First...finish what I'm doing now...probably last through April...maybe through later in the year.
Second...go somewhere else.
Priorities.
- My eldest boy and wife are very dark skinned. Somewhere where people don't notice race (much) and are basically friendly on race issues is probably the top issue.
- My wife needs sun. Lots. Overcast for weeks at a time is unacceptable.
- We Homeschool/Unschool. We need a place where this is both legal/wrangleable and where there is a community, especially of young teen boys, with somewhat less concern for little'n community yet.
- My youngest kid's mood is notably affected by time playing outside, and more is better. Farm-like living is GREAT for him. In addition, he gets horrid heat-rashes, having inherited skin conditions from his father. We need a temperate climate, neither too hot nor too cold all year round. Austin probably caps the warm side of the equation. Average January temperatures below 30 are also bad, but not a strict disqualifier.
- My real life skills allow me to make between 40-70K working 1 week every 3-4.3 weeks (4.3 weeks = 1 month), but the 1 week a month would be on the road, away from family. I want time to work on 2-3 other activities, so I don't want some other job. And I don't want my wife to have to work (especially while I'm on the road), living on that salary. Cost of living matters. Activities:
- Book. This blog is warmup for my writing skills so as to be able to write a business book on the general preference towards cyclical processes over linear ones. Working title options:
- Virtuous Circles.
- Wrecked: A linear system's failure to coordinate (Horrid puns FTW)
- Math education software. As indicated by all my education posts...I care a lot about education, and I have decent enterprise Java-fu. Indeed I have been writing software sporadically over the last year to improve math education. Just last weekend I found (a) a partner/sales/marketing/business guy who can get it sold/used if it's good. And also, I found the path that makes it a money-making proposition. I need lots of time here. This, btw, is why I'm reading about startups.
- My wife and I have never had real time alone. We don't much trust babysitters, have a highly idiosyncratic childrearing philosophy, and have moved too many times. What we'd like to do is live near people (my parents) that we trust to let the kids visit for several hours or several days. They're on the CA coast.
- We're moderately spoiled by both Austin and Chicago. Cultural activities abound. We would, ceteris paribus, prefer there to be cultural options nearby (decent gymnastics, swimming classes, theatre), and none of our kids are dull...college classes for all of them in the next 3-4 years are a factor.
- Both my wife and I have started to look at doctoral programs. Me in decision science...her (more seriously) at psychology. Nearby universities are nice.
- We're all tired of moving a lot, so we'd like someplace to settle for a while (15 years +)
UPDATE: more here
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7 comments:
You need to pick up the Phone and call Jennifer.
Phoenix has a great unschooling community, and since ASU is in Tempe there is quite a bit of cultural stuff going on. (The theatre was designed by Frank Loyd Write) Taxes and cost of living are both reasonable, and since the housing bubble popped you can buy a decent place out of town on an acre for around $150-170K. Museums are not the best, but the Natural History Museum is outstanding, and we have the largest non-taxpayer financed Zoo in the country.
It is however bloody hot in the summer. Because the humidity is low I think it's more comfortable than Austin though.
Tucson is on average 8 degrees cooler, and has U of A. It's pretty liberal though, so I don't know aboutt he homeschooling community. Prescott is also a nice place, and 20 degrees cooler, but the only University is Embry Riddle.
Unschoolers are often more liberal, so Tucson may have a healthy collection of unschoolers, but I have no first hand knowledge of the homeschoolers in that area.
I expect you (Mark) to be vehemently opposed to anyone going to ASU for Masters or Doctoral work, given your firsthand experience.
so unfortunately that coupled with the weather, and the Valley of the Sun may not fit the bill.
Mind you, I'd love to have them local :).
Jen
http://crazychicknlady.livejournal.com/
Well Tucson is cooler by almsot 10 degrees and U of A is a much better school than ASU.
Aretae needs to figure out how much of the hear rash issue is heat vs. heat+humidity.
Almost certainly, it's somewhere between heat-index and his dad's sweat-allergy.
Means that hot places, humidity or no, are substantially less good. Austin's heat index is lower than Phoenix's most all of the time...and he ran into the problem in the summer there.
I call BS, The hottest summer of my life was the week I spent in Austin. And yeah, I know Austin is not nearly as bad as DFW, or *shudder* Huston.
Mark,
Having spent...~3 months in Arizona summers (over 20 years), about the same in DFW, and then 4 years in Houston, and 6 years in Austin, I can safely say...the Arizona sun has addled your brain. :)
Order of summer temperature unpleasantness for places I've visited, or heard lots about is something like:
1. Houston
2. Phoenix
3. Hell
4. DFW
5. Pomona, CA
6. Sacramento
7. Austin
Somewhere high on the list needs to be Florida panhandle when the Hurricane is coming in. Yeah it was only 98 degrees, but the humidity was also 98%, and it was way cooler when I got back to phoenix where it was only 114 and 5%.
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