They better have coffee at STAR-BOX

Michael and I decided to go check out our hopeful new neighborhood today. We are expecting to close on the house next Friday, but are holding back the sharing of our glee until we actually have keys in hand. Once we know this is a done deal, we'll post pictures and descriptions. We fully expect some people to think we're nuts to pick this house, so we won't be offended if you are one of them. 

The house is in a true urban walking neighborhood with shops, restaurants, a huge park and lots of things to do. With our new life and our quest to spend more time together this is obviously very appealing. I have to speak for both of us here and say that it has been about 7 weeks since I last returned from Manila and we are really enjoying each other's company. We haven't spent this much time together in years so I was a bit apprehensive and it is good to know that concern was unnecessary. I admit that I thought he'd be completely exasperated with me, but he seems more entertained than anything else. In turn he is making me giggle on a daily basis. 

We were sitting at a stoplight this afternoon when Michael sees a common chain coffeehouse and attempts to make a comment about us being able to walk there. The first part of the sentence came out fine, but he totally butchered the name. In fact, he unintentionally spoke it in this weird mechanical voice that I had never heard out of him before. "We can walk to STAR-BOX". It actually had a little Optimus Prime flavor. "Did you just say STAR-BOX like a robot?" I ask. "I did, I did, I don't know what just happened! It's Starbucks, it's Starbucks." And then we started laughing like we were going to roll out of his truck. I am just thankful we were at a stoplight because I doubt he could have driven for a few seconds there. I know I will giggle each time I pass that place. It's only a block from the hopeful house and a neighborhood that makes you smile like that is a damn great place to live.

The Waffle House experience

Do you like the Waffle House, the Waffle House, the Waffle House? Do you like the Waffle House, because I do too.

On our drive from LA to Raleigh, it seriously seemed like there was either a Waffle House or a Cracker Barrel at every major exit along the 40. Neither of us had ever been to a Waffle House and they were always mildly intriguing with their simple box design and unassuming yellow and black signs. The parking lot is always three times the size of the actual "restaurant" as if they are expecting loads of buses at any minute to drop off the waffle-aficionado crowds. Well, my wait has ended and I have had THE WAFFLE HOUSE EXPERIENCE.

This morning a friend of mine invited me for breakfast in Durham. Per usual, the Waffle House was right off the 40 and easily accessible for all vehicle sizes...the larger the better. As soon as I entered the building I was welcomed with a "hi, hello, hiya" from everyone behind the counter. It was fabulous. Shortly after we arrived my friend plugged the Music Machine with a tattered $5.00 bill (new ones apparently don't work) and started off our 35 song repertoire with "The Waffle House Song". At this point two of the waitresses started singing and dancing while the rest of the place clapped along. Again it was fabulous.

Although the diner is very minimalistic, the booths are small, and there is a lot of smoke to contend with in the morning, it is an interesting social experiment with a lot of characters. One look around the place and you realize you have a slice of every race, income bracket and education represented. The food is also decent and the service was spot on.

My friend also has an approach with the Waffle House staff that is certainly worth sharing. He has taken the time to know the people there and learn a bit about their lives. Almost all of them are supporting someone else and depend on this minimum wage job to earn a living. They work hard and seem to have fun doing it. He completely believes in giving back to his community and leaves $20 each time he goes there. If he invites you to breakfast, he'll leave $20 for you too. That is a pretty cool way of making someone's morning.

Ironically he wasn't feeling very well about an hour after we left the diner. I guess the Waffle House wasn't satisfied, and wanted him to give just a little bit more back today. Whatever you do, don't make the Waffle House gods angry.

Thank you for puppy ears

Earlier today I was thinking about our move out here and what an exercise in organization the entire ordeal was. For those that don't know, almost all of our worldly belongings were picked up between two and ten days prior to us leaving LA. We had packed everything in PODS (thanks to Michael's lab-mates) and spent the last week on an air mattress and eating from plastic. (Actually Michael spent six weeks eating on plastic as I had packed up all the dishes before going back to Manila one last time!) We rotated the air mattress from room-to-room as we emptied and cleaned. We had the carpets steam cleaned in our bedroom and didn't want the cats in there...so we moved into the den. Then we had to move furniture and boxes out the back door and into the PODS...so we moved into the dining room. It was here that we spent our last few nights in LA. On a blow-up mattress. In the dining room. Romantic.

