HELP!! Sell you town to me :-)

[Selkie]

Most of Brookline is very nice, as far as I know. Do you know where, exactly? I have a friend who lived there for several years, and can ask her. It''s very convenient to the city and has lots of old brick townhouse style condos.

 

[Selkie]

Date: 4/29/2008 2:56:51 PM
Author: luckystar112
You know it''s funny but I''ve always considered yankees more personable than people from the south. Of course, I''m only talking about the Boston area compared to the Houston area....I haven''t experienced the wrath of the New-Yorker yet.

I know it''s not only me, because almost everyone we''ve met in Houston isn''t from here...and they all say the same thing. One friend said she thinks Houston is where dou$& bags come to die.

Of course, that means I''m on of them.

But I won''t be here for that much longer, hopefully!!

Thanks to this thread, FI and I are SERIOUSLY considering Providence. When we go up to Maine next Christmas we''re going to take a day trip to go check it out (it''s only 2.5 hours away). And according to findyourspot.com, the average home price is only around 250k, which is totally do-able. One of the biggest concerns we have about moving up north is the difference in housing costs. We''re so spoiled right now!

Lucky, my brother lived in Houston for several years after college, then moved back to Mass. He was SOOO happy to leave, and I think his wife was too even though she mostly grew up in Texas!

 

[luckystar112]

Yeah....no offense to other Houstonians, it''s just not my thing.
The thing about this city is that either you moved here from another part of the country to work, or you were born here and don''t know what you''re missing.
I have a very negative attitude about this place, so I''m pretty biased, but my main problems with it are the pollution (I think it ranked 4th in the worst air in a major city or something?) it''s the fattest city, it''s so spread out with hardly any public transporations, the crime rate is ridiculous, the beaches are polluted, and it''s just strip center after strip center...housing development after housing development....and no zoning. Just to name a few!!! lol!!!! Oh, and the weather of course.

I really don''t understand why anyone would want to live here forever unless they were in the energy industry or something. Really, I could go on and on about what I dislike about Houston, but I''m obviously outnumbered by people who like it here...you can''t ignore the population!

Although when people in other states find out we live here, they always ask us how we like it. FI remains silent while I go off on my rant....and then the other people usually say that they know people who hated it here as well.

I''ve heard Austin/Dallas/San Antonio are wonderful though.

 

[miraclesrule]

Gosh, I almost feel like San Diego isn''t getting any love.

But then again, if you like the change in seasons, it definately isn''t the best place to go, since we generally only have two...perfect and almost perfect 75 year round.

At least it isn''t L.A.

I probably would get into the east coast a bit more if they didn''t have bugs so big you could slap a saddle on them.

Good luck with your location hunting. Any town would be lucky to have you cello!!

 

[cellososweet]

haha. miraclesrule. you''re so sweet. and funny to boot. About the weather, I guess it''s all relative. To me the weather in California is moderately miserable and completely miserable. haha. There''s something about a 110 degree heatwave in a Los Angeles County beachtown that makes me want to squirm. Especially when the heat wave was in October. Oy!

Yeah, there are some monstrous bugs back east. I remember at one point we lived in Florida and the roaches were huge. And they flew. Turned me off of Florida for the rest of my life. Then again, I saw a fleet of tarantulas in my backyard in SoCal when we first moved here (ok maybe I''m exaggerating. There were about 5 of them together haha). Every place has it''s icky-ness factor I guess. The south is where the "real" bugs are at. I''ve never seen so many monsters in my life. Especially in the bayou. Arrrghhh. . .

Anywho. . .DH and I are going to have the long talk tonight about where to go. I''ll let you all know how it pans out.

Thanks again everyone!!

 

[cellososweet]

oh and ps to luckystar. . . i think your feelings on Houston mirror my feelings on Southern California.

People look at me like I'm from outerspace as I go on a verbal rampage which consists of topics such as massive traffic no matter what time I go to LA, inconsistent weather patterns that change 30 degrees in two days (hello! time to catch an eternal cold!), snottiness and superficial mindsets, a general rudeness. . .etc etc etc. . .

I realize it's all relative as I've found the greatest of snotty beasts elsewhere, but it's overwhelming (I feel) where we are now. And I really do think people are so up themselves here that it pains me to think of raising kids in such an atmosphere(once again. how i feel). i've lived so many places and there isn't one that makes me more miserable. I actually had a full-on anxiety attack on the plane when were coming back to California from our trip to Boston last fall. Like. . . . out of breath, chest tightness crying. It was terrible. The minute I saw LA, I started to cry. It's that bad for me. So yeah . . . I completely feel ya.

