Day: September 18, 2011

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The Rusty State…

Through all of this, The loss of my job, beginning a new job search, etc. I have come to realize that I am profoundly unhappy in California.

I can’t get past how expensive it to live here and how much further the available cash would go if I was somewhere else.

Had I put the house on the market just 4 years ago I could in theory be living in another state with better  job prospects, and a pretty decent cash reserve. Now if I were to sell the house I’d probably just break even.
Yes this is “coulda woulda shoulda” but I’ve been unhappy with California for at least 10 years. I’ve stayed because of my better half. I don’t regret that decision per se, I do see the toll it’s taken on me and the relationship.

I was trying to do the ‘ol plus / minus list

Reasons to Stay                                        Reasons to Leave
House                                                         Commute
Yard                                                           Job prospects dwindling
                                                                   Crowding
                                                                   Cost of living
                                                                   State on the edge of bankruptcy
                                                                   High Taxes
                                                                   Infrastructure degrading

I’ve been in California over 30 years. I’ve lived here in this town for 19 years.

You’d think I’d be more attached and that I’d have a lot of friends. I’m attached to my house and I have 4 friends. Not a lot to show for being somewhere for such a long time.

Why not a lot of friends? I spent most of the past 30 years one way or another on California Freeways cooped up in a little metal box making money for one set of bastards or another.

Even though I’m unemployed, pretty much no matter what position I take I will inevitably have to commute. At minimum that commute will be 70 miles one way. I don’t have it in me anymore. I can’t take the frustration and shitty driving anymore.

What do I want?

A place where if I want to I could ride a bicycle to work.
A place with a sense of community
I’d like some nice neighbors, and while I’d like to have a change of season, I’m not much for long cold Winters.

This is starting to sound a lot like a description of some of the smaller East coast towns.