Let the Best (Wo)Man Win

My wonderful friends and family all over the country (and globe even) are vying for me to move to their hometowns. When I first came back to the states, I stayed a few weeks in Syracuse, NY with my brother and his wife. It was Dec/Jan (read knee deep in snow) and my brother was doing the sales pitch the entire time. I commented on how lovely their home was "Oh, you can pick one of these up for about a hundred grand," my brother said. "They are a dime a dozen." He proceeded to take me out on the town every afternoon and wine and dine me for lunch some place fun and quirky. He introduced me to his friends and colleagues. Even on the way to the airport, he leaned his head to the backseat where I was planted and said "we even have an international airport here." What they don't have? Water. There is no large body of water surrounding this cozy, artsy little university town. He couldn't argue with me there. However, the offer seems to always be open if I ever need a place to stay. They probably feel safe keeping that offer open knowing there is a slim chance of me taking them up on it any time soon. But believe me, I've considered it. More than once.

When I headed west, I thought I'd only be in Seattle for about six months before moving on to a new city. My friend in San Diego was pushing Southern Cal so much, I was pretty sure I'd pack my entire storage unit into a U-Haul and head south. However, after a brief visit to San Diego, I wasn't exactly smitten. It didn't really resonate with me. I'll think about it. We'll see. I've visited again since that first time, and it seemed more appealing. Maybe it could grow on me. The weather was certainly nice. This very eager San Diego friend set me up with a possible job opportunity this summer, but that didn't pan out. Maybe that's my answer.



My friend in Austin hasn't let up about how wonderful Austin is since she moved there two years ago. It's a city that consistently crops up on those "best places to live" lists. Her husband was offered a HUGE promotion if he would have agreed to move back to Seattle with the company. After much deliberation, he and his wife said "no way." They love Austin too much. The same sentiment I received from every person I met while I was visiting last month who'd moved there from various parts of the country. They'd never live anywhere else. Interesting.

My cousin outside of Denver says, "my vote is Denver...it's surrounded by the Rocky Mountains." Yes, there is beautiful too. And I do love to ski, hike and play golf.

San Francisco, Lisbon, London. Everyone has a viable reason why I should come live in their amazing city. And let's not forget Seattle. My friends here are doing their level best to keep me camped right here in Sunny Seattle. I receive daily craigslist ads from my sister-in-law and another friend. Others are sending me websites and contacts for companies and jobs for which they think I'd be suitable. I appreciate the work everyone is putting into this little project.

I've been sending out applications in droves, but so far nothing has panned out. Besides the usual rejection notices, I feel that my applications just go into a black hole somewhere. I keep telling myself I haven't found a job yet, because the right job hasn't come along. At least that is what I keep telling myself, so don't go bringing me down with some other theory.

Basically, I'll live almost anywhere in the world. So whoever finds me that perfect (or semi-perfect) job, wins.