Yay.

[melaniesuzanne]

We have officially reached the hair loss portion of the post-WLS process. Yay. I try not to stress too much because I do have a fair amount of hair even though the individual hairs are on the thin side. Sadly, I am ceasing the pinking and purpling until I feel confident that the bleaching process won't make the rest of my hair fall out. If I can't live without unnatural color streaks in my hair, Ulta carries various non-permanent potions which do not require bleaching before application.

The weather threatens to be absolutely gorgeous this weekend. Had I a crystal ball, I'm sure it would foretell of a bike ride or two. Maybe even three. And now that Hubbyfink's cleared for almost all physical activity, I can drag him along for a "short" ride.

Speaking of the Hubbyfink, we'd planned on zipping out to Colorado Springs this past March but surgery schedules got in the way. Why the zipping to CS? Well, back in September I got a bee in my proverbial bonnet about moving somewhere that wasn't so dang hot and humid as the DC area and CS looked fantastic on paper. The change-averse Hubbyfink warmed up to the idea a day later and was ready to move RIGHT THEN. We cooled our jets, though, and calmed down enough to realize that we really should scope out a place before picking up stakes and heading west. (Of course, I hadn't considered the possibility of something like the horrifying wildfire currently destroying the surrounding area... all those unfortunate people... it makes me want to cry.) So, we're flying out for a visit over Labor Day weekend and will see if it is just as good in real life.

Other locations on our short list of Places to Live After Fleeing DC include the Florida panhandle (preferably right on the coast); New Orleans (which, obviously, is even MORE hot and humid than DC but I've become sensitive to cold after this past miserable winter; Hubbyfink is not on board with this idea); Asheville, NC (again, himself is not quite on board); Austin (his entry; as appealing and vibrant as Austin is, I simply can't with Texas); and Columbus, OH (yes, really: my work team is there, the city is beautiful, and it gets four distinct seasons; Hubbyfink doesn't want to live in Ohio). We've got some negotiating to do.

Comments

[danabren.livejournal.com]

Cyborg also does not agree with my suggestion that we move to New Orleans. "WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE ON A DELTA?" he demands.

Stupid boy logic.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Scott's objections to New Orleans are "drunks and abject poverty". Yeah, okay, there are lots of drunken tourists but it's not like we'd live in the Quarter, sheesh. As for poverty, hello every city everywhere and the rural area where I grew up that he finds so bucolic and...

I admit that I'm leery of living in red states. :/

[danabren.livejournal.com]

Bryan's are "regular flooding, hurricanes, and high unemployment". I never even mentioned to him the part about the August sun baking trash under the sidewalks.

He's utterly unreasonable, I think.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Oh, pish. They just don't understand!

[aelf.livejournal.com]

Mike refuses to leave Maryland. Getting him to move to the other side of the beltway was a challenge (and only successful due to real estate prices, I think).

I try to convince him that our salaries wouldn't be much smaller in the midwest, and money would go further, and the midwest is just a nice, pleasant place to live ... even if there are people there who've never seen an ocean ... and he just gets all twitchy. Really I think I could live anywhere, except the west coast. I cannot cope with the ocean being on the wrong side.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

I am thankful that Scott isn't quite so change averse as Mike. :) He got twitchy about people who have never seen an ocean?

[aelf.livejournal.com]

I think the thought of leaving Maryland (or rather, Baltimore) makes him twitchy. Every Other Place is full of dragons or something :)

[boneshard.livejournal.com]

I'm not change-averse... the rest of the world is. If they're all so happy to go around changing, then they'd accomodate me.

[greta-k.livejournal.com]

This past winter was miserable? But it didn't even get down to ZERO! (*and yes, I'm more heat adverse than I am cold adverse).

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Thin Southern Blood. :)

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

So you might wind up in Char's general proximity? That'd be neat!

Florida, on the other hand, is not exactly where you go when you're looking for less hot and humid. :)

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Possibly. It'd be nice to know somebody already out there. I mean, I do have an apprentice sister in CO, but she's a little north of Denver. Char's looking for houses in a slightly different area than I am based upon our respective job locations, but we're both interested in the same type of architecture. :)

Re: Florida. True dat! We'd have to be near the water. Hurricane parties, ahoy!

[sandelwood]

Well, as someone who grew up in/around CSprings, I can tell you that the stats you saw might be outdated weather-wise. The drought we've been in for the last decade or so has effed whatever mild weather it used to be (hence the fires which very nearly destroyed my Dad's house last year on the west side, and now the Black Forest fire where I spent my childhood) on the east.

Winter is cold and late. Anywhere from 0-30 degrees through Jan - April, sometimes into May, even if the sun is shining or if it's not snowing. There is no "Spring" or "Fall" here anymore. I hate it. I'm a native and I used to play outside in winter until I was blue, but now I can barely tolerate the winters here.

And summer is baking hot. Dry, parched and HOT. We're in the 90's this week, close to 100 on Tuesday. Temps were around 105 last summer during the day, 80s through the night from July to nearly October. And while humidity sucks, the opposite is just as bad. You'll go through gallons of lotion and you're skin still feels likes it's falling off. If it rains, it lasts a couple of blissful minutes at best.