 

[iluvcarats]

Cello,
I can relate!
When we lived in So.Cal. it rained ashes.
We had 4 major fires burning around us in a 30 mile radius.
There were signs posted on the playgrounds to play at your own risk due to mountain lion sightings.
The mountain biker who was killed was 1/4 mile from our house.
All of th e 4 year olds in my daughters pre school said they wanted to be either brittany spears (pre K-Fed) or a rock star. My daughter chose veterinarian!
And the traffic!!!!!

I do miss all of the great shopping though! but now everything is just a click away

 

[Selkie]

Date: 4/30/2008 9:12:47 AM
Author: cellososweet
oh and ps to luckystar. . . i think your feelings on Houston mirror my feelings on Southern California.

People look at me like I'm from outerspace as I go on a verbal rampage which consists of topics such as massive traffic no matter what time I go to LA, inconsistent weather patterns that change 30 degrees in two days (hello! time to catch an eternal cold!), snottiness and superficial mindsets, a general rudeness. . .etc etc etc. . .

I realize it's all relative as I've found the greatest of snotty beasts elsewhere, but it's overwhelming (I feel) where we are now. And I really do think people are so up themselves here that it pains me to think of raising kids in such an atmosphere(once again. how i feel). i've lived so many places and there isn't one that makes me more miserable. I actually had a full-on anxiety attack on the plane when were coming back to California from our trip to Boston last fall. Like. . . . out of breath, chest tightness crying. It was terrible. The minute I saw LA, I started to cry. It's that bad for me. So yeah . . . I completely feel ya.

Oh my god, Cello, I am exACTLY the same way down to the anxiety attacks. DH just laughs anytime someone asks me if I like SoCal in front of him, because he totally knows what I'm going to say. I've been working on him since day one to move back east. Massachusetts isn't exactly known for its polite, well-behaved drivers, but I've NEVER experienced the same road-rage (my own!) as I do here. At least in Mass, they understand that the LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING. And that TEXTING while driving is a no good, very bad idea. OK. Sorry, rant over. I know plenty of people who grow up in LA love it, and never want to leave, and I'm sure they'd be just as unhappy in the northeast as I am here. AND I've met both my husband and many great friends here, so I do have things to be thankful for about it. Just how I feel on most days...

ETA: Sorry I sound so bitter, a lot of it also has to do with the fact that I hate being 3000 miles from my family and many good friends, esp. with my parents growing older.

 

[luckystar112]

Selkie, cello...I heart you guys.

I thought there was something wrong with ME since I couldn't force myself to be happy somewhere other than the northeast.
Even love isn't enough to keep me here...FI knows that a condition of marrying me means we get out of here right after I graduate. It was always his plan, but I think I'm more desperate to go than he is. He bought a house a couple of years ago, soo......

It's so weird because growing up in New England my whole life I could NOT wait to get out of there!! Especially after a n'easter would tear through the area. Now I can't wait to go back! There really is no place like home. Sigh.

I think RI is the perfect balance for us because it has a low crime rate, low annual snowfall (compared to Maine and NH, anyway), housing costs aren't too astronomical (I think the average is 250K?) and it seems like their economy is growing substantially.

We still may end up a little more south though...maybe CT or upstate NY.

I've never been so motivated to finish school before. I've been contemplating packing on 18 hours next semester!!

ETA: I've had a panic attack on a plane too! Once coming back from Virginia, and another time coming back from Italy (which is the antithesis of Houston

).
Maisie started a thread a while back about coming here to go to WF, and I immediately got embarrassed because the rides from both airports show what a dump this place is. Again....no offense to any other Houstonians!!! lol

 

[cellososweet]

oh lucky honey! i had the same "what the hell is wrong with me?!" conversation with myself for years here in socal. Everyone loooooves it so much and here i am on the couch praying to anyone that''ll listen that i''d seriously give an arm and a leg to get back east. it''s all relative. It''s just not my cup of tea, no matter how hard I try to be happy here, it doesn''t happen. I have all the material goods in the world and guess what? Still miserable. I''d trade a nor''easter for santa ana winds and a fire anyday.

nothing''s wrong with you except that you are miserable where you are. But the best thing about that??? you can actually change it one day

 

[cellososweet]

i was going through old journal entries trying to find an appropriate one to send to a friend of mine and this one popped up about a rare rainy day in california. Gosh I miss the east coast weather!!

