Apologies for the new paint job. I'm tinkering with the environment here. The new gadgets on the right are from a huge list of stuff you can add to your blog courtesy of Blogger. I figured a Shakespeare insult generator (for Athena) and a Homer Simpson picture of the day (for me) were the most tasteful additions I could embrace. I passed on the Monkey Poop Flinging Game, but only after great rumination.
I think it's pretty safe to say I'm settled out here in the northwest. The boxes are all unpacked, the books are all on the shelves, and the fridge is appropriately stocked with local microbrew. The first two weeks here were a bit sideways. An enormous snowstorm started the day I got into town & didn't let up for two weeks. Biggest snow hit the region has taken in over 50 years. The few plows they have utilize rubber blades instead of steel and they won't use salt on the roads because it kills the spotted owls or some such nonsense. (I hear you laughing Funky C.) Bottom line: One half inch or more of ice on all the roads for over two weeks. Overall it was fun to look at but everyone is glad its over.
Now that I've had a few weeks to catch my breath & look around the disparities between the regions are coming into focus. No right or wrong, just differences. First, the people are ruder. Very little eye contact and almost no acknowledgment. People just seem to be stuck in their own little bubble of thought. Second, lots of rednecks without the accent. My neighborhood has more full-sized pickups with lift kits and big tires than I ever saw in Georgia. And this is in the burbs, which are specifically lacking in mud bogs or streams to navigate. Third, traffic congestion is appallingly bad here. The environmentalists refuse to allow the expansion of major arteries (this is what locals tell me) so more cars are stuffed through the same pipe each year. Mass transit infrastructure is a fraction of what it consists of in the ATL, so unless you work Monday through Friday along a major route it's not an option. The bright note out here are the libraries, which are flippin sweet. My local branch has a fireplace with big comfy chairs alongside.
I could babble on but this a few lines longer than are usually prescribed. Gonna go watch the snow that's falling, again.
Ares
1 comment:
You could have come here and enjoyed snow. I am glad you are getting settled. I find after moving around a lot, (you helped with some) that it just takes a while to get adjusted. I found things very different here. Men flirted with me. Never happen on the left coast. I have to say that having a church provides an instant peer group, which you don't have.
Enjoy the library, give yourself some time to adjust and to find a job.
J
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