CSprings has Pikes Peak, but as a city (and the mentality of said city), I'm not a fan. The politics and social attitude towards minorities there is appalling, and it's gotten worse and worse in terms of crime (and I don't doubt these things go hand in hand). Nice place to visit, but I will never live anywhere near it again because of these things. It gave me an intensely sheltered view of the world until I moved away in high school. I much prefer Boulder. Stunning views from anywhere in the city, small town feel, and extremely accepting people, very friendly and safe. I loved living there (wish I still did, I'm a few miles out now in a cheaper area) and consider it my birthplace now, even if CSprings is on the certificate!

Anyway, hope you are feeling ok!

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

That's very disappointing about the climate. It's so crazy to me that y'all are having such a terrible drought when it only stopped snowing there, what, a month ago? The lack of spring and autumn would seriously hurt my heart. :/

I'm even more disappointed to hear about CS' social climate. To be honest, I've been feeling a little nervous about it considering that it's the home of some fairly vocal evangelical groups (and this is from a woman who grew up in the bible belt with a church on every corner). I'd hoped that being a cosmopolitan area, there'd be some appreciation of diversity.

Thank you very much for your perspective as a local. Neither Scott nor I personally know anyone who lives in the CS area, unlike all the other locations on our short list of potentials, and it's good to hear what's going on underneath the touristy surface.

I'm feeling pretty darn great, thank you! Got a little sunburned during today's ride, but it's nothing a little aloe won't fix. ;)

[sandelwood]

Our last snowstorm was the first week of May. And then two days later it was pushing 80 degrees. It's nuts, and it's hard on the body (or it's hard on mine, anyway, these dramatic barometric pressure swings give me migraines).

Oh, yeah, re: the evangelicals. Sadly, they have A LOT of political sway in CSprings. They're huge, they have money, and they can and will do anything to influence the local and state gov't. That and the military as well, because of the AF base there.

And I wouldn't call CSprings very cosmopolitan, really. Granted, I have not lived there for a long time and it has grown, but when I go down to visit my dad, a lot of it is old and run down, tons of strip malls and sketchy neighborhoods, very few new centers that would appeal to younger people. That's the overwhelming thing, it's starting to feel like a retirement town, because people my age, (30's and younger) don't agree with the politics and leave. On the whole, CO is not especially diverse either, compared to the coasts. You'll find a lot more widespread cultural events and communities going on in Denver and Boulder than anywhere else.

So don't take CO off your list. Personally, I'd just encourage you to look more northerly in it, if you want a less conservative and more welcoming climate. We're finally a blue state, after all, for the first time in my lifetime! A lot of that was because of younger people and minority voting, so it's a place in the process of change.

[holliemke.livejournal.com]

Enjoy the possibilities! Sometimes the best part of the experience is researching other places - even if you eventually choose not to move!

As someone who has moved *cough* a few times, I'd recommend knowing someone in the place you are moving, if at all possible. I'd also consider being closer to family if that's an option. Unless its a short term move. I find the older i got, the more I missed them. (obviously)

I think it would be awesome for you two to be somewhere with non-horrific real estate prices. For me, coming back to Green Bay where a lovely house in a lovely neighborhood can be as little as 150K-200K. And rents. Ah i love it.

Every place has close minded people. Every place has freaks looking for like minded friends. The challenge is finding them.

I found this list interesting when my mother and I were looking at places to move, Places you can retire for 40K a year.

My favorite on the list was St. Louis.

http://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/slideshows/best-places-to-retire-for-under-40000

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

I hear you on the wanting to be close to family. I miss the South SO MUCH and they're all down there. Of course, given the political climate in Tennessee and Mississippi, I don't know that I can live in such bigoted areas. And living somewhere that we could actually afford a house we actually love.... ah, bliss!

I am SHOCKED that Little Rock, Jackson, and especially Knoxville are on that list, considering what Tennessee is doing to health insurance.

But yeah, the researching is the best part. =)

[shalandara.livejournal.com]

Asheville is a pretty place, and quite hip. You would fit in greatly. For a lark, look at Black Mountain, just outside of Asheville. (My inlaws have a 2nd house in Montreat, right next to Balck MountIn. We go into Black Mountin to do things).

Does Hubbyfink really know anything about it or is he just nixing it ebcause since its int he moutains of NC it can't be fun. :)

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

I think he was less enthused about Asheville because of his perception of the job market. He's since decided that he doesn't have to stay with his current employer and could actually work for anybody needing knowledgeable and experienced IT. He doesn't have anything against mountains. :)

He surprised me yesterday, though, by suggesting Raleigh, NC. Several former co-workers are down there, we have a LOT of SCA friends there (dull surprise), and my employer has an office in Cary (in case I can't telecommute, or I need to go into an office if I am able to telecommute). Raleigh is attractive to me in that the area gets four distinct seasons and sometimes snow. :)

[hannnahkl.livejournal.com]

Er. It snowed twice in the 4 years I lived in Durham - the first for a grand total of about 2 inches, then the Blizzard of '93. And their lack of dealing with snow makes ours look expert. Other than that, though, it's a lovely area. :)

[sskipstress.livejournal.com]

Most of the bright colors can be applied to hair that hasn't been bleached. The effect is more subtle and doesn't last as long, but it can still be fun.

I lived in Austin for 4 years, politically, it's a lot like living in NoVa. Most of the state is fairly conservative, but the local area is mostly liberal, so any hope of going there to enact change is pretty much dashed because where you live has already changed, which makes where you're living pretty cool. There aren't as many museums nearby, but there is a LOT of good music of all genres in Austin. The only reason I didn't stay was the weather...I don't do well with extended hot and humid, and I was beginning to miss seasons.