Back at work. Much stacked up on my desk, and Big Political Battle brewing. An interesting thing happened last night at Ty's. There was this guy there who I remember seeing a lot of in the past, but not recently. We got to talking, and he told me that he had moved to France last June, and was now living in Bretagne. So he invited me to come move there with him. This is actually the second invitation I've received in my life to chuck it all and come live in Europe. The first was when I was 18 years old and was delivered by an Egyptian I met in Lausanne, who broke my cherry. I don't know how serious the guy was last night, but it's certainly daydream fodder. Alas, though. I'm boycotting France because of all their blather about American unilateralism and imperialism and such. And it probably wouldn't be the best career move. But still, having spent the past week in Seattle, I'm reminded of how I could really leave New York City at the drop of a hat if a good opportunity elsewhere arose.

Criteria for 'Elsewhere'

1. Proximity to an ocean you can swim in
2. Good leather community
3. Easy access to rural splendor
4. Affordable real estate
5. A diverse economy

I think I could be somewhat flexible on all of these points. Places I've given a lot of consideration to include Los Angeles (all 5, I believe), Albuquerque (good on 3 and 4); Asheville (also 3 and 4); Portland (all except 1); and Fort Lauderdale (sadly, all except 5). I wouldn't mind moving back to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where I was born and reared, but the cost of living there are comparable to New York City. Chicago is just way too far away from the ocean to make that workable, and I think there's something odd about the place--a sort of cultural conservatism that I'm not sure I like.

Places I probably wouldn't consider living include San Francisco (way to liberal and oppressively gay), Philadelphia (been there, done that), DC (all that urban blight, with virtually none of the amenities). I guess that Albuquerque is off the list too, as my Ex bought a house there and I don't need to have to worry about him shrieking at me in the supermarket or something. I know a few people in Denver, but I've never heard anything that would compel me to live there. Atlanta is the South, and I don't think that I'm characterologically set up to live there. And Texas just seems to me to be a weird place. I read an article a while back about how police (in Houston? Fort Worth?) wanted to crack down on drag racing kids. They went to the mall or whatever where the kids congregated, but found no drag racing going on. So, they just arrested everybody that they did find there, for no real reason at all.

No, I think Fort Lauderdale is the place for me. If only I could solve the problem of what to do for work. I've looked, and there's like nothing. Although, I haven't spent much time there, but something tells me I could be really, really happy in LA. I like the place so much. Great weather, great standard of living, great art. And people there are so nice. I'd actually debate the point about 'an ocean you can swim in,' as it's like, always cold. And for someone who grew up in bathwater-temperature on the Jersey Shore, it just doesn't strike me as workable. Plus, there's that whole Existentialist City vibe that I love love love.

Awhile ago, there was this guy I 'met' online who pretty much offered me a job pouring concrete. Now, that sounds lame, huh? Maybe not. Working out in the sun all day, doing physical work that would keep my body in shape, and doing work that's not abstract (I'll avoid the obvious pun): you work, you pay attention to detail, and at the end of the day, the job is done and the quality of your work is instantly measurable. Soooo different from the work I've done most of my life, where the goals, if there are actual goals, are distant and vague, so you never see your work coming to fruition. If and when I inherit money from my parents, maybe I'll move to Los Angeles and spend a year pouring concrete.