Then there was the 2,546 mile drive across the country on the 40. Michael drove his truck with the two cats as passengers and a small U-Haul in tow. I drove mine with Iona. Of course both vehicles were as stuffed as possible with supplies, luggages and the miscellaneous things that we didn't have packed in time to fit in the PODS. Every night we would pull off the 40 into our pre-selected town (Flagstaff, Amarillo, Little Rock and Knoxville) and look for the welcoming lights of a La Quinta Inn. They are one of the few hotels that accepts pets and does not charge extra for them. Trust me, that is a big deal when you've driving for 10 hours and you have three pets that are anxious to get the hell out of the vehicle. This is the only reason to stay at a La Quinta. Trust me again...if you have pets, great. If not, just don't.

So each night I would pull in first, check-in, scope out the parking for the truck and trailer, feed and water Iona and begin the unpacking process. Then Michael would arrive and we would start on his vehicle. A 1/2 hour later we would be exhausted and ready to find some dinner. Some nights Denny's was the best we could find (Amarillo, TX and Moons Over My Hammy...may that be the only time I put those together), and others we actually had a great meal in a nice city.

There are lots of stories from that week and I look forward to reliving the tale. In the meantime, here's one of the best things from the trip. This was my frequent vision in my rearview mirror and it made me laugh every time. And yes, I did take this picture while driving about 85 down the 40. It was worth it.

The Iona Pig

This is the Iona Pig sitting in our empty house right before we moved from LA. I think we actually left about 15 minutes after this photo was taken. I have to admit I got very choked up walking around and realizing we were leaving the house, and the city for good. Iona was already in her "The camera will steal my soul" phase, but she noticed I was sad and threw me a bone.

How the hell are we in a drought?

It rains here a lot. I mean, a lot. I am no scientist, but it doesn't stop me from trying to solve this dilemma. Lots of water from the sky? Check. Severe Drought? Check. Something just isn't making sense to me. I think I must go find a scientist.

In the meantime, I should say that I love the rain. It did cause all the fireworks to get canceled over the 4th (and the 5th when they attempted to reschedule), but I still have appreciation for the wet things. We just didn't get the big thunderstorms in LA and I really missed them. And you have to understand that we do not have light drizzle here in North Carolina...oh no...we have REAL storms. They seem to come from no where. One minute it is hot, humid and still. The next finds the wind slightly picking up. By the time you realize that it is truly thunder you hear, the sky is already turning black, the lightening is jagging across the sky and is no longer in the distance and that ominous cloud above you has opened up and there is no way to get to dry and safe land. Gee, does it sound like we've gotten drenched a few times? Until one of us is actually struck by lightening, I reckon I will continue to be fascinated. And even then...

One thing that does perplex me about here, is the inordinate number of people who drive with their hazard lights on in the rain. You already have your lights on, and I see and appreciate that. So now you drive slowly in front of me with bright flashing lights. That is not a safety mechanism. No, that is freaking annoying. According to AAA, hazard lights are used on disabled cars, for signaling a problem or unusually large or unsafe vehicle, and for clearing lanes due to accidents. If none of these are true, and you still feel the need to use your hazards then please pull over to the side of the road, sit patiently as you pretend that you are truly stranded, and hopefully you begin to understand the error of your stupid ways.

Second Time's the Charm

Just a quick footer to yesterday's post. It is 6.50 in the morning here in Raleigh and Michael IS at the gym :-) Iona has already lost a pound since we moved here (she is getting many more walks a day!), so it looks like this city will be good for all of us!

Let's see how long this thing lasts

One of the major challenges of moving to a new city (let alone a new state!) is that you have to start over with EVERYTHING. Some adjustments have been easier than others. For example, after only a bit of online research Iona had a new vet within the first four days. She needed vaccinations for things we had never heard of before! I personally blame the trees. Of course there is also an issue with ticks and heartworm, which were things not commonly found in our LA neighborhood. Sadly I was the first in the family to return home with a tick, but that is a tale for another evening. Again, I blame the trees.

Anyway, the vet even seemed to like Iona, although she very quickly earned the giant CAUTION sticker across her chart. Something tells me that her LA vet had warnings plastered on all the files they faxed over. "Beware, she hates her hips touched! Beware, she hates shots! Beware, she will bite your arm off if you touch her feet!" Since she looks like a stuffed animal, people always seem a bit shocked that she has teeth. Overall though, that process was pretty easy and no one has yet to lose a limb. In fact, she came back from the groomer today looking quite coiffed. Michael said she resembled topiary as her feet and bunny butt were "sculpted". Considering that you could actually step on her toe hair earlier this morning, I am taking topiary as a compliment. I would snap a photo but she has recently decided she no longer likes her picture taken...and I like my arm...attached...to me.

