1,924 Miles (Give or Take)
You may or may not be aware that Stacey, Edward, and I are moving from Los Angeles to the Twin Cities. If you were among the latter, you are now among the former, unless you have very poor reading comprehension or a very short memory.
The typical response to this announcement is either "Wow, it's cold there" (for Californians) or "Think you can handle it?" (from Midwestern respondants). I get the sense that this is because you've got to say something when someone tells you they're moving across the country, but the thing you really want to ask ("Why?!") isn't really polite, at least, not right out of the gate.
So, yes, it's cold there, and yes, we think we can handle it, and with regard to the "Why?" you were afraid to ask:
One very important reason is that all four of Edward's grandparents live in the Twin Cities, and being close to all of them will be, frankly, awesome.
Another reason is that while Los Angeles is a great place to live (see also "pop culture capital of the world" and "climate, unparalleled") it's also a pretty bad place to live, especially for a family (see also "public schools, flat-out alarming;" "traffic, life-choking;" and "real estate, priced so as to boggle the mind and devastate the budget").
California-to-Minnesota should actually be a pretty easy transition for us. I'll continue working for Atlas, maybe even from its actual office. Stacey's interviewing already. Both of our extended families are in the area. We've kept in touch with our friends, and we already know more real estate agents than you can shake a stick at. Con of the North, I understand, is still on President's Day weekend, though I believe I've missed the GM reg deadline.
The timeline for all this depends on when our house sells. We're not intending to look seriously for a home in Minnesota until we have an offer on this one. So, the most accurate answer is something like, "an unknown time X, plus an unknown escrow period." A more satisfying answer is, "perhaps around Christmas."
Lots of people ask, "What about screenwriting?" I'm likely to keep on with it. Living away from SoCal will hurt me less than it would hurt someone who was never here, since I'm leaving with solid reps and good contacts. However, pounding my head against measurable success in Hollywood has not exactly been professionally or financially rewarding. The problem with writing scripts is, I imagine, the problem with drafting blueprints as an architect: you're not making an end product. So I've also been thinking about writing a novel when I'm done with my current spec. I've also got two big, involved game design projects that have been in my mind literally for years that I'd like to work on. We'll see.
So that's our big news. Say something!
Comments
Welcome back to the world Tidballs:-)
"Something"
(I hope I got that out of the way for everyone.)
I knew you could handle it, as I knew you were from Minnesota in the first place. Please be sure to update once a new address is acquired, and good luck with everything until then!
Good news!
I honestly question why anyone chooses to live in the Los Angeles area, or Chicago, or New York, etc. I have begun to question, for the same reasons, why anyone lives in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, but I think I can get a few more decades before the advocates of density make it unbearable for me. This probably means that I don't understand a huge chunk of the U.S. population, but I do understand your reasons for choosing this area.
I think that the benefits of being close, geographically, to family has been overly devalued by many people, so I agree with that reason also.
If Stacey wants a legal publishing job, please send me a note.
Well, as a former Minnesotan myself, I can't think of anywhere nicer for you to end up (if LA isn't cutting it for you and Seattle is out of the question, anyway). Never underestimate how great it is to be within striking distance of the grandparents!
I hope it all goes fantastically smoothly. A toast to your future successes!
Here's hoping this means I'll get a chance to visit with you on those occasions when we bring Kate back to see her own grandparents.
Excellent! :D
Lots of good luck with the house selling quick and for a painless-as-possible move back to the Cities!
For the California-to-Minnesota transition, it's only harsh if you haven't lived in the northern Midwest before. :)
I'm looking forward to having many more chances to see you three again!
Right on! Los Angeles is great to live in but even better to visit.
This is why after the LUG/Decipher work - I moved my family back to NY... to be close to our parents. Plus my wife and I wanted a third child and having her born and raised in an apartment in LA was downright unrealistic.
Being near the grandparents is reason enough to return to the homeland. Good luck with the move!
It will be good to see more of you and Stacey and The Boy!
Welcome back, Jeff! Ann and I made the same decision when we started having kids too, and it worked wonderfully for us. (That's a massive understatement, of course.) There's nothing like having free babysitters you trust implicitly to do the best for your kids.
Yeah, yeah, good for you, Minnesota nice, all that stuff. Let's talk about how this will affect me, though. You'd better be there the week between Gen Con SoCal and Thanksgiving, 'cause I'll be in town, looking for things to do. Even if this includes helping you sell your house.
Perhaps I've said too much.
Well, I guess this answers the question I asked you at GenCon: "How can you *live* out there?"
Welcome back to the frozen north.
I left LA for Texas, then Connecticut for the same reasons -- nearer to grandparents and much, much better schools. No need to explain to me.
Plus all the Minnesotans I've ever met have been polite, intelligent, and great RPGers.
Congratulations! Edward also has great-grandparents that do not live in the Twin Cities,
but much closer to there than to L.A. We are looking forward to your finding a great new home in the Twin Cities area.
Thanks for the validation and well-wishing, all y'all!
Closer to Chicago is always better. Grade: B.
Well, I can't fault you for fucking off to middle America. L.A. is brutal unless you have a lot of money. That's why I live in OC which isn't cheap, but it's way less expensive, there are good schools, and it's cleaner and more convenient. Plus the women are all smoking hot, but that's something best kept to ourselves.
Good luck Jeff, you're a hell of a guy. If you're going to be at GenCon SoCal, let me know. We should get the old gang together!