Introduction

Hi.  I am Tory.  I have no idea what I am doing, but it involves moving from my beloved Chicago to the mysterious city that is called Atlanta, or Hotlanta by some.  My initial understanding about what this place is has very few sources:

1) "Real Housewives of Atlanta," which I definitely watched a lot of long before I could excuse it as research,

2) the Atlanta airport, where I only ever stopped to make connecting flights,

and 3) a recent viewing of the Vice documentary about the ATL twins.  That last one is rough.  Thanks to the sea of folks who have lived there/have family who lives there/have friends of friends who have been there/write things on the internet, I am amassing a conflicting pool of ideas about what Atlanta is.  I am trying to make motions that look like I have a plan for my life at large.  One of those motions included applying for an advanced degree.  The motion that followed that one was getting accepted and then telling them that I also accept them.  We told one another a little more about ourselves.  Over time, we have come to trust each other a little more and have even become facebook friends.  It's one of those standard relationships where one person begs for the other one to pick them and the other one says, "okay, but it is going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars," and you pump your fist and say "score!"  In order to get there, I have to move there.  I hate moving.  Even more than most people, I think.  Car packed FULL to the point where I couldn't even fall asleep if I wanted to because of the lack of space.  And boy do I want to fall asleep as the adventure-mobile is being driven by my parents.  Here we go.