Okay, there's a little more than potatoes

I was talking to my friend Trey earlier, and I guess my last blog entry could give the impression that Sandpoint is basically hell on earth.

It's not that bad; while I don't feel like I'd ever fit in here like I would in a bigger city, it's well-suited for someone who enjoys small-town life. There are lots of local activities: summer festivals, a nice farmer's market, even the occasional indie film or play at the theater. The Fourth of July fireworks at the beach are spectacular, and virtually the entire town turns out to watch them. The local family-owned restaurants are every bit as good as anything in Birmingham, with quality and friendly service making up for the lack of variety you find here. You can walk downtown (even after dark!) without worrying about getting stabbed, which is definitely a nice perk.

Hillary often points out that I don't try to get out and see what the town has to offer. I guess that's true in a sense, but I do keep an eye on what's coming up, and quite honestly, most of it doesn't interest me very much. If I was more outdoorsy (allergies suck) or had kids (one thing that poops on the floor is enough, thanks), I might be more appreciative of the goings-on in Sandpoint. I like games and computers and guitars and watching terrible movies with a few close friends, and that's just not the lifestyle here, apart from a few people at my company (who, unfortunately for us, all have families and little free time -- and most of them don't seem to feel like they fit in here, either).

But the fact remains... I was born and raised in the suburbs, and I've always lived near a city. I like city stuff. I want to go to concerts, and have a shopping mall nearby, and be able to get food at three in the morning if the mood hits me. I want to be somewhere with lot of people who share similar interests. Sandpoint is not a terrible place when it comes down to it. It's just not for me.

Can it be September please?

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but that's only because not much has changed. The IT department at my company is still imploding, I'm working for my fourth boss in the last year, and all the promises of raises and promotions have, predictably, fallen far short.

As we get closer to our vacation in Birmingham, I think more and more about all the friends and family we'll get to see while we're there, and I really wonder why we're coming back to Idaho afterwards. There is very little chance of having a social life in Sandpoint. Virtually all of my co-workers have children, which means nobody plans any sort of after-work activities. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that almost nobody who works here has any friends outside of work at all. And there really aren't too many other ways to meet people, unlike in a larger city -- no concerts, no gaming groups, no martial arts schools. Most of the public activities here are very family-oriented. Makes it kind of hard to socialize, eh?

So we may just come back long enough to get the dog, pack up, and head on out before winter. It's kind of crazy to just pack up and move across the country with no job and no (permanent) place to live, but I don't know an easier way to do it. Most companies don't want to relocate you 3000+ miles. We'll see what happens, I guess.