The Precipice

As I see it, I have three options at this point.

1. I can get a six-month lease at a cheap place here in Austin with Danny and work at either a temp agency or substitute teach to pay the bills.

UPSIDE: Good friends, great town, close to family.

DOWNSIDE: Been here for a while, done most of that. Zero career movement. (There really are no editing jobs in Austin. I could maybe — maybe — do freelance work for something like the Chronicle.) Stuck with trying to sublet if a good job does come up.

2. My parents would be happy for me to move back home. While waiting for a real job to come along, I could almost certainly work at a Blockbuster where my friend is a manager and save some up some money. (Or, again, substitute teach and do the same.)

UPSIDE: No lease, no expenses. I would like the flexibility of waiting until I had a solid job lined up somewhere before I moved, and this is the place that really gives me that option. Still close to Austin. Lots of old friends in S.A., too.

DOWNSIDE: Moving back home.

3. Get at least a partial assurance of temp work in Washington D.C. and take a car-full (carfull? car full?) of belongings up to Kriston's couch until I find a place of my own.

UPSIDE: A relocation would be good for me. I love the area. No lease contracts in D.C., so I would still have the flexibility to pick up and leave if, say, Montana came calling. Living in D.C. makes it much easier to score potential job opportunities in D.C. Plenty of friends already established to show me around and introduce me to hot political staffers who have only enough time for superficial, physically gratifying relationships. Because we all know those leave me so satisfied. Ben's Chili Bowl.

DOWNSIDE: Imposing on Wreck. Moving is expensive, and money is tight all around the Wright family. D.C. also happens to be a little pricey. NO MEXICAN FOOD.

While I can feasibly do both 2 and 3 — I'd have to store most of my stuff in S.A. either way — the problem is that option #1 has to be done within the next week. Danny and I have an appointment tomorrow with a realtor who has a bunch of cheap property. Maybe I'll wait to see if we find something really nice and decide based on that. Another six months in Austin would hardly be terrible.

All of this may be moot. I've got applications in around the country, with more headed out soon. If one of those comes through, then all this deliberation comes to nil.

Any suggestions? Any consideration I'm leaving out?