HDIF about possibly relocating to the West Coast. DYFF.

Dear LORD:

Thank you so much for my wonderful sweetheart. How I love her! She is my best friend and the love of my life! You have given me such a good thing! Amen.

MDDL:

Your MEQ today was the wonderful, sexy kisses we shared in the bathroom and in the kitchen. You turn me on!

The way I feel about relocating back to the West Coast is nostalgic. I remember the West Coast fondly in many respects, and every time I return to that part of the country, I think about all of the aspects of that region that I miss. The wonderful weather. The beautiful hills and mountains. The ocean. The incredible food. The abundance of wonderful produce. The ethnic diversity. The intellectual and creative fervor of that place. The vibrant job market.

OK, let's be honest. There are also lots and lots of things about California that suck. The high real estate prices (although they have come way, way down recently). The high taxes (although we would finally be able to recoup our altmin credits). The traffic (although I find it very refreshing to drive there because the drivers are so predictable and intelligent).

There are a few other issues as well. The state of California is in the midst of a 47 billion dollar budget shortfall, as a result of the real estate meltdown. That's going to put a lot of pressure on the institutions in the region, especially public education. We will need to consider carefully our move in that direction and its effect on Jeanae. I like your idea of hanging around NC for another couple of years while Jeanae finishes high school and simply making frequent trips out there (with you in tow since you will be freed up from your responsibility for our daughter).

The issue of her education is pretty important right now. If she gets into NCSOTA, then we are golden in NC, should stay here and let her finish, and then consider our options after her senior year. If not, then we are pretty well out of options in NC, and we should strongly consider letting Scalent relocate us and figure out the options in terms of education in California.

We have little time to do this. The summer looms. I need to court Scalent and figure out how much they are willing to pay, whether they will buy out the 401K loan, and so forth. As I said before, they desperately need me. But I will need to reel them in.

Anyway, getting back to my feelings, I will readily admit that I miss CA and am nostalgic about it. That's the strongest feeling. It's not that strong, but pretty strong, maybe a 7 or 8. It can peak up to close to 10 at times when I am out there and driving around in all of the old familiar places we used to go when we lived there.

In terms of a shared experience, I suppose it would be like when we went back to Alaska for the Nancy Lake retreat and hung out with the Saints, went to a lot of our old haunts, saw the Chugach range again, climbed Flattop and the like. That was very nostalgic for me, and no doubt for you as well. California is like Alaska in many respects, and yet very unlike as well. Alaska has a pioneer mentality. No guard rails. California has nothing but guard rails. But people in California are very intelligent and well educated. So they have a significantly different attitude from a place like NC or Texas where people are more ignorant and bigoted. Most people in California have a fairly global perspective which I find quite refreshing. As you recall, when we would go to the meeting, there would be at least four or five different countries represented there, including China and/or Taiwan, Korea, Mexico, the US, and the like. This is very refreshing to me. I have been a world traveler all of my life. Being around people like Daren and Derrick (who had never been outside of the US until they went to Cork earlier this month) is stifling.

So, nostalgic. I miss CA. I would like to live there again, and make something out of that part of the world. If you agree, then I would find that agreeable. If not, I will certainly either stay with you here or go with you to the ends of the earth.

Ultimately as long as the two of us are together and OK, then the rest of the world can go to Hell as far as I am concerned. Forgive me, but there you have it.

Love,
Me