Thrilling Cities
Ian Fleming only wrote three books outside the Bond canon - The Diamond Smugglers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Thrilling Cities. Strangely enough, never read the book even though I smuggled it out of my Mom's bookcase and into my room one time. Just never read it.
But it makes a great title for this post. I really hate living in AZ. But there are certain advantages to it... if you went here http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html you would see the cost of living index is just above 100 with 100 being average. I make great money in this place, and I know the tech market. I know some of the neighborhoods not to visit, I know where to play poker. I know there are some friends in Tucson 100 miles away. There's some here too. Basically put, I have roots.
I also know there is both also unrelenting heat and way-too-conservative politics as well.
The biggest problem with moving is my dad and the situation with my brother. If I could find a way of making peace with that situation, once my dad passes, moving will be easy. Right now I feel basically limited to CA, NV, AZ, UT. Technically I guess I could fly, and while the closest airport is 20 miles from my Dad, flights are mostly from Salt Lake, with one from Denver and a recently added one from Phoenix.
Basically I'm looking for a place where the weather, the poker, the lack of other gambling and the politics can all converge. And there's the rub... there really nowhere that has all that. Los Angeles comes the closest.
I'd love to be an east coast guy for a year or two, and experience three of the four seasons and conveniently find a job that will let me telecommute from the Carribean for winter. :)
I'm still consdering moving before summer of 2017....
For the short term the only places I could even consider moving to would be Salt Lake City (yech, weather and politics again) and I only mention it first because it's related to the current job I'm on, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Las Vegas. Vegas I'd almost have to make a living as a poker player; jobs in my field are scarcer. SD has the same problem without the same opportunity. For the short term, that leaves only three options other than staying here which sadly seems like the best option.
Without dragging either weather or cost of living into it, I'd love to move to New York City, but I'd actually want to live in Manhattan... not cheap. Other places I'm considering longer-term roots: Multiple CA locations, Las Vegas, multiple TX locations (politics and poker would be worse but all else gets better), Altanta, OH, IL, IN, DC/VA/MD. Maybe CT?
Other than being comfortable finding new roots (friends, mechanic, doctors, lawyers, food, etc.) and the cost of moving...I think I'm finally in a good position to move.
But it makes a great title for this post. I really hate living in AZ. But there are certain advantages to it... if you went here http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html you would see the cost of living index is just above 100 with 100 being average. I make great money in this place, and I know the tech market. I know some of the neighborhoods not to visit, I know where to play poker. I know there are some friends in Tucson 100 miles away. There's some here too. Basically put, I have roots.
I also know there is both also unrelenting heat and way-too-conservative politics as well.
The biggest problem with moving is my dad and the situation with my brother. If I could find a way of making peace with that situation, once my dad passes, moving will be easy. Right now I feel basically limited to CA, NV, AZ, UT. Technically I guess I could fly, and while the closest airport is 20 miles from my Dad, flights are mostly from Salt Lake, with one from Denver and a recently added one from Phoenix.
Basically I'm looking for a place where the weather, the poker, the lack of other gambling and the politics can all converge. And there's the rub... there really nowhere that has all that. Los Angeles comes the closest.
I'd love to be an east coast guy for a year or two, and experience three of the four seasons and conveniently find a job that will let me telecommute from the Carribean for winter. :)
I'm still consdering moving before summer of 2017....
For the short term the only places I could even consider moving to would be Salt Lake City (yech, weather and politics again) and I only mention it first because it's related to the current job I'm on, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Las Vegas. Vegas I'd almost have to make a living as a poker player; jobs in my field are scarcer. SD has the same problem without the same opportunity. For the short term, that leaves only three options other than staying here which sadly seems like the best option.
Without dragging either weather or cost of living into it, I'd love to move to New York City, but I'd actually want to live in Manhattan... not cheap. Other places I'm considering longer-term roots: Multiple CA locations, Las Vegas, multiple TX locations (politics and poker would be worse but all else gets better), Altanta, OH, IL, IN, DC/VA/MD. Maybe CT?
Other than being comfortable finding new roots (friends, mechanic, doctors, lawyers, food, etc.) and the cost of moving...I think I'm finally in a good position to move.