California is a beautiful state, albeit run by a crew of marauding leftist pirates.

Nemo Dat on December 3, 2008 at 2:38 PM

+1 to that, although I prefer “forces of evil in a bozo nightmare” over “crew of marauding leftist pirates” — but your description is certainly accurate! ;-)

I have an interview for a job in San Antonio, what is it that you like so much about the city?

It is a nice size (a million people, I think). Not too small, not too big. There are things to do and places to see. There is also a mix of Old Spanish architecture and a modern skyline. I enjoy that.

Hmm – not the Minnesota I live in. State budget is $32B for biennium or about $16 billion annually. Therefore the MN budget is worse than CA. $3200 per capita for MN, $2800 for CA.

Best way to deal with the Texas heat in the summer is to have your pool handy. 100 degree day, 88 degree water. 78 degree night, 88 degree water. Perfect. Houston is big and very accomodating but don’t let the secret out past this blog because we don’t want to attract the wrong element. If you have a heartbeat you can find a good job.

DanMan on December 3, 2008 at 12:24 PM

Houston is great! Moved here from Canada 30 years ago and would take the summers here over winters up north anytime.

I live in Tom Delays old district – nice and conservative. GOP just won it back.

I have an interview for a job in San Antonio, what is it that you like so much about the city? I was there once and liked it, but don’t know all that much about it.

I’d like to get the hell out of Virginia now that it’s gone blue, the whackjob liberals, jackass lawyers and worthless politicians up here in Northern Virginia I’ve had enough of.

Webrider on December 3, 2008 at 1:36 PM

Thanks, I’ll check that out.

Now I just need to find some good paying work.

Anyone in Texas need a Windows Admin with some Linux experience?

:)

Dallas is better than Arizona in the summer, by the way, so if you can put up with Phoenix summer heat you’ll enjoy the summer in Dallas. And I haven’t seen any scorpions (unlike Phoenix) but I have seen copperheads.

Don’t bring a snobbish attitude down here, though. Except for parts of west Plano and a few other areas (probably University Park and the other Park Cities) it won’t fly. By and large, most of the people we’ve met are quite friendly–with a large number being transplants from the midwest. And Dallas/Plano is no where near as homogenious as places I’ve lived in the midwest, which is a good thing.

But the legal social immigrants from elsewhere do seem to have made significant inroads here this year. The majority of Dallas County voted for Obama this year. And almost 40% of the two conservative counties directly north of Dallas voted for Obama.

Change seems to be coming in parts of Texas.

Realist on December 3, 2008 at 11:24 AM

I know a worker who was promoted to a senior management position at a community college and after a year, he retired based on that last year’s salary.

NEVER go overseas… especially Germany or italy. Michigan drivers will look like a dream scape.

Especially when you are on the autobahn. Oh man I have stories!

I’ve found driving in Italy and Germany to be a refreshing breath of fresh air compared to driving in the U.S., actually. No left-lane hogs who won’t move over & get out of the way for faster traffic; no clueless cell-phone talking / burger-munching / onboard-navigation-fiddling idjits; they actually look before changing lanes; they are actually aware of (1) where they’re going and (2) what’s around them on all sides; and most of them drive like they’d actually like to get somewhere, preferably today.

There were a few exceptions in the several weeks I spent there — a couple of those weeks on a motorcycle — but those people more often than not had French or Austrian tags on their cars.

I love America and generally like most Americans, but let’s be honest: most drivers here are clueless, inconsiderate, inattentive, and downright dangerous behind the wheel. Most of them would be run off the road in Italy, and rightfully so, which is I think where they get the idea that Italian drivers are “crazy,” as so many of them have lamented to me. No, they’re better drivers than you; you just couldn’t get into the flow of how traffic moves there.

And as for the autobahn: if you stick to the right lane except to pass, keep an eye out for faster-moving traffic behind you so you can get out of its way and not pull out right in front of it, you’ll fit right in.

A few hot Texas summers will drive the pansies out.

izoneguy on December 3, 2008 at 11:45 AM

Not to mention… the rattlesnakes! And scorpions!

Mention that often. Also, mention the state’s conceal-carry laws. That should scare the living daylights out of any leftist.

VIVA LA RAZA! VIVA AZTLAN!

No surprise, since LA = Mexico

I grew up in Washington State and would never move back. Miss some of the friends I once had, but have made new friends who are more in line with the way I am now, not 35 ago.

Lived in Reno for a while. It is horrible there! The crime rate when I was there was high. Been years though, if it is getting better. Then it could be a nice town. Let me know, there were some cool places there.

Than why do Californians turn into such jerks when they move to Oregon to escape California?

I can’t speak to that, but it seems like both Oregon and Washington both have some problems with excessive social liberalism. Did that come from the California transplants or from the Microsoft boom or something else?

I would add that in my experience Southern Californians are a distinctly different breed than their northern cousins. I’ve had pretty bad experiences with the Bay Area and the Central Coast.

portlandon on December 3, 2008 at 12:54 PM

they aren’t use to rain. Come on man! Get with the program!

Californians (at least Southern Californians) are pretty nice folks.

Than why do Californians turn into such jerks when they move to Oregon to escape California? Or do we just get the troublemakers?

http://www.platypuscomix.net/fpo/history/niceometer.html

Do you guys think we can talk Mexico into taking California back?

MarkTheGreat on December 3, 2008 at 12:48 PM

Yeah, at least they would drill off the coast and the oil would be available for the world market.

I’m with you… I don’t miss it much anymore (but I do miss being 3 hours from Tahoe and 4 hours from Yosemite).

lionheart on December 3, 2008 at 12:21 PM

Reno’s going through a tough time right now, but it has Nevada’s culture, is about 15 degrees cooler than Vegas, it’s even closer to Tahoe and about the same distance from Yosemite. (It’s closer to Yellowstone as well.)