How far (physical distance) has work taken you?

[Ivan Seeking]

The first choice doesn't even seem natural.

That's why I mentioned it. It was a rather cathartic moment when I realized that we can live wherever we want. We don't HAVE to put the careers first. That was twenty years ago. Now, I can hardly even imagine living in the city again.

 

[turbo]

That's why I mentioned it. It was a rather cathartic moment when I realized that we can live wherever we want. We don't HAVE to put the careers first. That was twenty years ago. Now, I can hardly even imagine living in the city again.

City!? I have to drive at least 15 miles to get to a town of ~7000, and I HATE going there. They have a Wal-Mart, other chain stores, and every fast-food joint you can name. Tim Horton's, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, 2 Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway. I hate that strip. I'm about 5 miles from where I can buy "Bait, Bolts, and Bullets" (the real name of the little catch-all store) and next door to that little establishment there is a grocery store that has enough of everything. We lived in that bigger town for over 15 years. It sucked. Our property taxes went up over 30% in one year while the taxes on commercial property (already low in comparison) was not touched.

We currently live in a town of about 900 people and many of them live in the village - we are out on a back road with a little less than 10 acres of woods, a nice garden spot, a pond (we'll landscape it eventually) and a nice little brook running through the center of the property. I let the snowmobile club maintain a trail along my east boundary. The wild blackberries and the Concord grapes and apple trees planted about 20 years ago by the fellow who build the cabin are wonderful. I could have made a LOT more money throughout my career by relocating, but I would not have been anywhere near as happy as I am here. 2-3 times a week, when my wife comes home from work and looks around our little log house, she shouts "I LOVE this place!" That's good for something.

 

[scorpa]

We currently live in a town of about 900 people and many of them live in the village - we are out on a back road with a little less than 10 acres of woods, a nice garden spot, a pond (we'll landscape it eventually) and a nice little brook running through the center of the property. I let the snowmobile club maintain a trail along my east boundary. The wild blackberries and the Concord grapes and apple trees planted about 20 years ago by the fellow who build the cabin are wonderful. I could have made a LOT more money throughout my career by relocating, but I would not have been anywhere near as happy as I am here. 2-3 times a week, when my wife comes home from work and looks around our little log house, she shouts "I LOVE this place!" That's good for something.

I think that is what I want when I "grow up". I've tried but I don't think I will ever be a city person. There is just nothing like living out in the country far from the city, away from the hustle and bustle. I like the quiet, being able to see the stars, walking for miles and never seeing anybody. It just seems like a lot more freedom. Unforuntately I'm not sure if my career path will let me do that, unless I choose to have a big commute.

 

[turbo]

I think that is what I want when I "grow up". I've tried but I don't think I will ever be a city person. There is just nothing like living out in the country far from the city, away from the hustle and bustle. I like the quiet, being able to see the stars, walking for miles and never seeing anybody. It just seems like a lot more freedom. Unforuntately I'm not sure if my career path will let me do that, unless I choose to have a big commute.

I hope you can pull it off scorpa. Too many times, we chose to do what is easiest "for now" and end up spending years living compromises. While choosing delayed gratification (we'll have a nice place out in the country someday...) can seem attractive, none of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. You don't have to go crazy about self-gratification, but if you'd like to live in a quiet rural place with lots of wide-open spaces to roam around, watch birds and take pictures, you should go for it and perhaps make your earning-power subservient to that. People in radiology and nuclear medicine may not make as much money in Maine as they would in cities, but you can choose to live in some really pretty places with low-cost, low-maintenance houses.

Did I mention that I LOVE my vegetable garden?

 

[Office_Shredder]

City!? I have to drive at least 15 miles to get to a town of ~7000, and I HATE going there. They have a Wal-Mart, other chain stores, and every fast-food joint you can name. Tim Horton's, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, 2 Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway. I hate that strip. I'm about 5 miles from where I can buy "Bait, Bolts, and Bullets" (the real name of the little catch-all store) and next door to that little establishment there is a grocery store that has enough of everything. We lived in that bigger town for over 15 years. It sucked. Our property taxes went up over 30% in one year while the taxes on commercial property (already low in comparison) was not touched.

How can all those stores possibly be supported by the population? It just seems unreal

 

[turbo]

How can all those stores possibly be supported by the population? It just seems unreal

It is the largest town in a rural area that draws traffic from a radius of 25-50 miles. Once WalMart has moved in and killed off the marginal retailers in a town, it becomes a magnet for people who need the goods formerly offered by the defunct business. Then, all the rent-to-own places show up to cater to WalMart employees, and the employees of the fast-food places that follow WalMart into town. It's very sickening to watch a vibrant little town die this way.

 

[GleefulNihilism]

South Central to Midtown, Kansas City. Frankly I love living in cities, everything has it's own life and energy, it really is a concrete jungle home to the human animal.

The only problem is that stargazing sucks in cities. I'm looking at a job that will take me to Montana.

 

[Astronuc]

You have to keep this hush-hush, as it's kind of a classified thing, but I'm posting from one of the moons of Jupiter

Even better.

Surfing the hydrocarbon seas on Titan.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/454/titansurfaceletsgosurficm4.jpg

 

[GleefulNihilism]

From what I've read the hydrocarbon seas have a consistency more along the lines of thick pudding then water.

Sounds like that sucks for surfing.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

On Titan, you can only hang two.

 

[turbo]

On Titan, you can only hang two.

If you're a native, you only have two.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

City!? I have to drive at least 15 miles to get to a town of ~7000, and I HATE going there.

Yes we're pretty remote as well. One thing worth mentioning here is that we couldn't live today as we did when we first moved here. I was willing to do whatever it took to make a go of it, but at our ages this would no longer be acceptable.

What changed everything was the internet. This allows me to run a business from a place where it would not have possible twenty years ago.

As for the longest trip made for work; near Lima, Peru.