-what-else-to-do, kind of way. The character,"Bob," is horrifically neurotic. He has OCD to the nth degree. He won't touch anything without cleaning it and his fears and hang-ups outnumber even the most terrified cartoon character. His only salvation, his only pathway through the bog of his own psychosis, is a pop psychologist who has penned a trite self-help book called "Baby Steps." Bob, like a desperate leech, latches on to the concept and begins to see improvement. He can suddenly take elevators by taking one baby step at a time. He can walk out of his living room because all he has to do is take one step, and then another step. Bob's obsession with the book leads to more uncomfortable, neurotic humor and the audience can chuckle because the scenario is just too absurd to be real. WE are not that crazy. WE obviously have better boundaries. We don't need to take baby steps. Right? RIGHT????

This month marks the end of my first decade as a New Yorker. It's really strange to think that I have been here for ten years. So many things have filled those years - incredible experiences and adventures, relationships and heartbreaks. 

Since I have been journaling since I was nine, I thought it would be fun to go back and read through the things I wrote during that first year, and since sharing an experience only increases your enjoyment of it, I thought it would be extra fun to share my journal entries (at least, portions of them) with my friends on Conversant Life. 

So for the next year or so, I'll periodically share entries from my journals. Join me as I re-visit Christy Tennant, age 23...

2/2/99

I am so out of touch with this journal! Without going into every detail (hopefully memory will serve...), I am now all set to move to NYC next week. I am not going to be in Hoboken with Shaun; instead, I am going to sublet Kim C.'s apt. in Manhattan for 3 months while she is in Wisconsin doing Show Boat. The rent is going to be $500, which I am very nervous about - its the most I've ever had to pay! But apparently the location is superb, so it should be great...