It Can't Rain All The Time*

Seafood, snow-capped mountains, sailboats, a glistening ocean, baseball, football, Starbucks, Amazon.com are all where I’ve decided to land next. I changed my mind after visiting Seattle a couple of weeks ago.

There are many reasons why, but the main ones include being near the ocean, near a friend and it offers the cultural/urban lifestyle that I want without freezing my ass off in Chicago or NYC. I was amazed at how much there is to do there at any given time all throughout the city. There is something for everyone. Literally.

Though the real estate is expensive (not more so than Hawaii), it has a flourishing job market whose salaries – get this – actually compensate you for the cost of living. Who knew? When I was there, I just felt like it was a better “fit” for me, and it’s hard to describe unless you’ve gone through something like that yourself. I think there’s something to be said about having a good friend nearby, and though I promised I wouldn’t leech myself to my great friend Brook, it will be nice to know that she’s there (and she loans out her soon-to-be-hubby to all of her girlfriends for handyman work).

I know, I know…everyone says the weather is bad, but the truth is that I don’t know if it will be difficult for me

I may wind up doing some freelance work for someone I know, which would allow me the flexibility to travel throughout the next year and not just blow through savings to do it. I’m thinking about whether to take a 2 – 3 week road trip from L.A. and loop to the west and circle back up to Seattle. With the eventual sale of my condo here, I’m just not worried about it. And that’s one place I’ve never been before.

The timing, you ask? Well, see, that’s the issue. I’m trying to get the real estate side of things here squared away before I list my own place. I’ve been doing everything by myself for about the past 18 – 24 months, and my mom said she didn’t even want to think about anything until my brother and his family got out of here. That happened today and the Army moves their shit next week (don’t ask) and then we’ll talk more.

I feel an obligation to many of the property owners, as they’ve come to trust me and rely upon me to handle their units. I want to ensure the transition will be smooth, which will either involve my mom selling off the rentals or hiring someone to do the day-to-day work and training him/her. I’ve informed my mom that I will not wait forever, especially since I originally notified her of my departure date back in April. Now, I’m hoping to jet some time in October. To explain the rest of this is a whole other post, but you get the general idea.

So, there it is. There you have it. That’s what I decided to do. I’m looking forward to a change of pace, and just about everyone I’ve talked to said they can just “see” me there, and that they can tell I'm excited just in the way I talk about it.

Let me know if you have any Seattle bloggers on your roll, as it never hurts to make another friend, and I’m sure Brook would be most appreciative not to inherit a Wonder Twin (despite my obvious coolness). until I try it. I may like it, as Brook and her dude do. She said that she’s convinced Bill Gates just spreads weather propaganda to keep Seattle from getting even more overcrowded. Plus, the temps apparently stay in the 40s/50s during the day and I can handle that – it’s just the rain I’m not sure about, but again, I’m going to try it.

*Song from the soundtrack of The Crow