Home is where my stuff is.

What can I say? I don't know what to say when people ask me where I'm from because I'm not really "from" anywhere. I've never lived in any one house or apartment for more than 3 years. It sounds tragic to some, exciting to others. Let me break it down for you:

1979 Born in Macomb, Illinois
1981 Moved to Astoria, Illinois
1984 Moved to White Hall, Illinois.
1987 Moved to Grant Park, Illinois. (Lived in 3 different houses.)
1994 Moved to Lenox, Iowa.
1997 Moved to Creston, IA. (College)
1999 Moved to San Jose, CA. (1 year in the dorms, 1 year in an apartment.)
2001 Moved to Trossingen, Germany.
2002 Moved back to San Jose, CA.
2003 Moved to Las Vegas, NV.
2004 Moved back to San Jose, CA.
2006 Moved to Campbell, CA.

My parents also have a very interesting history of moving that begins in the "Quad Cities" (Brownie points for anyone who knows where that is.) in 1971 -- they moved at least 4 times. And, since moving out on my own in 1997, my parents have moved twice. When visiting my parents I can't refer to anything as "my room", "my neighborhood", and I rarely run into anyone I know from high school unless they happen to be living in Des Moines or are taking a weekend trip to the mall.

I have two concepts of home:

1.) Where I can find most of my stuff and where I go when there is no where else to go / the physical address where I to pay rent.

I have lovingly referred to my apartment as "The Storage Unit". When speaking with my insurance agent about renters insurance, he tried to convince me that I needed a much larger policy than what I thought I needed. So, I told him straight out, "Except for my bed and clothes, I could give a crap if my stuff goes up in flames. I can replace all of it more cheaply than you think." I purchased renters insurance to protect myself in case someone gets drunk and stumbles down the stairs, or a neighbor wants to sue me for something. I don't have personal attachments to many material things. The things I own, I own for convenience and not because I LOVE them.

2.) Where I'm around familiar people and places I love.

My parents house is still home. There is a familiarity there: recognizable food in the fridge, pepsodent toothpaste - the same home practices my parents have always had. Only the walls and the furniture are different. The ambiance is the same.

I also consider the Bay Area home, particularly the South Bay. I generally know how to get from one place to another, I run into people I know often. Most of my best friends are here, I graduated from college here, my music colleagues are here. I'm connected to people and events that happen here. I vote and pay taxes. I care what happens in my neighborhood.

I wonder how my concept of "home" is different from those who grew up in the one house, one neighborhood, went to one school, and who are upset because their bedroom at the parent's place is now a home office. Honestly, I can't even imagine that.