Working at home for a little bit this morning, because my remote access to work
stuff still isn't working right and I need to be here while the support guy talks
me through it. Unfortunately, I'm supposed to call him at 8, and it's now only
7:20 and there isn't that much I can do meanwhile.
The monsoon season
has set in here, but no rain yet. Instead we get dust storms, which are
thunderstorms with dust blowing in the strong winds but no rain. My first year
here I took a picture of the approach of a dust storm; it had such a defined edge
and was so beige and opaque that it looks like I have my thumb over the
lens.
I miss Alaska. I want to go back. I want to move there, though
I'm not sure how I'd survive the winter. I wan't to move somewhere, at
least. I have itchy feet and would be happiest moving to a new place every two to
four years. And I am so, so tired of heat. If Rudder were to keel over tomorrow
I'd be out of here within a week, up to Flagstaff, Portland (either one),
Anchorage, Juneau, or somewhere not too urban and much cooler. I'm more interested
in being with Rudder wherever he is than in going off without him, so I just keep
hoping I can persuade him to move one of these years. He likes not only the
sunshine here, but also his job, so he's more tied down than I am. (I like my job,
but as a contractor I can't stay more than 2 years anyhow.)
My ideal
place to live would be on an acre or ten, so that there are neighbors nearby but
not always in view. They would be neighborly neighbors, not necessarily best
friends but pleasant to talk to. Close friends would be not too far away. The
house would be rambling, with lots of natural materials: wood and stone and maybe
some earth (rammed, I mean), with comfortable seating to read in the library and
to talk in the family room. The family room seating would focus on a fireplace;
there would be a TV but it wouldn't be the centerpiece of the room. Sounds system,
phone and network jacks throughout. A kitchen with plenty of cupboard and counter
space, and room for at least a couple extra people to hang out. Bedrooms for us
and a visting friend or three. The climate would be warm but not obscenely hot in
summer, and cold enough to have snow in winter. It would rain sometimes, but not
all the time -- Flagstaff is just about perfect. There would be challenging and
well-paid jobs, interesting shops, and good restaurants not too far away, so it
would probably be just outside a small city or big town -- this is where our
property on the Rim falls short, and why we don't live there now. It doesn't seem
like too much to ask for.