Sampling the World

I killed two birds with one stone this weekend. I spent some quality time with my brother. And I evaluated Portland and Seattle as places to settle down.

Portland is beautiful. It’s clean. It has good public transit. Lots of people commute by bicycle. People were real friendly. It’s cheaper than LA.

However, I found it too quiet. I went smack dab downtown, and I barely saw anyone on the sidewalks or streets. And it was a Friday afternoon. Where was everyone? I figured it might be a little tough to meet someone here. I’m not sure, but I sensed that the nightlife/social scene might be dull. This might be a contender as a place to settle down, but only if I already have a mate.

Seattle on the other hand is dark and brooding. Trees loom large in the distance. It’s more expensive than Portland, but doesn’t have the same inviting vibe. I just didn’t have a good feeling about this place. It’s off my list.

My brother Brian and I had a great weekend. We met in Portland. We stayed at the amazing Northwest Portland Hostel. We walked around downtown Portland and had a few beers here and there. Hamburgers. Pizza. An all around American cuisine that day.

The next day we did a guided bike tour of downtown Portland. It was so beautiful and refreshing. Portland is really a green city. I love that.

Then we drove up to Seattle, and it got colder, darker, and the trees got bigger. We hit a bar that night, and it was okay.

On Saturday we walked around downtown Seattle. We check out the Pike’s Place Market. That was nice. We walked around the city blocks and found a rally to legalize marijuana. I don’t care. Blah. Seattle. Blah.

I flew Virgin Airlines back to LA (first time flying Virgin). And wow, it was probably my best domestic flight ever. They’ve got great service and amenities at a low price. I’ll definitely be flying them again!

What a great weekend. I went to Mammoth Mountain with my co-worker Sith and some of Jameelah’s actor friends.

We had a fun drive up to Mammoth, listening to Fleet Foxes and other nice driving music. We stopped on the side of the road close to Mammoth and took some pics. It just felt right. We stopped for gas after that, and I found my best friend in Mammoth–the Mammoth Pale Ale. Mmm mmm good.

It was nice and cold in Mammoth. Although, the snow wasn’t too fresh. I think it had been a week since it last snowed. Oh well. Good enough for skiing though.

The next day we hit the slopes. I quickly found out that Sith and I were the least experienced. So we stuck together. Toward the end of the day we found ourselves on the other side of the mountain. And the only way back to our lodge was through some tough intermediate terrain.

It. Was. Hell. It was too steep for our liking. We made timid moves down the hill, sometimes resting for quite a while. It was excruciating. It took an hour for us to go a distance that someone a little more experienced could have done in 5 minutes. Oh man.

We finally made it back in one piece. And I was consoled by my good ol’ friend: the Mammoth Pale Ale. Oh how beautiful, it is.

The next day we drove back to LA. And it wasn’t as exciting as the drive up. I wonder why. Heh. Perhaps, because the weekend was over. I don’t know.

Funny thing about California: it was about 80 degrees in LA. We had just been in freezing weather the past two days. California has everything.

Jameelah and I went to Wisconsin this past weekend. My buddy from high school, Russ, was getting married. So, we dropped by for his wedding and reception. Good times. I also took the opportunity to catch up with some other friends from high school: Jon, Brandon, and Chad.

After that, Jameelah and I drove up north three hours to Door County. It’s peak season for Fall colors there this weekend. And they had their annual Pumpkin Patch festival there. The festival was okay. They did have lots of nice arts and crafts to look at. We also toured the grounds of The Clearing.

The Clearing is a private non-profit folk school–founded in 1935. Essentially, it’s a really relaxing place to meditate, learn some arts and crafts, and walk around in nature. It’s more of an old ladies’ guild. But the main draw for me was a tour of the grounds–raw nature and pure Fall colors. And, oh yes, it lived up to my expectations. I took lots of good photos.

It was a great weekend. It was good catching up with old friends, getting a taste of Fall weather and colors, and taking relaxing walks and drives through nature.

The past two months have been quite a journey. I had to make some important decisions. What would I do for income? Where would I live? What’s next?

I don’t want to stay in Los Angeles for too much longer. I don’t want to settle down here. It’s too expensive and spread out and not a great place to raise a kid. Also, I’ve grown weary of the long, hot, sunny summers. I need a little bit of clouds, rain, cool weather, and Fall colors. In fact, I’d move on right now, but my girlfriend, whom I love, is tied to LA; she’s an actor. So, I told her I’d stay another year and then reevaluate.

My previous employer contacted me in August. The CTO wanted to know if I’d return. I said no. I wanted to move on to open source tech. (They are a Microsoft shop).

But I wasn’t able to find a good PHP, Ruby, or Python job in the past two months. I didn’t have enough experience in that niche.

Then this past week, the CTO contacted me again. He gave me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. How about that for timing?

I do like the people there. And the work is interesting and challenging. So, I told myself that this’ll be my last Microsoft tech job. And I’ll build my open source tech skills on nights and weekends with side projects/businesses.

I’m going to take the next year to research places to live–to settle down. I’d like to live somewhere with lower cost of living, good public transit, family friendly, decent nightlife, a decent airport, some Fall colors, and a little more clouds, rain, and greenery than LA. I’m looking at San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Boston, New York, Miami.

Now I know none of those cities are perfect, according to my wishes. Maybe I’d settle in an adjacent town to those big cities (’cause it’d be cheaper). Regardless, I’m confident I’ll find something that fits perfectly.

I want to continue traveling in the future. But instead of a whirlwind tour, I’d rather focus on one country at a time and immerse. Learn the language and culture. I’m not sure when or where my next big trip will be. I’ll wait at least another year.