. . .it''s raining outside and it feels fantastic to lay in bed and hear it beating down. i''ve missed this. a constant reminder that change is an inevitable part of life. it''s strange how just a few days ago i was telling my coworker how i get seasonly depressed. but it''s not really that. i get stagnantly (is this a word) depressed. the inability for things to move forward. to advance. to change. is what kills me the most. seasons, as a child, were a constant reminder that things dont last forever. that one day can change every sensory perception. the feeling of the air, the smell of rain, the sight of snow, the sound of thunder, the taste of a dry mouth when the wind takes your breath away. the feeling of disappointment when your snowman melts. the excitement of knowing its because summer is one day closer and you can go on the slip and slide with your friends. i miss these simple pleasures. i do. yesterday it started to p*ss down when i was at work. really. it was pouring (and i''m always the one that jokes that it''s sprinkling and people are flipping out). i excused myself for a break and went outside and stood in the rain. i looked like a drown rat and felt incredibly fufilled. it was real. i felt it. my hair was stuck to my face. i jumped in a puddle and got my jeans wet. i knew that frizz and potential pneumonia were to follow. and i didn''t give a crap. because i saw it and i wanted to feel it. i wanted to feel the reminder that this is the only life i have and just like the rain, it is beautiful and will end when i least expect it. it''s terrible here. the weather is terrible. for me, at least. i want to see a crocus peak from under the snow. i want to smell a pinecone in my fireplace. i want to wear a t-shirt. then a long sleeved shirt. then a light jacket. then a coat. reverse. then repeat. i want that reminder. call me crazy, but i hate surprises and summer in january is probably my least favorite suprise of all.

 

[luckystar112]

Wow Cello, you''re a great writer.
I can relate to all of it. Love the rain/life analogy, and I definitely miss the "change" too.
I miss looking up into the sky at night and seeing all the stars, not just the brightest ones that were able to make it through the smog and city light glow. I miss the smell of snow melting. I miss the campfire smell of autumn. I miss getting pleasantly surprised by an Indian summer. I miss MISSING summer! I don''t miss it anymore. I live it. All 90+ degrees of it with 100% humidity.
I miss having summer and winter clothes. I miss so many things.....

Are you looking to move immediately? I don''t think you ever said. I''ve been going to Virginia with FI''s family for xmas the last couple of years, so I haven''t even stepped for in Maine since October 06.

We''re going to Maine this Christmas though.
I think I am going to pack on at least 15 hours next semester.

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 5/1/2008 12:22:10 AM
Author: cellososweet
i was going through old journal entries trying to find an appropriate one to send to a friend of mine and this one popped up about a rare rainy day in california. Gosh I miss the east coast weather!!

. . .it''s raining outside and it feels fantastic to lay in bed and hear it beating down. i''ve missed this. a constant reminder that change is an inevitable part of life. it''s strange how just a few days ago i was telling my coworker how i get seasonly depressed. but it''s not really that. i get stagnantly (is this a word) depressed. the inability for things to move forward. to advance. to change. is what kills me the most. seasons, as a child, were a constant reminder that things dont last forever. that one day can change every sensory perception. the feeling of the air, the smell of rain, the sight of snow, the sound of thunder, the taste of a dry mouth when the wind takes your breath away. the feeling of disappointment when your snowman melts. the excitement of knowing its because summer is one day closer and you can go on the slip and slide with your friends. i miss these simple pleasures. i do. yesterday it started to p*ss down when i was at work. really. it was pouring (and i''m always the one that jokes that it''s sprinkling and people are flipping out). i excused myself for a break and went outside and stood in the rain. i looked like a drown rat and felt incredibly fufilled. it was real. i felt it. my hair was stuck to my face. i jumped in a puddle and got my jeans wet. i knew that frizz and potential pneumonia were to follow. and i didn''t give a crap. because i saw it and i wanted to feel it. i wanted to feel the reminder that this is the only life i have and just like the rain, it is beautiful and will end when i least expect it. it''s terrible here. the weather is terrible. for me, at least. i want to see a crocus peak from under the snow. i want to smell a pinecone in my fireplace. i want to wear a t-shirt. then a long sleeved shirt. then a light jacket. then a coat. reverse. then repeat. i want that reminder. call me crazy, but i hate surprises and summer in january is probably my least favorite suprise of all.

Dang cello,

You just sold me on the east coast!!

I really do need to get past my heartache from the Boston guy betrayal so that I can go visit Boston in October and experience a real "fall season". I just don''t want to drive in snow, as I''m afraid I would end up in a ditch. I have PTSD from a time when a was a child and we were in the car with my Dad in Minnesota and got caught in a hailstorm. I was so afraid when he pulled over to the side of the road, because I knew that there was huge cliff leading to a lake and thought for sure that is where we were going to end up. But alas, we were safe.

Your writing is beautiful, but that doesn''t surprise me as everything you produce is beautiful. I agree that the shallowness and materialism of So Cal can be stifling and make a person want to scream. On the only hand, it is sort of silly that all the women are so nipped, tucked and sucked that they all take on the same look...a creepy look at that.