The grocery store adjustment has also worked out well. Harris Teeter may be a strange name, and can be rearranged to sound somewhat pornographic, but they are also mighty fine stores. LA markets are really hit or miss and are typically smaller and more specialized than in most parts of the country. So it is quite refreshing to shop at a bright, clean, big place that carries just about anything "normal" you will need. It is certainly lacking in the ethnic food department, unless you count BBQ that is. And there are TWO Trader Joe's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Granted we used to have five within five miles of the house and these are technically in two neighboring cities to Raleigh and are 10 and 25 miles away respectively...but there are TWO!

Other adjustments haven't been so simple. We are still without a dentist or a doctor, and I hated the shop that worked on my car. My next oil change isn't for a couple thousand miles though, and we have yet to lose any teeth or tangle tragically with Iona, so these things can wait. So that brings me to...the gym. For those that knew Michael's previous schedule, you know he had considerable flexibility. He could easily take two hours in the middle of the afternoon and work out or play racquetball or go swimming. That isn't as easy, now that he is regularly taxing his brain midday and realizing that there are not nearly as many hours in a day as he thought! So, when to fit in the gym? He was going to the YMCA after work and then not getting home until nine at night. Then he would eat and be wound up until late. Everyone knows I am asleep by 11, or 10, or 9.30p, and awake at the ass crack of dawn (thanks Elizabeth), so that wasn't jiving very well for us. Then...last night...he says..."maybe I should get up early and go to the gym in the morning". Yes, yes, yes! So that is what we did. At 5.45 I roused him awake so he could run drive off to the Y and I could hop on the treadmill. (In our fake house the treadmill is in the master bedroom, so he rightly gets a little annoyed when I am running while he attempts to sleep.)

Michael looked a little tired tonight, but said he would try this again tomorrow. I too am up for the challenge, as I sure hope this thing lasts.

Are you REALLY moving from LA to Raleigh?

Many people questioned our sanity when we started talking about moving from Los Angeles to Raleigh. We lived in LA for 11 years...the longest we had lived anywhere. It is where our fabulous friends are, our three favorite Trader Joe's, the best furniture store (HD Buttercup), and our standby Chinese delivery restaurant. It is the “community” we’ve become ingrained in. Our drive to work took us through Beverly Hills, past Rodeo Drive and all the obscene wealth the city has to offer. My office (when I was there) overlooked the Hollywood sign, and my brilliant husband spent his days in a lab at UCLA wearing flip flops and shorts and eating lunch outside in the permanently beautiful weather. My job took me around the country and around the world so fast and so often that I spent uncountable hours in planes and airports. I could navigate the route from home to LAX in my sleep (and sometimes did). I knew the United counter personnel by name and the best seats on a 747. I knew which airport lounges were the quietest, had the most stable wireless, had free wine, a shower, and the best food. LAX can get you anywhere – direct to Hong Kong and Manila (Tagalog anyone?) or back to Appleton, Wisconsin to see my beloved family.

We celebrated many birthdays and anniversaries in Los Angeles, including our 10th with a huge costume party and a vow renewal on Halloween. We drove up the coast to Santa Barbara, to Big Sur, to Cambria, to Carmel. We drove down to San Diego and to Mexico. If we wanted to go to Ikea, we could ask – which one? A Home Depot Expo center? No problem, there are many. Outlets, high-end boutiques, promenades, warehouses, markets…there is everything and anything. Restaurants representing every culture, every cuisine and every price point can be found. Sushi for breakfast, vegan for lunch, steak at the restaurant owned by Harrison Ford’s son for dinner. Whatever the hour and whatever your taste, there is something.

So why leave? We bought, remodeled and sold two houses, lived in five others, acquired an amazing dog (The Iona Pig), received our master’s degrees (almost a PhD for Michael), had a couple career changes, and came out of our twenties and into our mid-thirties in one of the most diverse cities on Earth. And we were tired, poor, and over it.

But Raleigh, you ask? Seriously? There is no Bloomingdales! No real international airport! No Pacific Sales! No Pacific Ocean! Yes, you are correct. And it is here that we found affordable houses in great historic neighborhoods (or brand new ones if you prefer), wonderful public schools for the children we do not yet have, access to the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains, and all the hospitality that a California girl with her heart in Wisconsin can handle.

This is the place we choose to live, and this is our story of making it home.