At this point, it seems that Spokane has a slight edge, as it has a good opportunity for Andi’s career, good job prospects for me, and a tolerable location – Actually, the downtown is fine, and the wilderness access would be very cool; I’m just a little shaky about the slightly scary suburbs. It would not be cool to move to someplace with none of the perks – but all of the faults – of city living. It’s still too early in the game to make any decisions, but I do think Spokane could, nonetheless, be a good choice, as long as we are very careful about where and what we buy on the house front.
Portland, on the other hand, might not be worth the expense, lifestyle-wise, although the city has grown on me. The biggest selling points are family-proximity and wider opportunities for me, although the latter may or may not be at all certain. If I’m committing to a few years of learning the in-the-trenches librarianship, Spokane, Albuquerque, or lots of places could be just as viable.
The x-factors on my career front, I guess, are my feelings about PhD work. I need to start making those decisions, but I will be much more informed after a few months of EPA work and the more advanced seminar classes that I’m taking this fall. Unfortunately, I think that I (and Andi) might need to be a bit patient with that front. Although, on the third hand, we will need to start undertaking interviews and doing house shopping, et cetera, et cetera. Oh, and there might be one or two other family-and home-life considerations, too…
Oh vell, c’est la vie, no?
I have been taking pictures, but have yet to enjoy the proper alignment of camera, cable, and connectivity that would allow me to post them. I’ll put some up when I’m home (or, possibly, if I’m motivated enough to use Taylor’s new data service).
